PROVIDING PAYMENT SOFTWARE APPLICATION AS ENTERPRISE SERVICES

• US 20090171819A1
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Penning, Jan, Emde, Martin Von der, Hoffmann, Thomas, Nowotny, Dietmar
• Granted Patent: US 8,671,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including systems and computer program products, for a service architecture design that provides enterprise services having payment functionality at the level of an enterprise application. The design includes a set of service operations, process components, and optionally deployment units. Suitable business objects are also described.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

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

computer software deployed on the computer system, the computer software implementing a plurality of service operations, the service operations comprising;

a notify of project expense operation operable to send a notification of project expense;

a first notify of settlement result cancellation operation operable to send a notification of a cancellation of an expense report relating to a receivables payables out interface;

a second notify of settlement result cancellation operation operable to send a notification of a cancellation of settlement results relating to an expense report in payroll input maintenance out interface;

a third notify of settlement result cancellation operation operable to send a notification of a cancellation of an expense report relating to an expense accounting out interface;

a first notify of settlement result operation operable to send a notification of a settlement result relating to an expense report in payroll input maintenance out interface;

a second notify of settlement result operation operable to send a notification of a settlement result relating to a receivables payables out interface;

a third notify of settlement result operation operable to send a notification of a settlement result relating to an expense accounting out interface;

a notify of product tax declaration operation operable to send a VAT declaration;

a cancel receivables payables operation operable to cancel a trade or tax receivable or payable;

a create receivables payables operation operable to create a trade or tax receivable or payable;

a cancel clearing operation operable to cancel a previously sent clearing request;

a notify of European community sales list report operation operable to send a European community sales list report;

a request payment cancellation operation operable to cancel a payment;

a notify of payment cancellation operation operable to send a notification of a payment or clearing cancellation;

a request payment information and provisional payment reservation change operation operable to send a request for payment information with a change of provisional reservation of money;

a request payment operation operable to send a request for payment;

a notify of trade receivables payables account statement operation operable to send a notification of receivables and payables on a business partners account;

a confirm clearing operation operable to send a confirmation for a clearing request;

a request payment information and provisional payment reservation operation operable to send a request for payment information with a provisional reservation of money;

a query liquidity information operation operable to obtain liquidity information;

a notify of withholding tax declaration operation operable to send a withholding tax declaration;

a create clearing operation operable to create a clearing for business partner-initiated payments;

a notify of dunning operation operable to send a notification of outstanding payments;

a notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation operation operable to register the change of a provisional payment to the last transactional or saved state;

a change payment based on payment request confirmation operation operable to confirm the execution of a payment request or a payment request cancellation;

a notify of payment operation operable to send a notification about payments or clearings of trade and tax receivables or payables;

a cancel foreign receivable payable operation operable to send a cancellation of a foreign receivable or payable; and

a create foreign receivable payable operation operable to create a foreign receivable or payable.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the service operations further comprise:

a confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance operation operable to accept a bill of exchange cashing;

an issue bill of exchange operation operable to send a request for the issuing of a bill of exchange;

a request clearing cancellation operation operable to cancel a previously sent clearing request;

a create incoming check operation operable to create incoming checks;

a request check deposit operation operable to send a request for the deposit of a collection of incoming checks;

a request clearing operation operable to send a request for the clearing of payments;

an issue check operation operable to send a request for the issuing of a check;

a create bill of exchange cashing operation operable to create a bill of exchange cashing;

a confirm payment request operation operable to confirm the execution of a payment in response to a payment request;

a notify of payment operation operable to send a notification of cash receipts and cash disbursements;

a request bill of exchange deposit operation operable to send a request for the deposit of a collection of bills of exchange receivables;

a notify of payment cancellation operation operable to send a notification of the cancellation of cash receipts and cash disbursements;

a create payment order operation operable to create a request for payment;

a create payment advice operation operable to create a payment advice;

a change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation operation operable to update the status of a clearing house payment order;

a create bank statement operation operable to create a bank statement;

a change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation operation operable to confirm the execution or rejection of a sent clearing request;

a request payment card payment settlement operation operable to send a collection of payment card payments;

a create payment reservation operation operable to check and determine payment data and create a reservation of payment;

a notify of payment operation operable to send data that allows the assignment of payments to receivables or payables;

a request file based payment order operation operable to instruct a house bank via file to make a bank transfer or a direct debit;

a change payment reservation operation operable to change a reservation of payment;

an issue bill of exchange operation operable to send a request for the issuing of a bill of exchange;

a cancel payment order operation operable to cancel a previously sent payment request by reference;

a sync change payment reservation operation operable to change a reservation of payment and confirm the change; and

a query liquidity information operation operable to query liquidity information from relevant process components.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the service operations are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

a bill of exchange cashing in interface that includes the create bill of exchange cashing service operation;

a bill of exchange cashing out interface that includes the confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance service operation;

a bill of exchange depositing out interface that includes the request bill of exchange deposit service operation;

