Methods and apparatus for implementing model-based software solution development and integrated change management

• US 20060168557A1
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nytell Software LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: TTI Inventions C LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Hiralal, Jain, Ashish, Bassu, Devasis, Zbib, Rabih
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

The present invention concerns methods and apparatus for implementing a model-based paradigm for use in developing systems of software solutions. In a method of the present invention, a developer defines templates for use in creating software architecture elements which comprise a software solution or a system of software solutions. The template definitions comprise specifications of template attributes; template attribute types; value editors for use in editing template attributes; value validators for validating values assigned to template attributes and code generators for generating code when the template is used to create an architecture element in a software solution. The template definitions are created using a graphical user interface which allows a developer to specify relationships and dependencies among the templates. Once created, the templates are used in another graphical user interface to develop a solution architecture comprised of infrastructure and application components, and infrastructure and application resources. The graphical solution architecture definition environment allows developers to specify dependencies among architecture elements which greatly simplify software change management when architecture elements are instantiated as software artifacts.

Claims

1. A method for implementing model-based design of a software solution, the method comprising:

defining a template model of the software solution comprised of a plurality of templates, wherein defining a template model further comprises;

defining attributes for each of the templates;

defining code generators for each of the templates; and

defining template dependencies among templates comprising the plurality.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein defining attributes further comprises establishing a type for at least one attribute.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein defining attributes further comprises defining a value editor for the at least one attribute.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein defining attributes further comprises defining a value validator for the at least one attribute.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein defining a template model further comprises:

for at least one template, defining at least a part of the at least one template in relation to a base template, whereby the at least one template inherits attributes associated with the base template.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein defining a template model further comprises:

for at least one template of the plurality, identifying supplier templates upon which the at least one template depends.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing rules regarding permitted dependencies between templates comprising the template model; and

enforcing the rules regarding permitted dependencies between templates comprising the template model as template dependencies are defined.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

exporting the template model in a format suitable for use in a solution architecture definition environment.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

defining an architecture model for the software solution comprised of a plurality of architecture elements, wherein defining an architecture model further comprises;

creating the architecture elements;

defining an element type for each of the architecture elements;

populating the architecture elements with attributes; and

defining relationships between the architecture elements.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein creating the architecture elements further comprises selecting an appropriate template created when defining a template model for the software solution for use in creating a particular architecture element, whereby the particular architecture element instantiates the template.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the architecture elements comprises an application component, whereby the application component will be instantiated as a software artifact in the software solution.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the architecture elements comprises an infrastructure component, whereby the infrastructure component will be instantiated as a software artifact in the software solution.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the architecture elements comprises an application resource, whereby the application resource further comprises structured information.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the architecture elements comprises an infrastructure resource, whereby the infrastructure resource further comprises structured information.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

establishing rules regarding permitted relationships between architecture elements comprising an architecture model; and

enforcing the rules regarding permitted relationships between architecture elements comprising an architecture model as architecture element relationships are defined.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein certain of the architecture elements will be instantiated as software artifacts in the software solution, whereby each of the architecture elements to be instantiated as a software artifact is based on an underlying template defined when the template model of the software solution was defined, the method comprising:

for each architecture element to be instantiated as a software artifact, generating at least a portion of code for the resulting software artifact using the code generator of the underlying template associated with the architecture element.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

completing coding of the software artifacts comprising the software solution.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

detecting at least one modification to at least one software artifact comprising the software solution;

using relationships defined between architecture elements instantiated by software artifacts when the architecture model for the software solution was defined to determine other software artifacts also impacted by the modification to the at least one software artifact;

flagging the other software artifacts impacted by the modification to the at least one software artifact; and

modifying the other software artifacts having a relationship with the at least one software artifact to accommodate the modification made to the at least one software artifact.

19. A method for authoring a software solution using a model-based software architecture paradigm, the method comprising:

defining the software solution architecture, wherein defining the software solution architecture further comprises;

creating solution architecture elements, wherein the solution architecture elements are comprised of attributes;

populating the attributes of the solution architecture elements; and

identifying dependency relations between the architecture elements;

creating software artifacts for each architecture element; and

establishing dependencies between the software artifacts, wherein the dependencies between the software artifacts correspond to the dependency relations established between the architecture elements.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein at least one of the attributes of at least one of the solution architecture elements is specified using information derived from a template associated with the at least one of the solution architecture elements, wherein the at least one attribute of the solution architecture element corresponds to an attribute associated with the template, the attribute associated with the template having an attribute type;

an attribute value editor; and

an attribute value validator.

