Architectural design for self-service procurement application software

• US 20070156499A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Brecht-Tillinger, Karin, Kaetkep, Stefan, Sala, Paola, Tebbe, Matthias, Moosmann, Gerd, Freund, Jens, Latocha, Peter, Fitz, Peter, Jaeger, Bettina, Berger, Arthur, Neumayer, Peter, Schwarz, Armin, Schueler, Arnulf, Geisau, Otfried
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for implementing a software architecture design for a software application implementing self-service procurement used to procure goods and services “ad hoc” by requests from within an organization. The application is structured as multiple process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, and multiple service interface operations, each being implemented for a respective process component. The process components include an Accounting process component, an Internal Request Processing process component, a Purchase Request Processing process component, a Purchase Order Processing process component, a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component, a Supplier Invoice Processing process component, a Payment Processing process component, an RFQ Processing process component, and a Due Item Processing process component.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising application software encoded on a tangible machine-readable information carrier, the application software being structured as process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, the software comprising:

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

an Accounting process component that records relevant business transactions;

an Internal Request Processing process component that processes internal requests;

a Purchase Request Processing process component that provides a request or instruction to the purchasing department to purchase specified goods or services in specified quantities within a specified time;

a Purchase Order Processing process component that processes purchase orders and purchase order confirmations;

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component that processes goods and service acknowledgements, which state a recipient'"'"'s obligation to pay a supplier for goods received or services rendered;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component that processes supplier invoices, which may be created after a goods and service acknowledgment has been confirmed, and supplier invoice requests, which are sent to invoice verification to advise that an invoice for specified quantities and prices is expected;

a Payment Processing process component that handles incoming and outgoing payments as well as represent the main database for a liquidity status;

an RFQ Processing process component that handles requests for quotation and corresponding quotes; and

a Due Item Processing process component that manages payables and receivables from service and supply; and

a plurality of service interface operations, each service interface operation being implemented for a respective process component, the operations comprising inbound and outbound operations, the outbound operation for a first process component being operable to send a message to a second process component of the plurality of process components, the second process component having an inbound operation for receiving the message, the passing of messages between an inbound and an outbound operation defining a message-based pair-wise interaction between the respective process components of the respective operations, the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components including interactions between;

a Payment Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

an Internal Request component and a Supplier Invoice component;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component and Due Item Processing process component;

a Purchase Order Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

a Purchase Order Processing process component and a Supplier Invoice Processing process component;

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component and an Accounting process component;

a Due Item Processing process component and a Payment Processing process component;

an RFQ Processing process component and a Purchase Order Processing process component;

a Purchase Request Processing process component and an RFQ Processing process component;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

an Internal Request Processing process component and a Purchase Request Processing process component;

an Internal Request Processing process component and a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component;

a Due Item Processing process component and an Accounting process component; and

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component and a Supplier Invoice Processing process component.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of process components is assigned to exactly one deployment unit among multiple deployment units, and each deployment unit is deployable on a separate computer hardware platform independent of every other deployment unit; and

all interaction between a process component in one deployment unit and any other process component in any other deployment unit takes place through the respective service interfaces of the two process components.

3. The product of claim 2, wherein the deployment units comprise:

a Financial Accounting deployment unit that includes the Accounting process component;

a Requisitioning deployment unit that includes the Internal Request Processing process component;

a Purchasing deployment unit that includes the Purchase Request Processing process component, the Purchase Order Processing process component, and the Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component;

a Supplier Invoicing deployment unit that includes the Supplier Invoice Processing process component;

a Payment deployment unit that includes the Payment Process component;

an RFQ deployment unit that includes the RFQ Processing process component; and

a Due Item Management deployment unit that includes the Due Item Processing process component.

4. The product of claim 1, wherein:

each of the process components includes one or more business objects; and

none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects included in any of the other process components.

5. The product of claim 4, wherein the business objects comprise a business process object.

6. The product of claim 4, wherein:

none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

7. The product of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of process agents, each process agent being either an inbound process agent or an outbound process agent, an inbound process agent being operable to receive a message from an inbound operation, an outbound process agent being operable to cause an outbound operation to send a message, each process agent being associated with exactly one process component.

8. The product of claim 7, wherein:

the inbound process agents comprise a first inbound process agent operable to start the execution of step requested in a first inbound message by creating or updating one or more business object instances.

9. The product of claim 7, wherein:

the outbound process agents comprise a first asynchronous outbound process agent that is called after a business object that is associated with the first outbound process agent changes.

