Agent-adapter architecture for use in enterprise application integration systems

• US 6,256,676 B1
• Filed: 10/05/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saga Software, Inc. (Software AG)
• Original Assignee: Saga Software, Inc. (Software AG)
• Inventors: Taylor, John Timothy, Yee, Hon-Siew
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRELL, ROBERT B
• Application Number:
  US09/412,595
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/226, 709/228, 709/230, 709/231, 709/232, 709/236, 709/243, 709/246, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An agent-adapter architecture used in systems and methods to integrate applications of the type normally deployed across a networked enterprise. A plurality of adapters, each of which is adapted to perform a discrete function associated with respective ones of the plurality of enterprise applications is encapsulated by an agent. The agent is extensible, including one or more embedded objects, each of which is adapted to perform a discrete function that may or may not be associated with respective ones of the plurality of enterprise applications.

Claims

1. A system for integrating a plurality of computer applications, comprising:

first means for routing plurality of messages within the system;

means for storing a plurality of data transformation configurations and a plurality of business process rules;

means for applying said data transformation configurations to said plurality of messages;

second means for routing said plurality of messages between said first means for routing messages within the system and a plurality of computer applications,

wherein said second means for routing said plurality of messages between said first means for routing messages within the system and the plurality of computer applications, includes;

an adapter configured for each of the plurality of computer applications;

an agent service hosting said adapter;

a message definition for each of said plurality of messages said adapter will produce, receive, or reply to;

means for connecting said adapter to its respective computer application; and

means for implementing said adapter through said connecting means.

2. In an enterprise application integration system that integrates a plurality of enterprise applications, each of which have a respective native format for creating, sending, receiving, storing, and processing a plurality of messages, the improvement comprising:

an agent-adapter including a plurality of adapters encapsulated by an agent;

wherein each of said plurality of adapters encapsulated by said agent includes means for performing a discrete function while encapsulated by said agent.

3. The improvement according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of system services resident on said nodes.

4. The improvement according to claim 3, wherein said agent further comprises a plurality of objects embedded therein, each of said plurality of objects adapted to perform a discrete function.

5. The improvement according to claim 4, further comprising a message schema that includes a plurality of message elements.

6. The improvement according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of message elements are arranged in a hierarchical structure including a top-level message element, an intermediate-level message element, and a lower-level message element.

7. The improvement according to claim 6, wherein said top-level element comprises a section element.

8. The improvement according to claim 7, further comprising one or more table elements subordinate to said section element.

9. The improvement according to claim 8, further comprising one or more item elements subordinate to respective ones of said one or more table elements.

10. The improvement according to claim 6, wherein said top-level message element is selected from the group consisting of a section element and a table element.

11. The improvement according to claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of objects embedded in said agent is adapted to perform its respective function at any one of said plurality of nodes.

12. The improvement according to claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of objects embedded in said agent is adapted to perform its respective function in conjunction with respective ones of said objects embedded in another agent in the system.

13. The improvement according to claim 2, wherein said agent-adapter includes object-oriented means for controlling said performing means.

14. The improvement according to claim 13, wherein said agent further comprises a plurality of objects embedded therein, each of said plurality of objects adapted to perform a discrete function.

15. The improvement according to claim 14, wherein a first of said plurality of objects embedded in said agent further comprises means for managing connections of said agent-adapter between selected ones of the plurality of enterprise applications and the system.

16. The improvement according to claim 14, wherein a second of said plurality of objects embedded in said agent further comprises means for managing errors detected in said agent-adapter between selected ones of the plurality of enterprise applications and the system.

17. The improvement according to claim 14, wherein a third of said plurality of objects embedded in said agent further comprises means for managing a transformation of the plurality of messages within said agent-adapter between selected ones of the plurality of enterprise applications and the system.

18. The improvement according to claim 14, wherein a fourth of said plurality of objects embedded in said agent further comprises means for managing a set of business process rules performable by said agent-adapter between selected ones of the plurality of enterprise applications and the system.

19. The improvement according to claim 6, further comprising object-oriented means within said agent-adapters for accessing, retrieving, and processing a plurality of message elements corresponding to of the native format of the enterprise applications.

20. A system for integrating a plurality of computer applications, comprising:

an enterprise messaging system, said enterprise messaging system passing messages between said computer applications;

a database storage system coupled to said enterprise messaging system, said database storage system storing a plurality of data transformation configurations and a plurality of business process rules;

an integration service coupled to said enterprise messaging system, said integration server comprising a data transformation engine using the data transformation configurations stored in said database storage system and a rules evaluation engine using the business process rules stored in said database storage system; and

a plurality of agent-adapters coupled to said enterprise messaging system, each said agent-adapter comprising one or more adapter portions and an agent portion encapsulating all of said one or more adapter portions, each agent-adapter coupled to a respective one of said computer applications, each agent-adapter passing messages between said enterprise messaging system and said respective computer application.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein each said agent-adapter comprises an adapter portion including an object and an agent portion encapsulating said object.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein each said adapter portion is selected from the group consisting of a source adapter, a target adapter, and a reply adapter.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein said computer applications comprise one or more source applications and one or more target applications.