a bill of exchange payable issuing output out interface that includes the issue bill of exchange service operation;

a bill of exchange receivable issuing output out interface that includes the issue bill of exchange service operation;

a check depositing output out interface that includes the request check deposit service operation;

a check issuing output out interface that includes the issue check service operation;

a clearing in interface that includes the change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation, the cancel clearing, and the request clearing cancellation service operations;

a clearing out interface that includes the request clearing cancellation, the request clearing, and the confirm clearing service operations;

a dunning output out interface that includes the notify of dunning service operation;

a European community sales list report out interface that includes the notify of European community sales list report service operation;

an expense accounting out interface that includes the notify of settlement result and the notify of settlement result cancellation service operations;

an expense report in payroll input maintenance out interface that includes the notify of settlement result and the notify of settlement result cancellation service operations;

a foreign receivable payable notification in interface that includes the create foreign receivable payable and the cancel foreign receivable payable service operations;

an incoming check processing in interface that includes the create incoming check service operation;

an incoming payment advising in interface that includes the create payment advice service operation;

a liquidity information in interface that includes the query liquidity information service operation;

a liquidity information out interface that includes the notify of project expense and the query liquidity information service operations;

an outgoing payment advising out interface that includes the notify of payment service operation;

a payment accounting out interface that includes the notify of payment and the notify of payment cancellation service operations;

a payment card payment settling in interface that includes the change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation service operation;

a payment card payment settling out interface that includes the request payment card payment settlement service operation;

a payment ordering out interface that includes the request file based payment order service operation;

a payment request in interface that includes the create payment order, the create payment reservation, the change payment reservation, the cancel payment order, the sync change payment reservation, and the change payment based on payment request confirmation service operations;

a payment request out interface that includes the confirm payment request, the request payment cancellation, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation change, the request payment, the request payment information and provisional payment, and the notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation service operations;

a payment processing incoming payment advising in interface that includes the create bank statement service operation;

a product tax declaration out interface that includes the notify of product tax declaration service operation;

a receivables payables in interface that includes the cancel receivables payables and the create receivables payables service operations;

a receivables payables out interface that includes the notify of settlement result cancellation and the notify of settlement result service operations;

a trade receivables payables account statement out interface that includes the notify of trade receivables payables account statement service operation; and

a withholding tax declaration out interface that includes the notify of withholding tax declaration service operation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the computer software implementing the confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance, the issue bill of exchange, the request clearing cancellation, the create incoming check, the request check deposit, the request clearing, the issue check, the create bill of exchange cashing, the confirm payment request, the notify of payment, the request bill of exchange deposit, the notify of payment cancellation, the create payment order, the create payment advice, the change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation, the create bank statement, the change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation, the request payment card payment settlement, the create payment reservation, the notify of payment, the request file based payment order, the change payment reservation, the issue bill of exchange, the cancel payment order, the sync change payment reservation, and the query liquidity information operations is deployed on a first hardware platform;

the computer software implementing the notify of project expense, the notify of settlement result cancellation, and the notify of settlement result operations is deployed on a second hardware platform; and

the computer software implementing the notify of product tax declaration, the cancel receivables payables, the create receivables payables, the cancel clearing, the notify of European community sales list report, the request payment cancellation, the notify of payment cancellation, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation change, the request payment, the notify of trade receivables payables account statement, the confirm clearing, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation, the query liquidity information, the notify of withholding tax declaration, the create clearing, the notify of dunning, the notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation, the change payment based on payment request confirmation, the notify of payment, the cancel foreign receivable payable, and the create foreign receivable payable operations is deployed on a third hardware platform.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the first through the third hardware platforms are distinct and separate from each other.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the computer software implementing the confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance, the issue bill of exchange, the request clearing cancellation, the create incoming check, the request check deposit, the request clearing, the issue check, the create bill of exchange cashing, the confirm payment request, the notify of payment, the request bill of exchange deposit, the notify of payment cancellation, the create payment order, the create payment advice, the change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation, the create bank statement, the change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation, the request payment card payment settlement, the create payment reservation, the notify of payment, the request file based payment order, the change payment reservation, the issue bill of exchange, the cancel payment order, the sync change payment reservation, and the query liquidity information operations is deployable on a first hardware platform;

the computer software implementing the notify of project expense, the notify of settlement result cancellation, and the notify of settlement result operations is deployable on a second hardware platform;

the computer software implementing the notify of product tax declaration, the cancel receivables payables, the create receivables payables, the cancel clearing, the notify of European community sales list report, the request payment cancellation, the notify of payment cancellation, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation change, the request payment, the notify of trade receivables payables account statement, the confirm clearing, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation, the query liquidity information, the notify of withholding tax declaration, the create clearing, the notify of dunning, the notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation, the change payment based on payment request confirmation, the notify of payment, the cancel foreign receivable payable, and the create foreign receivable payable operations is deployable on a third hardware platform;

the first through the third hardware platforms being distinct and separate from each other.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer software deployed on the computer system comprises:

