MODELING AN ENTERPRISE

• US 20140089224A1
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BROWN, WILLIAM A., REDDINGTON, FRANCIS X., WOLFE, MARTIN A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,996,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/348
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Computer implemented methods, apparatuses, and compute program products for modeling an enterprise are provided. Embodiments include providing to a user, by an enterprise modeling controller, a user interface comprising an icon carousel and a drop area interface for moving selected icons from the icon carousel. The icon carousel contains a plurality of icons, where each icon of the plurality of icons represents a particular solution component configuration. Embodiments also include for each icon within the drop area interface, identifying a corresponding solution component configuration and configuration data associated with the solution component configuration. Embodiments also include generating based on the configuration data associated with the identified solution component configurations one or more integration patterns indicating data processing relationships of the identified solution component configurations. Embodiments also include generating an enterprise model based on the identified solution component configurations and the one or more integration patterns.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of modeling an enterprise, the method comprising:

providing, by an enterprise modeling controller, a user interface to a user, the user interface comprising an icon carousel and a drop area interface for moving selected icons from the icon carousel, the icon carousel containing a plurality of icons, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons represents a particular solution component configuration;

for each icon within the drop area interface, identifying, by the enterprise modeling controller, a corresponding solution component configuration and configuration data associated with the solution component configuration;

generating based on the configuration data associated with the identified solution component configurations, by the enterprise modeling controller, one or more integration patterns indicating data processing relationships of the identified solution component configurations; and

generating, by the enterprise modeling controller, an enterprise model based on the identified solution component configurations and the one or more integration patterns.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user input indicating copying of an icon from the icon carousel to the drop area interface.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from a user, one or more configuration parameters corresponding to a particular identified solution component configuration; and

modifying based on the one or more configuration parameters, by the enterprise modeling controller, the configuration data of the particular identified solution component configuration.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

detecting based on the modified configuration data of the particular identified solution component configuration, by the enterprise modeling controller, an error in the generated one or more of the integration patterns; and

based on the detected error in the generated one or more of the integration patterns, generating a new integration pattern.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user input indicating a semantic description of a type of enterprise model;

identifying based on the semantic description, a generic enterprise model comprising one or more solution component configurations; and

placing within the drop area interface, one or more icons corresponding to the one or more solution component configurations of the identified generic enterprise model.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating, by the enterprise modeling controller, a specification based on the enterprise model.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein configuration data indicates at least one of:

a relationship of the solution component with another solution component and data processing mechanisms within the solution component.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from a user, by the enterprise modeling controller, configuration parameters for creating a new solution component configuration;

creating based on the configuration parameters, configuration data corresponding to the new solution component configuration;

creating a new icon corresponding to the new solution component configuration; and

placing, by the enterprise modeling controller, the new icon in the icon carousel.

9. An apparatus for modeling an enterprise, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

providing, by an enterprise modeling controller, a user interface to a user, the user interface comprising an icon carousel and a drop area interface for moving selected icons from the icon carousel, the icon carousel containing a plurality of icons, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons represents a particular solution component configuration;

for each icon within the drop area interface, identifying, by the enterprise modeling controller, a corresponding solution component configuration and configuration data associated with the solution component configuration;

generating based on the configuration data associated with the identified solution component configurations, by the enterprise modeling controller, one or more integration patterns indicating data processing relationships of the identified solution component configurations; and

generating, by the enterprise modeling controller, an enterprise model based on the identified solution component configurations and the one or more integration patterns.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of receiving user input indicating copying of an icon from the icon carousel to the drop area interface.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

receiving, from a user, one or more configuration parameters corresponding to a particular identified solution component configuration; and

modifying based on the one or more configuration parameters, by the enterprise modeling controller, the configuration data of the particular identified solution component configuration.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

detecting based on the modified configuration data of the particular identified solution component configuration, by the enterprise modeling controller, an error in the generated one or more of the integration patterns; and

based on the detected error in the generated one or more of the integration patterns, generating a new integration pattern.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

receiving user input indicating a semantic description of a type of enterprise model;

identifying based on the semantic description, a generic enterprise model comprising one or more solution component configurations; and

placing within the drop area interface, one or more icons corresponding to the one or more solution component configurations of the identified generic enterprise model.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of generating, by the enterprise modeling controller, a specification based on the enterprise model.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein configuration data indicates at least one of:

a relationship of the solution component with another solution component and data processing mechanisms within the solution component.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

receiving from a user, by the enterprise modeling controller, configuration parameters for creating a new solution component configuration;

creating based on the configuration parameters, configuration data corresponding to the new solution component configuration;

creating a new icon corresponding to the new solution component configuration; and

placing, by the enterprise modeling controller, the new icon in the icon carousel.

17. A computer program product for modeling an enterprise, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to carry out the steps of:

providing, by an enterprise modeling controller, a user interface to a user, the user interface comprising an icon carousel and a drop area interface for moving selected icons from the icon carousel, the icon carousel containing a plurality of icons, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons represents a particular solution component configuration;

for each icon within the drop area interface, identifying, by the enterprise modeling controller, a corresponding solution component configuration and configuration data associated with the solution component configuration;

generating based on the configuration data associated with the identified solution component configurations, by the enterprise modeling controller, one or more integration patterns indicating data processing relationships of the identified solution component configurations; and

generating, by the enterprise modeling controller, an enterprise model based on the identified solution component configurations and the one or more integration patterns.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein configuration data indicates at least one of:

a relationship of the solution component with another solution component and data processing mechanisms within the solution component.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a signal medium.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a storage medium.