Methodology for Generating Accessing Functions for Programmed Execution of Panel-Driven Business Applications

• US 20090031294A1
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Twisselmann, Ute, Schmidt, Andrea
• Granted Patent: US 8,001,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing

Abstract

A method of providing access to Business Applications (BA) executed on a data processing system wherein said BAs offer their services interactively controlled by a multitude of BA panels and wherein said BAs may display succeeding BA panels dependent on user interactions, user specified data and the contents of any kind of data base the BA is operating on. This inventive method consists in two major steps. In a first step the individual panels, the sequence of the panels as they are displayed by the BA and the activities required to launch a BA to display a succeeding panel are described. This step results in a directed graph modelling the spectrum of panel interactions with a BA, called a User Interaction Graph (UIG). By analyzing the UIG the proposed method then generates in a second step procedures, called Transaction Methods (TM). When called, the TM procedures are capable of autonomously executing and controlling the BAs by handling a sequence of BA panels. Based on input parameters passed over to the TMs they autonomously fill the various BA panels with the correct input information, initiate the required activities for traversing through a certain panel sequence and return the output information gathered during its execution.

Claims

1. A method for migrating Business Applications executed on a data processing system to a modern environment wherein said Business Applications hitherto offer their services interactively controlled by a multitude of Business Application panels and wherein said Business Applications may enter succeeding Business Application panels dependent on user interactions, user specified data and the contents of a database operated on by the Business Applications, said method comprising:

arranging one or more of the Business applications into one or more Transaction Objects;

Arranging one or more of said Transaction Objects into one or more Transaction Object Methods enabled to transparently and autonomously execute the underlying Business Applications by handling a sequence of business Application panels

transparently signaling Transaction Objects in at least one of said Transaction Object Methods to execute Business Applications to create Business Objects, said Business Objects being maintained in Business Object Instance Space in the database;

communicating between Transaction Objects in said Transaction Object Methods with messages arranged in defined Transaction Records, each Transaction Record being instantiated with a related one Transaction Object to supply or retrieve data as part of the related one Transaction Object invocation;

retrieving Business Objects from said Business Object Instance Space automatically and placing said retrieved Business Object in a Transaction Record when said retrieved Business Object is needed later in the Transaction Object Method such that Business Objects may be reused;

placing said Transaction Object Methods into a graph, said graph including predecessors of Business Applications, Transaction Objects and Business Objects making up said Transaction Object Methods;

determining from said graph, legacy Business Applications which provide data and Business Objects needed from performing said Transaction Object Methods in the modern environment; and

executing at least one Transaction Object in a local processing system, the executing Transaction Object communicating with a remote data processing system via a computer network, and the executing Transaction Object controlling execution of a Business Application on the remote data processing system.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

arranging said Business Applications and said Transaction Objects from a first number of Business applications to form a new application system comprising at least one Transaction Object Method having a second number of Business Applications, said second number being less than first number, and interaction of Transaction Record messages between said Transaction Objects.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said Transaction Record comprises an external Transaction Record which calls another Transaction Object.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said Transaction Record comprises an internal Transaction Record which starts the Transaction Object.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said Transaction Record comprises a preemptive Transaction Record which contains data which is provided in advance for use by a Transaction Object Method.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said Transaction Record comprises an interactive which contains data which is not provided in advance, but whose data is the result of earlier run Transaction Objects run by said Transaction Object Method.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said Transaction Record includes parameters and keystrokes.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising detecting all Transaction Records needed for said Transaction Object Method and automatically associating said Transaction Object Method with said detected needed Transaction Records.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said Transaction Object Methods are placed into a graph, said graph showing successors and predecessors of Business Applications, Transaction Objects and Business Objects making up said Transaction Object Methods.

10. An apparatus for migrating Business Applications executed on a data processing system to a modern environment wherein said Business Applications hitherto offer their services interactively controlled by a multitude of Business Application panels and wherein said Business Applications may enter succeeding Business Application panels dependent on user interactions, user specified data and the contents of a database operated on by the Business applications, said apparatus comprising:

one or more of the Business Applications arranged into one or more Transaction Objects;

one or more of said Transaction Objects arranged into one or more Transaction Object Methods enabled to transparently and autonomously execute the underlying Business Applications by handling a sequence of Business Application panels;

said data processing system transparently signaling Transaction Objects in at least one of said Transaction Object Methods to execute Business Applications to create Business Objects, said Business Objects being maintained in Business Object Instance Space in the database;

said data processing system further communicating between Transaction Objects in said Transaction Object Methods with messages arranged in defined Transaction Records, each Transaction Record being instantiated with a related one Transaction Object to supply or retrieve data as part of the related one Transaction Object invocation;