24. The system according to claim 22, further comprising a plurality of source adapters, each of which correspond to a respective one of said source applications, and a plurality of target adapters, each of which correspond to a respective one of said source applications.

25. The system according to claim 23, further comprising a plurality of reply adapters, each of which correspond to a respective one of said computer applications.

26. The system according to claim 20, wherein said enterprise messaging system passes messages between said computer applications in a publish and subscribe mode.

27. The system according to claim 20, wherein said enterprise messaging system passes messages between said computer applications in a request and reply mode.

28. The system according to claim 20, wherein said integration service system splits and combines messages received from said enterprise messaging system and performs content-based routing of messages to said computer applications.

29. The system according to claim 20, wherein each said agent-adapter translates messages being passed from said enterprise messaging system to said respective computer application from a system format to a respective computer application format, and translates messages being passed from said respective computer application to said enterprise messaging system from the respective computer application format to the system format.

30. The system according to claim 20, wherein each said agent-adapter further passes messages between other said agent-adapters and said respective computer application.

31. The system according to claim 20, further comprising a graphic user interface coupled to said enterprise messaging system, said graphic user interface providing an interface to add additional data transformation configurations and additional rules to said database storage system.

32. The system according to claim 20, further comprising a node management service coupled to said enterprise messaging system, said node management service providing start, stop, and update functionality to said system.

33. The system according to claim 20, wherein said computer applications are geographically distributed.

34. An agent-adapter for use in an enterprise application integration system, which integrates a plurality of enterprise applications, comprising:

an adapter configured for a selected one of the enterprise applications;

an agent service hosting said adapter;

a message definition for each of a plurality of messages said adapter will produce, receive, or reply to;

means for connecting said adapter to said selected enterprise application; and

means for implementing said adapter through said connecting means.

35. The agent-adapter according to claim 34, wherein said adapter comprises a reply adapter and further comprising means for designating selected ones of a plurality of requesters to which said reply adapter is adapted to send one or more reply messages.

36. The agent-adapter according to claim 35, wherein each said requester comprises a transformer.

37. The agent-adapter according to claim 34, further comprising means for designating selected ones of a plurality of delivery options for messages associated with said adapter.

38. The agent-adapter architecture according to claim 37, wherein said plurality of delivery options includes a parameter indicative of a lifetime for each said associated message.

39. The agent-adapter according to claim 34, wherein said adapter is selected from the group consisting of a source adapter, a target adapter, and a reply adapter.

40. The agent-adapter according to claim 34, wherein said adapter comprises a source adapter and further comprising means for designating selected ones of a plurality of targets said source adapter is adapted to send one or more messages.

41. The agent-adapter according to claim 34, wherein said adapter comprises a target adapter and further comprising means for designating selected ones of a plurality of sources from which said target adapter is adapted to receive one or more messages.

42. The agent-adapter according to claim 34, wherein said implementation means further comprises means for extracting said message definition of said adapter.

43. A computer-readable medium embodying code segments for integrating a plurality of computer applications, the code segments comprising:

a first code segment for passing a plurality of messages between the plurality of computer applications;

a second code segment for performing data transformation of messages;

a third code segment for applying rules to messages;

a plurality of fourth code segments, each fourth code segment for passing messages between respective computer applications and said first code segment.

44. The computer-readable medium according to claim 43, further comprising means for designating selected ones of the plurality of computer applications as a source application or a target application.

45. The computer-readable medium according to claim 44, wherein said adapting means further comprises:

means for adapting to said ones of the plurality of computer applications selected as a source application; and

means for adapting to said ones of the plurality of computer applications selected as a target application.

46. The computer-readable medium according to claim 44, wherein said adapting means further comprises means for adapting to a plurality of reply messages sent from said target applications.

47. The computer-readable medium according to claim 43, wherein said first code segment comprises means for adapting each of said plurality of messages to a respective one of the plurality of computer applications.

48. The computer-readable medium according to claim 43, further comprising:

a fifth code segment of data transformation configurations; and

a sixth code segment of business process rules.

49. A method for passing messages between a first computer application and a second computer application, comprising the steps of:

providing an adapter configured for a selected one of said computer applications;

providing an agent service to host said adapter;

defining a message definition for each of a plurality of messages said adapter will produce receive or reply to;

connecting said adapter to the selected computer application;

providing a first message having a first data from said first computer application;

publishing said first message to obtain a first published message;

converting said first data of said first published message to a second data to obtain a second message;

publishing said second message to obtain a second published message; and

providing said second published messaged to said second computer application.

50. The method according to claim 49, further comprising the steps of:

translating said first message from a first computer application format to a system format prior to publishing said first message; and

translating said second published message from said system format to a second computer application format prior to providing said second published message to said second computer application.

51. The method according to 49, wherein said step of converting said first data comprises:

requesting said second data from a database; and

receiving said second data from said database.