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software deployed and executing on the computer system and implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

a payment processing process component used to process and manage payments;

a cash management process component used for the analysis and the management of the actual and future flow of money;

an expense and reimbursement management process component used to expense and reimburse;

a dues item processing process component used to manage payables and receivables from service and supply and corresponding sales and withholding; and

a balance of foreign payment management process components used to manage the collection, processing, and reporting of receivables and payables according to foreign trade regulations; and

wherein;

the payment processing process component implements the confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance, the issue bill of exchange, the request clearing cancellation, the create incoming check, the request check deposit, the request clearing, the issue check, the create bill of exchange cashing, the confirm payment request, the notify of payment, the request bill of exchange deposit, the notify of payment cancellation, the create payment order, the create payment advice, the change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation, the create bank statement, the change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation, the request payment card payment settlement, the create payment reservation, the notify of payment, the request file based payment order, the change payment reservation, the issue bill of exchange, the cancel payment order, and the sync change payment reservation service operations;

the cash management process component implements the query liquidity information service operation;

the expense and reimbursement management process component implements the notify of project expense, the notify of settlement result cancellation, and the notify of settlement result service operations;

the due item processing process component implements the notify of product tax declaration, the cancel receivables payables, the create receivables payables, the cancel clearing, the notify of European community sales list report, the request payment cancellation, the notify of payment cancellation, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation change, the request payment, the notify of trade receivables payables account statement, the confirm clearing, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation, the query liquidity information, the notify of withholding tax declaration, the create clearing, the notify of dunning, the notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation, the change payment based on payment request confirmation, and the notify of payment service operations; and

the balance of foreign payment management process component implements the cancel foreign receivable payable and the create foreign receivable payable service operations.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer software deployed on the computer system comprises:

a plurality of deployment units, each of the deployment units being a package of software packaged together to be deployed on a single physical hardware platform, the plurality of deployment units including;

a payment deployment unit to process payment information;

an expense and reimbursement management deployment unit to process an arrangement made by a company for an employee for expense reporting; and

a due item management deployment unit to process due payment and receivables; and

wherein;

the payment deployment unit implements the confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance, the issue bill of exchange, the request clearing cancellation, the create incoming check, the request check deposit, the request clearing, the issue check, the create bill of exchange cashing, the confirm payment request, the notify of payment, the request bill of exchange deposit, the notify of payment cancellation, the create payment order, the create payment advice, the change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation, the create bank statement, the change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation, the request payment card payment settlement, the create payment reservation, the notify of payment, the request file based payment order, the change payment reservation, the issue bill of exchange, the cancel payment order, the sync change payment reservation, and the query liquidity information service operations;

the expense and reimbursement management deployment unit implements the notify of project expense, the notify of settlement result cancellation, and the notify of settlement result service operations; and

the due item management deployment unit implements the notify of product tax declaration, the cancel receivables payables, the create receivables payables, the cancel clearing, the notify of European community sales list report, the request payment cancellation, the notify of payment cancellation, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation change, the request payment, the notify of trade receivables payables account statement, the confirm clearing, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation, the query liquidity information, the notify of withholding tax declaration, the create clearing, the notify of dunning, the notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation, the change payment based on payment request confirmation, the notify of payment, the cancel foreign receivable payable, and the create foreign receivable payable service operations.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a repository of service descriptions, the repository including a standards-based description of each of the plurality of service operations.

10. A computer program product encoded on a tangible machine-readable information carrier for implementing a plurality of services, the product comprising computer software operable to implement on a computer system services operations, the services operations comprising:

a notify of project expense operation operable to send a notification of project expense;

a first notify of settlement result cancellation operation operable to send a notification of a cancellation of an expense report relating to a receivables payables out interface;

a second notify of settlement result cancellation operation operable to send a notification of a cancellation of settlement results relating to an expense report in payroll input maintenance out interface;

a third notify of settlement result cancellation operation operable to send a notification of a cancellation of an expense report relating to an expense accounting out interface;

a first notify of settlement result operation operable to send a notification of a settlement result relating to an expense report in payroll input maintenance out interface;

a second notify of settlement result operation operable to send a notification of a settlement result relating to a receivables payables out interface;

a third notify of settlement result operation operable to send a notification of a settlement result relating to an expense accounting out interface;

a notify of product tax declaration operation operable to send a VAT declaration;

a cancel receivables payables operation operable to cancel a trade or tax receivable or payable;

a create receivables payables operation operable to create a trade or tax receivable or payable;

a cancel clearing operation operable to cancel a previously sent clearing request;

a notify of European community sales list report operation operable to send a European community sales list report;

a request payment cancellation operation operable to cancel a payment;

a notify of payment cancellation operation operable to send a notification of a payment or clearing cancellation;