said data processing system further retrieving Business Objects from said Business Object Instance Space automatically and placing said retrieved Business Object in a Transaction Record when said retrieved Business Object is needed later in the Transaction Object Method such that Business Objects maybe reused;

said data processing system further placing said Transaction Object Methods into a graph, said graph including predecessors of Business Applications, Transaction Objects and business Objects making up said Transaction Object Methods;

said data processing system further determining from said graph, legacy Business Applications which provide data and Business Objects needed for performing said Transaction Object Methods in the modern environment; and

said data processing system further executing at least one Transaction Object in a local data processing system, the executing Transaction Object communicating with a remote data processing system via a computer network, and the executing Transaction Object controlling execution of a Business Application on the remote data processing system.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 further wherein said data processing further arranges said Business Applications and said Transaction Objects from a first number of Business Applications;

a new application system comprising at least one Transaction Object Method having second number of Business Applications, the second number being less than the first number, and

Transaction Record messages providing interaction between said Transaction Objects.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said Transaction Record comprises an external Transaction Record which calls another Transaction Object.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said Transaction Record comprises an internal Transaction Record which starts the Transaction Object.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said Transaction Record comprises a preemptive Transaction Record which contains data which is provided in advance for use by a Transaction Object Method.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said Transaction Record comprises an interactive which contains data which is not provided in advance, but whose data is the result of earlier run Transaction Objects run by said Transaction Object Method.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said Transaction Record includes parameters and keystrokes.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said data processing system detects all Transaction Records needed for said Transaction Object Method and automatically associating said Transaction Object Method with said detected needed Transaction Records.

18. A Program product for migrating Business Applications executed on a data processing system to a modern environment wherein said Business Applications hitherto offer their services interactively controlled by a multitude of Business Application panels and wherein said Business applications may enter succeeding Business Application panels dependent on sure interactions, user specified data and the contents of a database operated on by the Business Applications, said program product comprising;

a computer readable medium having recorded thereon computer readable program code performing the method comprising;

arranging one or more of the Business Applications into one or more Transaction Objects;

arranging one or more of said Transaction Objects into one or more Transaction Object Methods enabled to transparently and autonomously execute the underlying Business Applications by handling a sequence of Business Application panels;

transparently signaling Transaction Objects in at least one of said Transaction Object Methods to execute Business Applications to create Business Objects, said Business Objects being maintained in Business Object Instance Space in the database;

communicating between Transaction Objects in said Transaction Object Methods with messages arranged in defined Transaction Records, each Transaction Record being instantiated with a related one Transaction Object to supply or retrieve data as part of the related one Transaction Object invocation;

retrieving Business Objects from said Business Object Instance Space automatically and placing said retrieved Business Object in a Transaction Record when said retrieved Business Object is needed later in the Transaction Object Method such that Business Objects may be reused;

placing said Transaction Object Methods into a graph, said graph including predecessors of Business Applications, Transaction Objects and Business Objects making up said Transaction Object Methods;

determining from said graph, legacy Business Applications which provide data and Business Objects needed for performing said Transaction Object Methods in the modern environment;

executing at least one Transaction Object in a local data processing system, the executing Transaction Object communicating with a remote data processing system via a computer network, and the executing Transaction Object controlling execution of a Business application on the remote data processing system.

19. The program product according to claim 18 wherein said method further comprises:

arranging said Business Applications and said Transaction Objects from a first number of Business Applications to form a new application system comprising at least one Transaction Object Method having a second number Business Applications, the second number being smaller than the first number, and interaction of Transaction Record messages between said Transaction Objects.

20. The program product according to claim 18 wherein said Transaction Record comprises an external Transaction Record which calls another Transaction Object.

21. The program product according to claim 18 wherein said transaction Record comprises an internal Transaction Record which starts the Transaction Object.

22. The program product according to claim 18 wherein said Transaction Record comprises a preemptive Transaction Record which contains data which is provided in advance for use by a Transaction Object Method.

23. The program product according to claim 18 wherein sand Transaction Record comprises an interactive which contains data which is not provided in advance, but whose data is the result of earlier run Transaction Objects run by said Transaction Object Method.

24. The program product according to claim 18 wherein said Transaction Record included parameters and keystrokes.

25. The program product according to claim 18 wherein said method further comprises detecting all Transaction Records needed for said Transaction Object Method and automatically associating said Transaction Object Method with said detected needed Transaction Records.

26. The program product according to claim 18 wherein said Transaction Object Methods are placed into a graph, said graph showing successors and predecessors of Business Applications, Transaction Objects and Business Objects making up said Transaction Object Methods.