Method for effecting changes in a software system landscape and computer system

• US 7,725,891 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Demuth, Michael, Stegmuller, Herbert, Schulz, Volker
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr.; Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yun; Carina
• Application Number:
  US11/261,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 717120-123, 717168-178, 717/124, 709201-203, 709217-219, 709/102, 718/100, 707/9
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A method for effecting changes in a software system landscape with a plurality of logical software systems that are interconnected by logical transport paths, comprises: providing system role types, each system role being associated with one of a plurality of system role types; providing low level operational tasks associated to system role types; providing a transport track that defines a route through logical systems in a particular order and that specifies one source system, adjacent interconnected systems, and at least one target system; providing high level operational tasks in a software development system that define software changes; generating transport requests for transporting the software changes; and generating a low level operational task list for the logical systems affected by the changes to the software by: analyzing the transport track(s) and the system role types and selecting low level operational tasks associated with the system role types according to the high level operational tasks.

Claims

1. A method to effect changes in a software system landscape with a plurality of logical software systems that are interconnected by logical transport paths, comprising:

providing one of a plurality of system roles for each logical system;

providing system role types, each system role of the plurality of system roles being associated with one of the system role types, low level operational tasks being assigned to the system role types, the system role types comprising source systems, follow-on systems, and target systems, the follow-on systems comprising at least one of a training system, a testing system, and or a quality assurance system;

providing a transport track comprising at least one transport path, the transport track defining a route through logical systems subsequently and that specifies one source system, at least one of the follow-on systems, and at least one target system;

generating transport requests for transporting software changes;

providing high level operational tasks in the software development system that define software changes;

automatically generating a separate and distinct low level operational required task list in the software development system for each of the separate computer systems affected by the software changes by;

analyzing the at least one transport track to establish which systems are affected by each high level operational task,

analyzing the system role types of the affected systems, and selecting low level operational tasks associated with the system role types

according to the high level operational tasks; and

executing the low level operational tasks in the respective list by the respective system for routing the transport requests through the system landscape and for effecting the software changes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the low level operational task list is generated with hierarchy levels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the hierarchy levels are generated to include a transport track level, a system role type level below the transport track level, a system role level below the system role type level, a system level below the system role level and a task level below the system level.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the hierarchy levels are generated to include a software development phase level above the transport track level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tasks in the respective system are executed from a central system.

6. A computer system comprising:

a system landscape with a plurality of separate computer-systems that are interconnected by logical transport paths;

a plurality of system roles for each of the separate computer systems;

system role types, each system role being associated with one of the system role types, low level operational tasks being assigned to the system role types, the system role types comprising source systems, follow-on systems, and target systems, the follow-on systems comprising at least one of a training system, a testing systems, and a quality assurance system;

a transport track that defines a route through the separate computer systems in a particular order and that specifies one source system, at least one of the follow-on systems, and at least one target system;

means for providing high level operational tasks in a software development system that define software changes;

means for generating transport requests for transporting the software changes;

means for automatically generating a separate and distinct low level operational required task list for each of the separate computer systems affected by the software changes by;

analyzing the transport track(s) to establish which systems are affected by each high level operational task, analyzing the system role types of the affected systems, and selecting low level operational tasks associated with the system role types according to the high level operational tasks; and

means for executing the low level operational tasks in the respective list by the respective system for routing the transport requests through the system landscape and for effecting the software changes.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the low level operational task list comprises hierarchy levels.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the hierarchy levels include a transport track level, a system role type level below the transport track level, a system role level below the system role type level, a system level below the system role level and a task level below the system level.

9. The of claim 8, wherein the hierarchy levels include a phase level above the transport track level.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the tasks in the respective system are executable from a central system.

11. A computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by one or more processors for performing a method for effecting changes in a software system landscape with a plurality of logical software systems, that are interconnected by logical transport paths, the methods comprising:

providing one of a plurality of system roles for each logical system;

providing system role types, each system role of the plurality of system roles being associated with one of the system role types, low level operational tasks being assigned to the system role types, the system role types comprising source systems, follow-on systems, and target systems, the follow-on systems comprising at least one of a training system, a testing systems, and a quality assurance system;

providing a transport track comprising at least one transport path, the transport track defining a route through logical systems subsequently and that specifies one source system, at least one of the follow-on systems, and at least one target system;

generating transport requests for transporting software changes;

providing high level operational tasks in the software development system that define software changes;

automatically generating a separate and distinct low level operational required task list in the software development system for each of the separate computer systems affected by the software changes by;

analyzing the at least one transport track to establish which systems are affected by each high level operational task,

analyzing the system role types of the affected systems, and

selecting low level operational tasks associated with the system role types according to the high level operational tasks; and

executing the low level operational tasks in the respective list by the respective system for routing the transport requests through the system landscape and for effecting the software changes.

12. A computer system comprising:

a system landscape with a plurality of separate computer-systems that are interconnected by logical transport paths;

a plurality of system roles for each of the separate computer systems;

system role types, each system role being associated with one of the system role types, low level operational tasks being assigned to the system role types, the system role types comprising source systems, follow-on systems, and target systems, the follow-on systems comprising at least one of a training system, a testing systems, and a quality assurance system;

a transport track that defines a route through the separate computer systems in a particular order and that specifies one source system, at least one of the follow-on systems, and at least one target system;

a first module to provide high level operational tasks in a software development system that define software changes;

a second module to generate transport requests for transporting the software changes;

a third module to automatically generate a separate and distinct low level operational required task list for each of the separate computer systems affected by the software changes by;

analyzing the transport track(s) to establish which systems are affected by each high level operational task, to analyze the system role types of the affected systems, and to select low level operational tasks associated with the system role types according to the high level operational tasks; and

a fourth module to execute the low level operational tasks in the respective list by the respective system for routing the transport requests through the system landscape and to effect the software changes.