EFFICIENT MARSHALLING BETWEEN SOAP AND BUSINESS-PROCESS MESSAGES

• US 20090064175A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stucki, David Leon, Pitigoi-Aron, Gruia, Taylor, John Anthony, Elien, Jean-Emile
• Granted Patent: US 7,908,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A business process adapter converts a SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) message into a business process message. A body path and a node encoding type are defined for the business process adapter. And, when the SOAP message is received, the business process adaptor extracts the node of the SOAP message at the location defined by the body path and encodes the node according to the defined node encoding type. Additionally, the business process adapter converts a business process message into a SOAP message using a defined content encoding type and a defined format of the SOAP message. When the business process message is received from the business process management server, the business process adapter encodes the body of the business process message according to the defined content encoding type and generates the SOAP message from the encoded body according to the defined format.

Claims

1. A method for converting a SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) message into a business process message by a business process adapter, said business process adapter associated with a business process management server, said method comprising:

defining a body path associated with the business process adapter, said body path specifying the location of a node of the SOAP message;

defining a node encoding type associated with the business process adapter, said node encoding type specifying the format of the node;

receiving the SOAP message via the business process adapter;

extracting the node of the SOAP message wherein the node is located in the SOAP message at the location defined by the body path and the node is encoded according to the defined node encoding type;

generating the business process message from the extracted node wherein the content of the business process message includes the extracted node; and

sending the business process message to the business process management server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the node encoding type includes one or more of the following:

string, hexadecimal, base64, and XML.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if the extracted node does not include any data, an empty business process message is created.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if the node encoding type is string and the extracted node includes escaped data for XML special characters, the generated business process message will include the restored escaped characters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if the node encoding type is XML, the generated business process message will include the outer XML defined by the body path.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the body path and node encoding type are defined by a user via a graphical user interface of the business process management server.

7. A method for converting a business process message into a SOAP message by a business process adapter, said business process adapter associated with a business process management server, said method comprising:

defining a format of the SOAP message associated with the business process adapter;

defining a content encoding type for the SOAP message associated with the business process adapter;

receiving the business process message from the business process management server;

encoding the body of the business process message according to the defined content encoding type;

generating the SOAP message from the encoded body of the business process message wherein the content of the SOAP message includes the encoded body; and

sending the SOAP message via the business process adapter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the content encoding type includes one or more of the following:

string, hexadecimal, base64, and XML.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

defining a template including a XML message body element wherein the format of the SOAP message and the content encoding type of the SOAP message are defined; and

generating a SOAP message including the template wherein the encoded message body of the businesses process message replaces the XML message body element.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein if the template is empty, an empty SOAP message is created.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein if the content encoding type is string, any XML special characters in the businesses process message are escaped when encoded and the generated SOAP message will include the escaped characters.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein if the content encoding type is base64 or hex, the generated SOAP message will include the business process message body encoded in at least one of the following:

BinHex and Base 64.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the format of the SOAP message and content encoding type are defined by a user via a graphical user interface of the business process management server.

14. A system for converting messages by a business process adapter, said business process adapter associated with a business process management server, comprising:

the business process adapter configured with computer-executable instructions for receiving SOAP messages, said instructions for;

defining a body path associated with the business process adapter, said body path specifying the location of a node of the SOAP message;

defining a node encoding type associated with the business process adapter, said node encoding type specifying the format of the node;

receiving the SOAP message via the business process adapter;

extracting the node of the SOAP message wherein the node is located in the SOAP message at the location defined by the body path and the node is encoded according to the defined node encoding type;

generating the business process message from the extracted node wherein the content of the business process message includes the extracted node; and

sending the business process message to the business process management server; and

the business process adapter configured with computer-executable instructions for sending SOAP messages, said instructions for;

defining a format of the SOAP message associated with the business process adapter;

defining a content encoding type for the SOAP message associated with the business process adapter;

receiving the business process message from the business process management server;

encoding the body of the business process message according to the defined content encoding type;

generating the SOAP message from the encoded body of the business process message according to the defined format wherein the content of the SOAP message includes the encoded body; and

sending the SOAP message via the business process adapter to an application.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a user interface for defining one or more of the following;

the body path associated with the business process adapter, the node encoding type associated with the business process adapter, the format of the SOAP message associated with the business process adapter, and the content encoding type for the SOAP message associated with the business process adapter.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a first business process adapter configured with computer-executable instructions for receiving SOAP messages; and

a second business process adapter configured with computer-executable instructions for sending SOAP messages wherein the first and said second business process adapters are not the same business process adapter.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the business adapter further comprises:

defining a template including a XML message body element wherein the format of the SOAP message and the content encoding type of the SOAP message are defined; and

generating a SOAP message including the template wherein the encoded message body of the businesses process message replaces the XML message body element.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the node encoding type includes one or more of the following:

string, hexadecimal, base64, and XML.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the content encoding type includes one or more of the following:

string, hexadecimal, base64, and XML.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein if the node encoding type is string and the extracted node includes escaped data for XML special characters, the generated business process message will include the restored escaped characters.