a request payment information and provisional payment reservation change operation operable to send a request for payment information with a change of provisional reservation of money;

a request payment operation operable to send a request for payment;

a notify of trade receivables payables account statement operation operable to send a notification of receivables and payables on a business partners account;

a confirm clearing operation operable to send a confirmation for a clearing request;

a request payment information and provisional payment reservation operation operable to send a request for payment information with a provisional reservation of money;

a query liquidity information operation operable to obtain liquidity information;

a notify of withholding tax declaration operation operable to send a withholding tax declaration;

a create clearing operation operable to create a clearing for business partner-initiated payments;

a notify of dunning operation operable to send a notification of outstanding payments;

a notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation operation operable to register the change of a provisional payment to the last transactional or saved state;

a change payment based on payment request confirmation operation operable to confirm the execution of a payment request or a payment request cancellation;

a notify of payment operation operable to send a notification about payments or clearings of trade and tax receivables or payables;

a cancel foreign receivable payable operation operable to send a cancellation of a foreign receivable or payable; and

a create foreign receivable payable operation operable to create a foreign receivable or payable.

11. The product of claim 10, wherein the service operations further comprise:

a confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance operation operable to accept a bill of exchange cashing;

an issue bill of exchange operation operable to send a request for the issuing of a bill of exchange;

a request clearing cancellation operation operable to cancel a previously sent clearing request;

a create incoming check operation operable to create incoming checks;

a request check deposit operation operable to send a request for the deposit of a collection of incoming checks;

a request clearing operation operable to send a request for the clearing of payments;

an issue check operation operable to send a request for the issuing of a check;

a create bill of exchange cashing operation operable to create a bill of exchange cashing;

a confirm payment request operation operable to confirm the execution of a payment in response to a payment request;

a notify of payment operation operable to send a notification of cash receipts and cash disbursements;

a request bill of exchange deposit operation operable to send a request for the deposit of a collection of bills of exchange receivables;

a notify of payment cancellation operation operable to send a notification of the cancellation of cash receipts and cash disbursements;

a create payment order operation operable to create a request for payment;

a create payment advice operation operable to create a payment advice;

a change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation operation operable to update the status of a clearing house payment order;

a create bank statement operation operable to create a bank statement;

a change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation operation operable to confirm the execution or rejection of a sent clearing request;

a request payment card payment settlement operation operable to send a collection of payment card payments;

a create payment reservation operation operable to check and determine payment data and create a reservation of payment;

a notify of payment operation operable to send data that allows the assignment of payments to receivables or payables;

a request file based payment order operation operable to instruct a house bank via file to make a bank transfer or a direct debit;

a change payment reservation operation operable to change a reservation of payment;

an issue bill of exchange operation operable to send a request for the issuing of a bill of exchange;

a cancel payment order operation operable to cancel a previously sent payment request by reference;

a synchronous change payment reservation operation operable to change a reservation of payment and confirm the change; and

a query liquidity information operation operable to query liquidity information from relevant process components.

12. The product of claim 10, wherein the computer software comprises:

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software deployed and executing on the computer system and implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

a payment processing process component used to process and manage payments;

a cash management process component used for the analysis and the management of the actual and future flow of money;

an expense and reimbursement management process component used to expense and reimburse;

a dues item processing process component used to manage payables and receivables from service and supply and corresponding sales and withholding; and

a balance of foreign payment management process components used to manage the collection, processing, and reporting of receivables and payables according to foreign trade regulations; and

wherein;

the payment processing process component implements the confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance, the issue bill of exchange, the request clearing cancellation, the create incoming check, the request check deposit, the request clearing, the issue check, the create bill of exchange cashing, the confirm payment request, the notify of payment, the request bill of exchange deposit, the notify of payment cancellation, the create payment order, the create payment advice, the change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation, the create bank statement, the change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation, the request payment card payment settlement, the create payment reservation, the notify of payment, the request file based payment order, the change payment reservation, the issue bill of exchange, the cancel payment order, and the synchronous change payment reservation service operations;

the cash management process component implements the query liquidity information service operation;

the expense and reimbursement management process component implements the notify of project expense, the notify of settlement result cancellation, and the notify of settlement result service operations;

the due item processing process component implements the notify of product tax declaration, the cancel receivables payables, the create receivables payables, the cancel clearing, the notify of European community sales list report, the request payment cancellation, the notify of payment cancellation, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation change, the request payment, the notify of trade receivables payables account statement, the confirm clearing, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation, the query liquidity information, the notify of withholding tax declaration, the create clearing, the notify of dunning, the notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation, the change payment based on payment request confirmation, and the notify of payment service operations; and

the balance of foreign payment management process component implements the cancel foreign receivable payable and the create foreign receivable payable service operations.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein the computer software comprises:

a plurality of deployment units, each of the deployment units being a package of software packaged together to be deployed on a single physical hardware platform, the plurality of deployment units including;

