Method for mapping the structure of a complex software product

• US 20080155494A1
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Gobel, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,650,539 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

To allow simplified illustration of the complex technical relationships for a complex software product, provision is made for the structure of the complex software product to be mapped, in at least one embodiment, using an at least three-dimensional system matrix. In this context, the latter is generated by the variables functionality, program components and version level. The complex software product of at least one embodiment is formed by a plurality of functionalities, each functionality being formed by the interaction of a plurality of executable program components associated with it and the program components having one of a plurality of possible version levels. In at least one embodiment, the system matrix is used to check, verify and possibly extend a customer configuration for the software product. At the same time, the matrix is also used to extend the complex software product on the software provider side.

Claims

1. A method for mapping a structure of a complex software product, comprising:

implementing a plurality of functionalities in the complex software product, each functionality being formed by interaction of a plurality of executable program components associated with each functionality, the program components including one of a plurality of version levels; and

mapping an association between the program components at their respective version level and the functionalities in an at least three-dimensional system matrix, the system matrix including a functionality variable, a program component variable and a version level variable.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

using the system matrix to ascertain an existing customer configuration for the software product, the customer configuration being the complex software product usable by a customer.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting the system matrix of the customer configuration to an external evaluation unit, where a test customer configuration identical to the customer configuration is set up.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the set-up test customer configuration is usable to at least one of reproduce processes and analyze errors.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a new functionality is additionally implemented in the complex software product, the system matrix being used to ascertain what additional program components are required at what version level.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the new functionality is an existing functionality provided by a software product manufacturer and implemented in an existing customer configuration, execution of the new functionality requiring defined program components, and wherein the additionally required program components are ascertained by using the system matrix to ascertain which of the defined program components are already implemented in the software product.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the new functionality is implemented as part of further development of the complex software product.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one item of information from a further variable in the system matrix is stored for the individual program components in the respective version.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the additional item of information in the three-dimensional matrix is indicated as a value in a field associated with the respective component at the respective version level.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a plurality of additional items of information in the respective field of the three-dimensional matrix are indicated as n-tuples.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the further variable selected includes one or more of the following variables:

frequency of error in the program component from a particular version level,

reference to a specification for the program component from a particular version level,

reference to test schedules for the development of new program components from a particular version level, and

reference to documentation for the program component from a particular version level.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein additionally the further variable, for all program components associated with a particular functionality, is evaluated.

13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein additionally the further variable, for a respective one of the program components in the respective version, is evaluated over all functionalities.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein overall documentation is created from the references to documentation for different program components in the respective version.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

additionally using a routine to automatically evaluate the system matrix.

16. A software program product, having an executable program code for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 1.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is used for the medical sector.

18. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

using the set-up test customer configuration to at least one of reproduce processes and analyze errors.

19. A computer readable medium including program segments for, when executed on a computer device, causing the computer device to implement the method of claim 1.

20. A computer readable medium including program segments for, when executed on a computer device, causing the computer device to implement the method of claim 2.

21. A computer readable medium including program segments for, when executed on a computer device, causing the computer device to implement the method of claim 3.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the system matrix to at least one of check, verify and extend a customer configuration for the software product.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the system matrix to extend the complex software product on the software provider side.