Software system development framework

• US 6,167,564 A
• Filed: 09/17/1998
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Tolbert, Douglas Marshall, Fontana, James Albert, Smith, Norman Roy, Iyengar, Sridhar Srinivasa, Pitchford, Anthony Reginald
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOOKER, KELVIN
• Application Number:
  US09/156,028
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 717/1, 717/2, 717/11
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

A system and method in a computer system for integrating software development tools and applications into the computer system in order to build, deploy and maintain enterprise business process applications in a heterogeneous development framework. Integration of the applications and software development tools are achieved through integration of the key elements of the computer system which are business models, domain models and components. In the process of integration the origin of a first newly developed/modified/existing business model is traced to a first newly developed/modified/existing domain model and these models are linked together. Next, the constituent components of a second newly developed/modified/existing domain model are traced to a newly developed/modified/existing set of components created and linked together. The system also involves recovery of constituent components from a newly developed/modified/existing system in a first heterogeneous environment and those constituent components are reconstructed into usable components inside a third newly developed/modified/existing domain model and are linked together. The process also involves recovery of a fourth newly developed/modified/existing domain model from a second heterogeneous environment and linking it to a second newly developed/modified/existing business model.

Claims

1. A computer system having a repository program being executed therein and a framework for integrating software development tools into said system, for building, deploying and maintaining applications in a heterogeneous development framework, said framework comprising:

a. a first module disposed for representing business models derived from a business modeling tool;

b. a second module disposed for holding information assets;

c. means for tracing origin of a first newly developed business model in said first module to a first newly developed domain model in said second module and linking said business model to said domain model in said repository;

d. a third module containing a multiplicity of component interfaces useful in building applications;

e. means for tracing constituent components of a second newly developed domain model in said third module to a newly developed set of components created in a process of building and deploying new applications and linking both of them together in said repository;

f. means for recovering constituent components from an existing system in a first heterogeneous environment and reconstructing said constituent components into usable components inside a third newly developed domain model and linking said constituent components and said third newly developed domain model together in said repository; and

,

g. means for recovering a first previously built domain model from a second heterogeneous environment and linking it to a second newly developed business model in said repository.