a payment deployment unit that includes a bill of exchange cashing, a payment order, a payment advice, a cash storage, a house bank statement, a clearing house payment order, a payment allocation, a payment media run, a check storage, a bill of exchange deposit, an outgoing check, a bank payment order, a payment register, an incoming check, a check deposit, a payment media deposit creation run, a bill of exchange receivable, a bill of exchange payable, a bill of exchange storage, a cash payment, a bill of exchange risk adjustment run, a company payment file register, a house bank account, a payment card payment settlement run, a cash transfer, a liquidity forecast, a liquidity forecast creation run, and an expected liquidity item business objects;

an expense and reimbursement management deployment unit that includes an expense report and an expense arrangement business objects; and

a due item management deployment unit that includes a debt guarantee, a due payment run, a due payment, a product tax declaration, a tax due payment, a tax receivables payables register, a European community sales list report, a due clearing, a trade receivables payables account statement, a dunning run, a dunning, a trade receivables payables account statement creation run, a tax declaration run, a withholding tax declaration, a trade receivables payables account, a trade receivables payables register, a pro rata VAT adjustment, a foreign receivables payables report, a foreign receivable payable, and a balance of foreign payment report business objects; and

wherein;

the bill of exchange cashing business object represents a cashing of bills of exchange payable at a house bank for debit from a house bank account, the payment order business object represents an order within a company to make a payment to a business partner at a specified time, the payment advice business object represents an announcement of a payment transaction by a business partner to the company, the cash storage business object represents a company'"'"'s storage for cash of a currency, the house bank statement business object represents a legally binding notification from the house bank about the revenues within a specific time period at a house bank account with a defined starting and closing balance, the clearing house payment order business object represents an order to a clearing house for card payments to settle an incoming card payment using a clearing house account, the payment allocation business object represents an assignment of a payment item, the payment media run business object represents an automated run that creates payment media for bank transfers, debit memos, checks, and bills of exchange, the check storage business object represents a location for incoming checks that a company receives from its business partners, the bill of exchange deposit business object represents a deposit of bills of exchange receivable at a house bank for credit to a house bank account, the outgoing check business object represents a check issued by a company payable to a business partner, the bank payment order business object represents an order to a house bank to make a transfer or direct debit from a specified house bank account, a payment register business object represents the register of incoming and outgoing payments, the incoming check business object represents a check issued by a business partner payable to the company, the check deposit business object represents a deposit of checks at a house bank, the payment media deposit creation run business object represents an automated run that creates payment media deposits to be submitted to a house bank, the bill of exchange receivable business object represents a bill of exchange issued either by the company or by a business partner for the benefit of the company, the bill of exchange payable business object represents a bill of exchange for an outgoing payment, the bill of exchange storage business object represents a location for bills of exchange receivable, the cash payment business object represents an inflow or outflow of cash, a bill of exchange risk adjustment run business object represents an automatic adjustment of the risk due to discounted bills of exchange receivable, the company payment file register business object represents a register for payment files that are exchanged with house banks, the house bank account business object is an internal representation of a company'"'"'s bank account at a house bank, the payment card payment settlement run business object represents an automated run that creates settlement requests for clearing house payment orders, the cash transfer business object represents a company-internal money transfer, the liquidity forecast business object represents a preview of the medium to long-term development of the liquidity situation of a company or group of companies, the liquidity forecast creation run business object represents an automated run that creates a liquidity forecast, and the expected liquidity item business object represents an expected amount that increases or reduces the liquidity of a company;

the expense report business object represents a list of receipts for the expenses incurred within a certain period of time that are to be reimbursed to an expense reporter and the expense arrangement business object defines parameters for an employee that are needed for expense reports; and

the debt guarantee business object represents contingent liabilities and demands from endorsements, payment warranties, and other guarantees, the due payment run business object represents an automated run that creates payment requests based on due trade receivables and payables, the due payment business object represents a payment request or payment confirmation, the product tax declaration business object represents a declaration of the product tax payables/receivables of a company to the responsible tax authority, the tax due payment business object represents a payment request or payment confirmation with regard to tax payables or receivables, the tax receivables payables register business object represents a register of tax receivables and payables of a company, the European community sales list report declares the statistical VAT tax payables/receivables of a European Union member state company to a tax authority, the due clearing business object represents a group of receivables and payables for clearing, the trade receivables payables account statement business object is a list of the increases or decreases to trade receivables or payables of a company from or to a business partner within a certain time period, the dunning run business object represents an automated run that creates dunning proposals, the dunning business object represents a reminder or demand from a company to a business partner to make a payment by a certain point in time, the trade receivables payables account statement creation run represents an automated run that creates account statements for trade receivables and payables based on trade receivables and payables accounts, the tax declaration run business object represents an automated run that creates tax declarations, the withholding tax declaration business object represents a declaration of withholding tax payables of a company to a tax authority, the trade receivables payables account business object represents an account of all trade receivables and payables of a company from or to a business partner, the trade receivables payables register represents a register of the trade receivables and payables of a company from or to its business partners, the pro rata VAT adjustment business object represents an adjustment of tax receivables/payables to account for the difference between the provisional and the definitive pro-rata VAT coefficient, the foreign receivables payables report represents a report to the central bank about trade receivables from and payables to non-residents according to foreign trade regulations, the foreign receivables payable business object represents a receivable from or payable to a non-resident business partner, and the balance of foreign payment report business object represents a report to a central bank about foreign payments.

