Software model skinning

• US 20080134137A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Petersen, Peter H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management

Abstract

An apparatus, network and methods for skinning normalized meta-model compliant software models are provided. In one embodiment a set of terminology is derived from a software application. A normalized meta-model compliant software model is derived from the application. A “skin” is derived that uses the terminology of the software application. The skin is then applied to the model. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Claims

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining a set of terminology specific to a software application further comprises executing at least one query on a repository associated with the software application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the repository is selected from a group consisting of a database, a spreadsheet, and a data store.

9. A computer software product comprising

a software model, the model conforming to a meta-model;

and

a skin applied to the software model, the skin derived from a software application and utilizing the terminology of the software application.

10. The computer software product of claim 9, wherein the terminology is extracted from the software application by executing at least one query on a repository of the software application.

11. The computer software product of claim 10, wherein the repository is selected from a group consisting of a database, a spreadsheet, and a data store.

12. The computer software product of claim 9, further comprising a user interface configured to allow a user to provide user specific terminology.

13. The computer software product of claim 12, wherein the user specific terminology modifies the software specific terminology.

14. The computer software product of claim 9, wherein the computer software product is configured to allow a user to derive a customer specific software application from the software application and the model.

15. The computer software product of claim 9, wherein the software application is an enterprise resource planning application.

16. The computer software product of claim 15, wherein the software application comprises a module selected from a group consisting of:

a manufacturing module, a supply chain management module, a financial module, a projects module, a human resources module, a customer relationship management module, and a data warehouse module.

17. A computing apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a storage media, the storage media containing processor executable software, wherein the processor executable software comprises

a software model, the model conforming to a meta-model; and

a skin applied to the software model, the skin derived from a software application and utilizing the terminology of the software application.

1. A method of configuring a general purpose computer comprising the steps of:

obtaining a set of terminology specific to a software application;

deriving a model from the software application, the model conforming to a meta-model;

deriving a skin for the model using the set of terminology specific to the software application; and

applying the skin to the model.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface configured to allow a user to provide user specific terminology.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user specific terminology modifies the terminology of the model.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising deriving a customer specific software application from the software application and the skinned model.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the software application is an enterprise resource planning application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the software application comprises a module selected from a group consisting of:

a manufacturing module, a supply chain management module, a financial module, a projects module, a human resources module, a customer relationship management module, and a data warehouse module.

18. The computing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the terminology is extracted from the software application by executing at least one query on a repository of the software application.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the repository is selected from a group consisting of a database, a spreadsheet, and a data store.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a user interface configured to allow a user to provide user specific terminology.

21. The computing apparatus of claim 20, wherein the user specific terminology modifies the software specific terminology.

22. The computing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the software application is an enterprise resource planning application.

23. The computing apparatus of claim 22, wherein the software application comprises a module selected from a group consisting of:

a manufacturing module, a supply chain management module, a financial module, a projects module, a human resources module, a customer relationship management module, and a data warehouse module.

21-1. The computing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the computer software product is configured to allow a user to derive a customer specific software application from the software application and the model.

25. A communication network comprising:

a server connected to a communication medium; and

a client device connected to the communication medium;

the client device configured to execute a customer specific software application, the customer specific application derived from a software application and a software model, the software model conforming to a meta-model and being derived from the software application, the model further comprising a skin, the skin utilizing specific terminology derived from the software application.

26. The communication network of claim 25, wherein the repository is selected from a group consisting of a database, a spreadsheet, and a data store.

27. The communication network of claim 25, wherein the repository resides on the server.

25-2. The communication network of claim 24, wherein the terminology is extracted from the software application by executing at least one query on a repository associated with the software application.

28. The communication network of claim 24, wherein the client is further configured to provide a user interface that is configured to allow a user to provide user specific terminology.

29. The communication network of claim 24, wherein the user specific terminology modifies the software specific terminology.

30. The communication network of claim 24, wherein the software application is an enterprise resource planning application.

31. The communication network of claim 30, wherein the software application comprises a module selected from a group consisting of:

a manufacturing module, a supply chain management module, a financial module, a projects module, a human resources module, a customer relationship management module, and a data warehouse module.