Customization of process logic in a software system
First Claim
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1. A method of customizing a software implemented business process using a computer with a processor, comprising:
- providing an agent that instantiates and calls, using the processor, a service factory in response to a request from a client to perform an operation in an activity of the business process, the service factory instantiating and calling a service, based on a service identifier, the service performing the operation; and
customizing the service identifier stored in metadata in a metadata store, used by the agent, to identify a customized service by storing a customization value, in a customization store, that is a separate storage structure from the metadata store storing the service identifier and modifying the service identifier, only after the agent is subsequently invoked by the client, with the customization value; and
after the customized service has performed the operation, maintaining the service identifier in the metadata store at its value prior to customization.
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Abstract
The present invention facilitates customization of a process in a software system without modifying the process source code. The process can be customized by customizing a metadata description of the process, by handing the process agent a customized service identifier or by handling an event propagated by the process agent or its service factory.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of customizing a software implemented business process using a computer with a processor, comprising:
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providing an agent that instantiates and calls, using the processor, a service factory in response to a request from a client to perform an operation in an activity of the business process, the service factory instantiating and calling a service, based on a service identifier, the service performing the operation; and customizing the service identifier stored in metadata in a metadata store, used by the agent, to identify a customized service by storing a customization value, in a customization store, that is a separate storage structure from the metadata store storing the service identifier and modifying the service identifier, only after the agent is subsequently invoked by the client, with the customization value; and after the customized service has performed the operation, maintaining the service identifier in the metadata store at its value prior to customization. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A customizable business process, comprising:
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an agent invokable by a request from a client to perform an operation in an activity of the business process; a customization store; a service factory invokable by the agent, in response to the request to instantiate and call a service based on a service identifier stored in a metadata store, the service performing the operation wherein the service factory receives a customized service identifier from the customization store, that customizes the service identifier stored in the metadata store after the agent is invoked, and wherein the service factory instantiates and calls the service based on the customized service identifier; and a computer processor, being a functional element of the business process and activated by the service factory to facilitate instantiating and calling the service. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for customizing a computer-implemented business process, comprising:
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an adapter subsystem having methods invoked to receive a process customization input form a customizable subsystem, the input being indicative of a request to apply a customization to a process to be customized, the adapter subsystem identifying components to be customized based on the request; a target subsystem having a method invoked by the adapter subsystem to apply the requested customization to the identified components to customize the process based on the request to apply the customization wherein the business process is implemented by calling an agent that calls the methods on the adapter subsystem, and that invokes a service factory to instantiate a service that performs the operation after the target subsystem applies the requested customization, the target subsystem applying the customization by obtaining a service identifier identifying the service, and customizing the service identifier based on the process customization input after the agent is called; and a processor, being a functional element of the computer-implemented business process, activated by the target subsystem to facilitate invoking the service factory.
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Specification