14. The product of claim 12, wherein:

each of the plurality of process components is assigned to no more than one deployment unit among multiple deployment units, and each deployment unit is deployable on the separate computer hardware platform independent of every other deployment unit; and

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

15. The product of claim 14, wherein the deployment units comprise:

a payment deployment unit that includes the payment processing and cash management process components;

an expense and reimbursement management deployment unit that includes the expense and reimbursement management process component; and

a due item management deployment unit that includes the due item processing and the balance of foreign payment management process components.

16. The product of claim 14, wherein the deployment units comprise:

a payment deployment unit that implements the confirm bill of exchange cashing acceptance, the issue bill of exchange, the request clearing cancellation, the create incoming check, the request check deposit, the request clearing, the issue check, the create bill of exchange cashing, the confirm payment request, the notify of payment, the request bill of exchange deposit, the notify of payment cancellation, the create payment order, the create payment advice, the change clearing house payment order based on settlement confirmation, the create bank statement, the change payment allocation based on clearing request confirmation, the request payment card payment settlement, the create payment reservation, the notify of payment, the request file based payment order, the change payment reservation, the issue bill of exchange, the cancel payment order, the sync change payment reservation, and the query liquidity information service operations;

an expense and reimbursement management deployment unit that implements the notify of project expense, the notify of settlement result cancellation, and the notify of settlement result service operations; and

a due item management deployment unit that implements the notify of product tax declaration, the cancel receivables payables, the create receivables payables, the cancel clearing, the notify of European community sales list report, the request payment cancellation, the notify of payment cancellation, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation change, the request payment, the notify of trade receivables payables account statement, the confirm clearing, the request payment information and provisional payment reservation, the query liquidity information, the notify of withholding tax declaration, the create clearing, the notify of dunning, the notify of provisional payment reservation change cancellation, the change payment based on payment request confirmation, the notify of payment, the cancel foreign receivable payable, and the create foreign receivable payable service operations.

17. The product of claim 14, wherein the deployment units comprise:

a payment deployment unit that implements a bill of exchange cashing, a payment order, a payment advice, a cash storage, a house bank statement, a clearing house payment order, a payment allocation, a payment media run, a check storage, a bill of exchange deposit, an outgoing check, a bank payment order, a payment register, an incoming check, a check deposit, a payment media deposit creation run, a bill of exchange receivable, a bill of exchange payable, a bill of exchange storage, a cash payment, a bill of exchange risk adjustment run, a company payment file register, a house bank account, a payment card payment settlement run, a cash transfer, a liquidity forecast, a liquidity forecast creation run, and an expected liquidity item business objects;

an expense and reimbursement management deployment unit that includes an expense report and an expense arrangement business objects; and

a due item management deployment unit that includes a debt guarantee, a due payment run, a due payment, a product tax declaration, a tax due payment, a tax receivables payables register, a European community sales list report, a due clearing, a trade receivables payables account statement, a dunning run, a dunning, a trade receivables payables account statement creation run, a tax declaration run, a withholding tax declaration, a trade receivables payables account, a trade receivables payables register, a pro rata VAT adjustment, a foreign receivables payables report, a foreign receivable payable, and a balance of foreign payment report business objects; and

wherein;

the bill of exchange cashing business object represents a cashing of bills of exchange payable at a house bank for debit from a house bank account, the payment order business object represents an order within a company to make a payment to a business partner at a specified time, the payment advice business object represents an announcement of a payment transaction by a business partner to the company, the cash storage business object represents a company'"'"'s storage for cash of a currency, the house bank statement business object represents a legally binding notification from the house bank about the revenues within a specific time period, the clearing house payment order business object represents an order to a clearing house for card payments to settle an incoming card payment using a clearing house account, the payment allocation business object represents an assignment of a payment item, the payment media run business object represents an automated run that creates payment media for bank transfers, debit memos, checks, and bills of exchange, the check storage business object represents a location for incoming checks that a company receives from its business partners, the bill of exchange deposit business object represents a deposit of bills of exchange receivable at a house bank for credit to a house bank account, the outgoing check business object represents a check issued by a company payable to a business partner, the bank payment order business object represents an order to a house bank to make a transfer or direct debit from a specified house bank account, a payment register business object represents the register of incoming and outgoing payments, the incoming check business object represents a check issued by a business partner payable to the company, the check deposit business object represents a deposit of checks at a house bank, the payment media deposit creation run business object represents an automated run that creates payment media deposits to be submitted to a house bank, the bill of exchange receivable business object represents a bill of exchange issued either by the company or by a business partner for the benefit of the company, the bill of exchange payable business object represents a bill of exchange for an outgoing payment, the bill of exchange storage business object represents a location for bills of exchange receivable, the cash payment business object represents an inflow or outflow of cash, a bill of exchange risk adjustment run business object represents an automatic adjustment of the risk due to discounted bills of exchange receivable, the company payment file register business object represents a register for payment files that are exchanged with house banks, the house bank account business object is an internal representation of a company'"'"'s bank account at a house bank, the payment card payment settlement run business object represents an automated run that creates settlement requests for clearing house payment orders, the cash transfer business object represents a company-internal money transfer, the liquidity forecast business object represents a preview of the medium to long-term development of the liquidity situation of a company or group of companies, the liquidity forecast creation run business object represents an automated run that creates a liquidity forecast, and the expected liquidity item business object represents an expected amount that increases or reduces the liquidity of a company;

