Generic framework for integrating components with different interfaces in an enterprise application intergration environment

• US 20060265719A1
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Khangaonkar, Manoj, Sapugay, Edwin V., Daherkar, Atul Ravindra, Tung, Larry Hwang-Chi, Astl, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program code for integrating components with different interfaces in an enterprise application integration environment. When an enterprise application is assembled, a user may try to wire a component to another component in the enterprise. However, if the reference on the source component does not match the interface on the target component, the components cannot be wired together. In this situation, the user is prompted to introduce an interface mediation component between the source and target application components. The mediation component comprises an interface matching the reference on the source component and a reference matching the interface on the target component. The mediation component mediates the different interfaces at runtime by binding an operation in the source component to an operation in the target component, and performing a parameter mediation of parameters in the first operation to parameters in the second operation.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for integrating components with different interfaces in an enterprise application integration environment, the method comprising:

responsive to an attempt to wire a first application component to a second application component, determining whether an interface reference on the first application component does not match an interface of the second application component; and

responsive to determining that the interface does not match an interface of the second application component, interposing an interface mediation component between the first and second application components to enable wiring of the first application component to the second application component, wherein the interface mediation component comprises an interface matching the interface reference on the first application component and an interface reference matching the interface on the second application component, and wherein the interface mediation component binds a first operation in the first application component to a second operation in the second application component and performs a parameter mediation of parameters in the first operation to parameters in the second operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating the interface mediation component using pre-defined rules in a mediation validator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface mediation component is created using Service Component Declaration Language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface mediation component references an interface mediation file, and wherein the interface mediation file conforms to a schema that defines a set of rules for operation bindings and parameter mediations.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the interface mediation file is an extensible markup language file.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the schema is an extensible markup language schema.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the interface mediation file specifies operations and parameters to mediate, operation and parameter bindings, type of parameter mediation, and map input and output ports to use for a mediation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter mediation comprises invoking a mapping service to transform parameters from the first application component to the second application component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter mediation comprises passing parameters unchanged from the first application component to the second application component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter mediation comprises passing a fixed value from the interface mediation component to the second application component.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter mediation comprises using an XPath processor to process a parameter from the first application component to the second application component.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter mediation comprises using Java snippets to transform parameters from the first application component to the second application component.

13. A data processing system for integrating components with different interfaces in an enterprise application integration environment, comprising:

determining means for determining whether an interface reference on the first application component does not match an interface of the second application component in response to an attempt to wire a first application component to a second application component; and

interposing means for interposing an interface mediation component between the first and second application components to enable wiring of the first application component to the second application component in response to determining that the interface does not match an interface of the second application component, wherein the interface mediation component comprises an interface matching the interface reference on the first application component and an interface reference matching the interface on the second application component, and wherein the interface mediation component binds a first operation in the first application component to a second operation in the second application component and performs a parameter mediation of parameters in the first operation to parameters in the second operation.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, further comprising:

validating the interface mediation component using pre-defined rules in a mediation validator.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the interface mediation component is created using Service Component Declaration Language.

16. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the interface mediation component references an interface mediation file, and wherein the interface mediation file conforms to a schema that defines a set of rules for operation bindings and parameter mediations.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the interface mediation file is an extensible markup language file.

18. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the schema is an extensible markup language schema.

19. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the interface mediation file specifies operations and parameters to mediate, operation and parameter bindings, type of parameter mediation, and map input and output ports to use for a mediation.

20. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the parameter mediation comprises invoking a mapping service to transform parameters from the first application component to the second application component.

21. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the parameter mediation comprises passing parameters unchanged from the first application component to the second application component.

22. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the parameter mediation comprises passing a fixed value from the interface mediation component to the second application component.

23. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the parameter mediation comprises using an XPath processor to process a parameter from the first application component to the second application component.

24. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the parameter mediation comprises using Java snippets to transform parameters from the first application component to the second application component.

25. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for integrating components with different interfaces in an enterprise application integration environment, said computer program product including;

computer useable program code for determining whether an interface reference on the first application component does not match an interface of the second application component in response to an attempt to wire a first application component to a second application component; and

computer useable program code for interposing an interface mediation component between the first and second application components to enable wiring of the first application component to the second application component in response to determining that the interface does not match an interface of the second application component, wherein the interface mediation component comprises an interface matching the interface reference on the first application component and an interface reference matching the interface on the second application component, and wherein the interface mediation component binds a first operation in the first application component to a second operation in the second application component and performs a parameter mediation of parameters in the first operation to parameters in the second operation.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising:

computer useable program code for validating the interface mediation component using pre-defined rules in a mediation validator.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the interface mediation component is created using Service Component Declaration Language.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the interface mediation component references an interface mediation file, and wherein the interface mediation file conforms to a schema that defines a set of rules for operation bindings and parameter mediations.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the interface mediation file is an extensible markup language file.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the schema is an extensible markup language schema.

31. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the interface mediation file specifies operations and parameters to mediate, operation and parameter bindings, type of parameter mediation, and map input and output ports to use for a mediation.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the parameter mediation comprises invoking a mapping service to transform parameters from the first application component to the second application component.

33. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the parameter mediation comprises passing parameters unchanged from the first application component to the second application component.

34. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the parameter mediation comprises passing a fixed value from the interface mediation component to the second application component.

35. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the parameter mediation comprises using an XPath processor to process a parameter from the first application component to the second application component.

36. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the parameter mediation comprises using Java snippets to transform parameters from the first application component to the second application component.