21. A memory medium storing a computer program for execution by a digital processor of a computer system, whereby when executed the computer program provides a graphical user interface for creating a template definition environment for use in authoring a software solution using a model-based architecture paradigm, the computer program performing operations when executed by the digital processor, the operations comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface corresponding to the template definition environment, wherein the graphical user interface comprises;

template creation controls for creating templates;

template dependency controls for creating dependency relationships among templates created using the template creation controls; and

a display area for depicting icons corresponding to templates created using the template creation controls and relationships among the templates;

receiving commands entered using the template creation controls and template dependency controls to create templates and template dependencies; and

displaying the templates and template dependencies created using the template creation controls and template dependency controls.

22. A memory medium storing a computer program for execution by a digital processor of a computer system, whereby when executed the computer program provides a graphical user interface for creating an architecture definition environment for use in authoring a software solution using a model-based architecture paradigm, the computer program performing operations when executed by the digital processor, the operations comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface corresponding to the architecture definition environment, wherein the graphical user interface comprises;

architecture element creation controls for creating architecture elements;

architecture element dependency controls for specifying dependencies among architecture elements; and

a display area for depicting icons corresponding to the architecture elements and relationships among the architecture elements;

receiving commands entered using the architecture element creation controls and architecture element dependency controls; and

displaying icons corresponding to the architecture elements and architecture element dependencies created using the architecture element creation controls and architecture element dependency controls.

23. The memory medium of claim 22 wherein the architecture elements comprise application components.

24. The memory medium of claim 22 wherein the architecture elements comprise application resources.

25. The memory medium of claim 22 wherein the architecture elements comprise infrastructure components.

26. The memory medium of claim 22 wherein the architecture elements comprise infrastructure resources.

27. The memory medium of claim 22 wherein the software solution is comprised of a plurality of applications, the graphical user interface further comprising:

application browsing controls for allowing a user to browse the plurality of applications comprising the software solution.

28. The memory medium of claim 22 wherein the software solution is comprised of a plurality of applications, the graphical user interface further comprising:

creation and deletion controls for allowing a user to create new applications and to delete existing applications.

29. The memory medium of claim 22 wherein the software solution is comprised of a plurality of applications, each of the applications having associated software artifacts, the graphical user interface further comprising:

software artifact browsing controls for allowing a user to browse software artifacts associated with applications.

30. The memory medium of claim 22 wherein the software solution is comprised of a plurality of applications, each of the applications having associated software artifacts, the graphical user interface further comprising:

creation and deletion controls for allowing a user to create new software artifacts and to delete existing software artifacts.

31. A computer system for use in authoring a software solution using a model-based architecture paradigm, the computer system comprising:

memory means to store at least one computer program, whereby when executed the at least one computer program provides graphical user interfaces for use in authoring the software solution;

display means for displaying the graphical user interface;

input means for receiving inputs from a user of the computer system for interacting with the graphical user interface; and

digital processor means coupled to the memory means, display means and input means for executing the at least one computer program, whereby when the at least one computer program is executed the following operations are performed;

receiving a command to access at least one of a template definition environment and an architecture definition environment,

whereby when a command to access a template definition environment is received, the following operations are performed;

displaying a graphical user interface corresponding to the template definition environment, wherein the graphical user interface comprises;

template creation controls for creating templates;

template dependency controls for creating dependency relationships among templates created using the template creation controls; and

a display area for depicting icons corresponding to templates created using the template creation controls and relationships among the templates;

receiving commands entered using the template creation controls and template dependency controls to create templates and template dependencies; and

displaying the templates and template dependencies created using the template creation controls and template dependency controls; and

whereby when a command to access an architecture definition environment is received, the following operations are performed;

displaying a graphical user interface corresponding to the architecture definition environment, wherein the graphical user interface comprises;

architecture element creation controls for creating architecture elements;

architecture element dependency controls for specifying dependencies among architecture elements; and

a display area for depicting icons corresponding to the architecture elements and relationships among the architecture elements;

receiving commands entered using the architecture element creation controls and architecture element dependency controls; and

displaying icons corresponding to the architecture elements and architecture element dependencies created using the architecture element creation controls and architecture element dependency controls.