the expense report business object represents a list of receipts for the expenses incurred within a certain period of time that are to be reimbursed to an expense reporter and the expense arrangement business object defines parameters for an employee that are needed for expense reports; and

the debt guarantee business object represents contingent liabilities and demands from endorsements, payment warranties, and other guarantees, the due payment run business object represents an automated run that creates payment requests based on due trade receivables and payables, the due payment business object represents a payment request or payment confirmation, the product tax declaration business object represents a declaration of the product tax payables/receivables of a company to the responsible tax authority, the tax due payment business object represents a payment request or payment confirmation with regard to tax payables or receivables, the tax receivables payables register business object represents a register of tax receivables and payables of a company, the European community sales list report declares the statistical VAT tax payables/receivables of a European union member state company to a tax authority, the due clearing business object represents a group of receivables and payables for clearing, the trade receivables payables account statement business object is a list of the increases or decreases to trade receivables or payables of a company from or to a business partner within a certain time period, the dunning run business object represents an automated run that creates dunning proposals, the dunning business object represents a reminder or demand from a company to a business partner to make a payment by a certain point in time, the trade receivables payables account statement creation run represents an automated run that creates account statements for trade receivables and payables based on trade receivables and payables accounts, the tax declaration run business object represents an automated run that creates tax declarations, the withholding tax declaration business object represents a declaration of withholding tax payables of a company to a tax authority, the trade receivables payables account business object represents an account of all trade receivables and payables of a company from or to a business partner, the trade receivables payables register represents a register of the trade receivables and payables of a company from or to its business partners, the pro rata VAT adjustment business object represents an adjustment of tax receivables/payables to account for the difference between the provisional and the definitive pro-rata VAT coefficient, the foreign receivables payables report represents a report to the central bank about trade receivables from and payables to non-residents according to foreign trade regulations, the foreign receivables payable business object represents a receivable from or payable to a non-resident business partner, and the balance of foreign payment report business object represents a report to a central bank about foreign payments.

18. The product of claim 12, wherein:

the payment processing process component includes a bill of exchange cashing, a payment order, a payment advice, a cash storage, a house bank statement, a clearing house payment order, a payment allocation, a payment media run, a check storage, a bill of exchange deposit, an outgoing check, a bank payment order, a payment register, an incoming check, a check deposit, a payment media deposit creation run, a bill of exchange receivable, a bill of exchange payable, a bill of exchange storage, a cash payment, a bill of exchange risk adjustment run, a company payment file register, a house bank account, a payment card payment settlement run, and a cash transfer business objects;

the cash management process component includes a liquidity forecast, a liquidity forecast creation run, and an expected liquidity item business objects;

the expense and reimbursement management process component includes an expense report and an expense arrangement business objects;

the due item processing process component includes a debt guarantee, a due payment run, a due payment, a product tax declaration, a tax due payment, a tax receivables payables register, a European community sales list report, a due clearing, a trade receivables payables account statement, a dunning run, a dunning, a trade receivables payables account statement creation run, a tax declaration run, a withholding tax declaration, a trade receivables payables account, a trade receivables payables register, and a pro rata VAT adjustment business objects; and

the balance of foreign payment management process component includes a foreign receivables payables report, a foreign receivable payable, and a balance of foreign payment report business objects; and

wherein;