10. The product of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise synchronous and asynchronous operations.

11. A system, comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more hardware platforms for executing a computer software application;

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

an Accounting process component that records relevant business transactions;

an Internal Request Processing process component that processes internal requests;

a Purchase Request Processing process component that provides a request or instruction to the purchasing department to purchase specified goods or services in specified quantities within a specified time;

a Purchase Order Processing process component that processes purchase orders and purchase order confirmations;

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component that processes goods and service acknowledgements, which state a recipient'"'"'s obligation to pay a supplier for goods received or services rendered;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component that processes supplier invoices, which may be created after a goods and service acknowledgment has been confirmed, and supplier invoice requests, which are sent to invoice verification to advise that an invoice for specified quantities and prices is expected;

a Payment Processing process component that handles incoming and outgoing payments as well as represent the main database for a liquidity status;

an RFQ Processing process component that handles requests for quotation and corresponding quotes; and

a Due Item Processing process component that manages payables and receivables from service and supply; and

a plurality of service interface operations, each service interface operation being implemented for a respective process component, the operations comprising inbound and outbound operations, the outbound operation for a first process component being operable to send a message to a second process component of the plurality of process components, the second process component having an inbound operation for receiving the message, the passing of messages between an inbound and an outbound operation defining a message-based pair-wise interaction between the respective process components of the respective operations, the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components including interactions between;

a Payment Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

an Internal Request component and a Supplier Invoice component;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component and Due Item Processing process component;

a Purchase Order Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

a Purchase Order Processing process component and a Supplier Invoice Processing process component;

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component and an Accounting process component;

a Due Item Processing process component and a Payment Processing process component;

an RFQ Processing process component and a Purchase Order Processing process component;

a Purchase Request Processing process component and an RFQ Processing process component;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

an Internal Request Processing process component and a Purchase Request Processing process component;

an Internal Request Processing process component and a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component;

a Due Item Processing process component and an Accounting process component; and

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component and a Supplier Invoice Processing process component.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

each of the process components includes one or more business objects; and

none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects included in any of the other process components.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein:

a plurality of process agents, each process agent being either an inbound process agent or an outbound process agent, an inbound process agent being operable to receive a message from an inbound operation, an outbound process agent being operable to cause an outbound operation to send a message, each process agent being associated with exactly one process component.

15. The system of claim 11, the system comprising multiple hardware platforms, wherein:

the Accounting process component is deployed on a first hardware platform;

the Internal Request Processing process component is deployed on a second hardware platform;

the Purchase Request Processing process component, the Purchase Order Processing process component, and the Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component are deployed on a third hardware platform;

the Supplier Invoice Processing process component is deployed on a fourth hardware platform;

the Payment Process component is deployed on a fifth hardware platform;

the RFQ Processing process component is deployed on a sixth hardware platform; and

the Due Item Processing process component is deployed on a seventh hardware platform.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the first through the seventh hardware platforms are distinct and separate from each other.

17. A method for developing a computer software application, comprising:

obtaining in a computer system digital data representing an architectural design for a set of processes implementing an end-to-end application process, the design specifying a process component for each process in the set of processes, the design specifying further specifying a set of process component interactions, wherein

the specified process components include

an Accounting process component that records relevant business transactions;

an Internal Request Processing process component that processes internal requests;

a Purchase Request Processing process component that provides a request or instruction to the purchasing department to purchase specified goods or services in specified quantities within a specified time;

a Purchase Order Processing process component that processes purchase orders and purchase order confirmations;

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component that processes goods and service acknowledgements, which state a recipient'"'"'s obligation to pay a supplier for goods received or services rendered;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component that processes supplier invoices, which may be created after a goods and service acknowledgment has been confirmed, and supplier invoice requests, which are sent to invoice verification to advise that an invoice for specified quantities and prices is expected;

a Payment Processing process component that handles incoming and outgoing payments as well as represent the main database for a liquidity status;

an RFQ Processing process component that handles requests for quotation and corresponding quotes; and

a Due Item Processing process component that manages payables and receivables from service and supply; and

the process component interactions include interactions between

a Payment Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

an Internal Request component and a Supplier Invoice component;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component and Due Item Processing process component;

a Purchase Order Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

a Purchase Order Processing process component and a Supplier Invoice Processing process component;

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component and an Accounting process component;

a Due Item Processing process component and a Payment Processing process component;

an RFQ Processing process component and a Purchase Order Processing process component;

a Purchase Request Processing process component and an RFQ Processing process component;

a Supplier Invoice Processing process component and an Accounting process component;

an Internal Request Processing process component and a Purchase Request Processing process component;

an Internal Request Processing process component and a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component;

a Due Item Processing process component and an Accounting process component; and

a Goods and Service Acknowledgement process component and a Supplier Invoice Processing process component; and

using the design including the specified process components and the specified process component interactions to develop a computer software application to perform the set of processes.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

each process in the set of processes is a business process transforming a defined business input into a defined business outcome.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

obtaining digital data representing the architectural design further comprises editing the design before using the design.