CROSS DOMAIN INTEGRATION IN PRODUCT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

• US 20190332992A1
• Filed: 07/08/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Derebail, Annap, Rajasekharan, Amaresh, Singh, Man Mohan
• Granted Patent: US 11,301,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals

Abstract

Cross-domain integration within product lifecycle management can include providing a plurality of finite state machines (FSMs), wherein each FSM is associated with one business object of an integration flow between a first enterprise information system and a second enterprise information system. Each FSM defines a plurality of lifecycle states of the associated business object. A business rule can be associated with each lifecycle state of each FSM. For each FSM, the associated business rules are independent of the FSM. For a selected lifecycle state of each FSM, the associated business rule defines a condition causing a transition from the selected lifecycle state to a next lifecycle state of the FSM. A network of the plurality of FSMs is established by providing communication links among individual ones of the plurality of FSMs according to the business rules. The communication links define the integration flow.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer hardware system positioned between a first enterprise information system and a second enterprise information system and including a finite state machine associated with a business object and defining a plurality of lifecycle states of the business object, comprising:

a hardware processor configured to initiate the following executable operations;

associating a business rule, independent of the finite state machine, with each of the plurality of lifecycle states, the business rule defining a condition causing a transition from the lifecycle state associated with the business rule to a next lifecycle state of the finite state machine;

receiving the business object;

evaluating, using the finite state machine associated with the business object, one of the plurality of business rules associated with the finite state machine; and

performing an operation specified by the one of the plurality of business rules.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein

communication links between individual ones of the plurality of finite state machines define an integration flow between the first enterprise information system and the second enterprise information system.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein

the communication links are established at runtime during activation of the plurality of finite state machines.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein

the performing the operation is based upon the condition of the one of the plurality of business rules being evaluated as true.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein

the performing the operation includes performing a schema modification on the business object.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein

the performing the operation includes performing a content modification on the business object.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein

a last operation for a current lifecycle state involves transitioning to a next lifecycle state.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein

a last operation for a current lifecycle state involves transitioning to an end lifecycle state.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein

a plurality of business rules are associated with a current lifecycle state of the finite state machine associated with the business object;

and

the evaluating is performed on each of the plurality of business rules associated with the current lifecycle state.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein

the business object is data provided by the first enterprise information system to the second enterprise information system.

31. A computer program product, comprising:

a hardware storage device having computer usable program code stored therein,

the computer usable program code, which when executed by a computer hardware system positioned between a first enterprise information system and a second enterprise information system and including a finite state machine associated with a business object and defining a plurality of lifecycle states of the business object, causes the computer hardware system to perform;

associating a business rule, independent of the finite state machine, with each of the plurality of lifecycle states, the business rule defining a condition causing a transition from the lifecycle state associated with the business rule to a next lifecycle state of the finite state machine;

receiving the business object;

evaluating, using the finite state machine associated with the business object, one of the plurality of business rules associated with the finite state machine; and

performing an operation specified by the one of the plurality of business rules.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

communication links between individual ones of the plurality of finite state machines define an integration flow between the first enterprise information system and the second enterprise information system.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

the communication links are established at runtime during activation of the plurality of finite state machines.

34. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

the performing the operation is based upon the condition of the one of the plurality of business rules being evaluated as true.

35. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

the performing the operation includes performing a schema modification on the business object.

36. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

the performing the operation includes performing a content modification on the business object.

37. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

a last operation for a current lifecycle state involves transitioning to a next lifecycle state.

38. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

a last operation for a current lifecycle state involves transitioning to an end lifecycle state.

39. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

a plurality of business rules are associated with a current lifecycle state of the finite state machine associated with the business object;

and

the evaluating is performed on each of the plurality of business rules associated with the current lifecycle state.

40. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein

the business object is data provided by the first enterprise information system to the second enterprise information system.