the bill of exchange cashing business object represents a cashing of bills of exchange payable at a house bank for debit from a house bank account, the payment order business object represents an order within a company to make a payment to a business partner at a specified time, the payment advice business object represents an announcement of a payment transaction by a business partner to the company, the cash storage business object represents a company'"'"'s storage for cash of a currency, the house bank statement business object represents a legally binding notification from the house bank about the revenues within a specific time period at a house bank account with a defined starting and closing balance, the clearing house payment order business object represents an order to a clearing house for card payments to settle an incoming card payment using a clearing house account, the payment allocation business object represents an assignment of a payment item, the payment media run business object represents an automated run that creates payment media for bank transfers, debit memos, checks, and bills of exchange, the check storage business object represents a location for incoming checks that a company receives from its business partners, the bill of exchange deposit business object represents a deposit of bills of exchange receivable at a house bank for credit to a house bank account, the outgoing check business object represents a check issued by a company payable to a business partner, the bank payment order business object represents an order to a house bank to make a transfer or direct debit from a specified house bank account, a payment register business object represents the register of incoming and outgoing payments, the incoming check business object represents a check issued by a business partner payable to the company, the check deposit business object represents a deposit of checks at a house bank, the payment media deposit creation run business object represents an automated run that creates payment media deposits to be submitted to a house bank, the bill of exchange receivable business object represents a bill of exchange issued either by the company or by a business partner for the benefit of the company, the bill of exchange payable business object represents a bill of exchange for an outgoing payment, the bill of exchange storage business object represents a location for bills of exchange receivable, the cash payment business object represents an inflow or outflow of cash, a bill of exchange risk adjustment run business object represents an automatic adjustment of the risk due to discounted bills of exchange receivable, the company payment file register business object represents a register for payment files that are exchanged with house banks, the house bank account business object is an internal representation of a company'"'"'s bank account at a house bank, the payment card payment settlement run business object represents an automated run that creates settlement requests for clearing house payment orders, and the cash transfer business object represents a company-internal money transfer;

the liquidity forecast business object represents a preview of the medium to long-term development of the liquidity situation of a company or group of companies, the liquidity forecast creation run business object represents an automated run that creates a liquidity forecast, and the expected liquidity item business object represents an expected amount that increases or reduces the liquidity of a company;

the expense report business object represents a list of receipts for the expenses incurred within a certain period of time that are to be reimbursed to an expense reporter and the expense arrangement business object defines parameters for an employee that are needed for expense reports;

the debt guarantee business object represents contingent liabilities and demands from endorsements, payment warranties, and other guarantees, the due payment run business object represents an automated run that creates payment requests based on due trade receivables and payables, the due payment business object represents a payment request or payment confirmation, the product tax declaration business object represents a declaration of the product tax payables/receivables of a company to the responsible tax authority, the tax due payment business object represents a payment request or payment confirmation with regard to tax payables or receivables, the tax receivables payables register business object represents a register of tax receivables and payables of a company, the European community sales list report declares the statistical VAT tax payables/receivables of a European Union member state company to a tax authority, the due clearing business object represents a group of receivables and payables for clearing, the trade receivables payables account statement business object is a list of the increases or decreases to trade receivables or payables of a company from or to a business partner within a certain time period, the dunning run business object represents an automated run that creates dunning proposals, the dunning business object represents a reminder or demand from a company to a business partner to make a payment by a certain point in time, the trade receivables payables account statement creation run represents an automated run that creates account statements for trade receivables and payables based on trade receivables and payables accounts, the tax declaration run business object represents an automated run that creates tax declarations, the withholding tax declaration business object represents a declaration of withholding tax payables of a company to a tax authority, the trade receivables payables account business object represents an account of all trade receivables and payables of a company from or to a business partner, the trade receivables payables register represents a register of the trade receivables and payables of a company from or to its business partners, and the pro rata VAT adjustment business object represents an adjustment of tax receivables/payables to account for the difference between the provisional and the definitive pro-rata VAT coefficient; and

the foreign receivables payables report business object represents a report to the central bank about trade receivables from and payables to non-residents according to foreign trade regulations, the foreign receivables payable business object represents a receivable from or payable to a non-resident business partner, and the balance of foreign payment report business object represents a report to a central bank about foreign payments.

19. The product of claim 10, 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.

20. The product of claim 19, wherein the business objects comprise a business process object.

21. The product of claim 19, wherein none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

22. The product of claim 10, 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;

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; and

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.

23. A method for providing services from a computer system having payment functionality, the method comprising:

providing services through the sending of messages, the messages including;

a notification about a project expense;

a notification about a cancellation of an expense report;

a notification about a cancellation of settlement results;

a notification about a settlement result;

a notification about a VAT declaration;

a notification cancelling a trade or tax receivable or payable;

a notification creating a trade or tax receivable or payable;

a notification about a canceling a previously sent clearing request;

a notification about a European Community Sales List Report;

a notification cancelling a payment;

a notification about a payment or clearing cancellation;

a notification requesting payment information with a change of provisional reservation of money;

a notification requesting payment;

a notification about receivables and payables on a business partners account;

a notification confirming a clearing request;

a notification requesting payment information with a provisional reservation of money;

a notification about getting liquidity information;

a notification about a withholding tax declaration;

a notification creating a clearing for business partner-initiated payments;

a notification about outstanding payments;

a notification registering the change of a provisional payment to the last transactional or saved state;

a notification confirming the execution of a payment request or a payment request cancellation;

a notification about payments or clearings of trade and tax receivables or payables;

a notification cancelling a foreign receivable or payable; and

a notification creating a foreign receivable or payable.