Software application implemented using services from a services repository generated using a target services roadmap

• US 7,730,123 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Erickson, Richard R., Polston, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Farmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chambers, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US11/275,232
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 707/3
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A repository of services, a system for building a repository of services, a method of building a repository of services, a software application that interfaces with a services repository and various other embodiments associated with the repository are disclosed. The method relates to a method of building a repository of services using a target services roadmap. The method comprises receiving from a user an identification of an implemented service and zero or more target services and mapping the implemented service to the zero or more target services. The target services and/or mapped implemented services are added to the repository.

Claims

1. A software application stored on a computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by a computing device, controls the computing device to interface with a repository of services, the repository of services built using a target services roadmap according to a method comprising:

receiving from a user an identification of an implemented service and zero or more target services;

placing the implemented service and the zero or more target services in a taxonomy of domains and subgroups;

enabling new features and product architectures and solution designs to view, specify, and build out the service-oriented target services in parallel; and

mapping the implemented service to the zero or more target services and to the target services roadmap.

2. The software application of claim 1, wherein the target services roadmap comprises an abstractly-described listing of functional services.

3. The software application of claim 2, wherein the listing of functional services relate to the definition of implemented services and target services comprises at least one of:

service name, service description, service version, host system, taxonomy, target or implemented service identification, comments, operations including operation name, operation description, operation parameters including parameter name, parameter description, in or out or in-out type, at least one of required or optional or conditional designation, data domain, URL linkage to data dictionary, middlewares, interface definition documents associated with each middleware, clients, interface agreements associated with each client, contacts, and dependent services.

4. The software application of claim 3, wherein the listing of functional services further comprises at least one of:

service phase, operation phase and relation to a target service.

5. The software application of claim 3, wherein the taxonomy comprises a domain and a subgroup and optionally an eTOM Vertical and at least one of Level 1 or Level 2 or Level 3 eTOM Process specification.

6. The software application of claim 1, wherein the implemented service goes through phases and different versions comprising development, production and deprecation.

7. The software application of claim 1, wherein the repository is generated further by:

receiving from a user an edit of one of the implemented service or a target service within the target services roadmap.

8. The software application of claim 1, wherein the step of mapping the implemented service to zero or more target services in the target service roadmap further comprises:

mapping the implemented service to zero or more target services based on functional correspondence.

9. The software application of claim 8, wherein if a target service or services is specified, then the method further comprises mapping each operation in the implemented service to zero or at most one operation in the target service(s).

10. The software application of claim 1, the repository further generated by:

monitoring at least one service at runtime to determine whether a definition associated with the at least one service in the repository of services is accurate.

11. The software application of claim 10, the repository further generated by:

monitoring parameters associated with at least one of;

the service, operation clients, versions, middlewares and host systems; and

determining whether there are discrepancies between the monitored parameters and definitions in the repository to find discrepancies.

12. The software application of claim 10, the repository generated further by:

monitoring service and operations implemented in arbitrary middlewares by embedding logging callouts in service operation implementations.

13. The software application of claim 12, the repository generated further by:

logging callouts supported at different log levels specifying the collection of an increasing amount of management information comprising at least one of;

invocation occurrences, invocation authorization failures, service operation exits and callouts to other identified service operations.

14. The software application of claim 13, the repository generated further by:

logging callouts going either directly to a centralized database of management information or going to local disk where they are subsequently processed and delivered to the centralized database of management information.

15. The software application of claim 14, the repository generated further by:

logging callouts collecting information on at least one of;

the service and operation IDs invoked, service version, service host system, calling client system, initiating principal behind the calling client system, authorization status, timestamp, type of log record, transaction ID, service exit information, and service and operation IDs called by the invoked service.

16. The software application of claim 1, wherein the implemented service and a target service associated with the target roadmap are associated with a dashboard of management information combining data collected at runtime with data stored in the repository to report on at least one of:

service operation characteristics and service-oriented architecture program effectiveness including target services offered by applications and domains, implemented services offered by applications and domains, percent of target services complete and amount of service reuse by service and domains.

17. The software application of claim 1, wherein the implemented service and target services associated with the target services roadmap are associated with an arbitrary taxonomy.

18. The software application of claim 1, wherein the implemented or target service is defined by specifying at least one of:

the HRID of the person defining the implemented service, a taxonomy domain, a taxonomy subgroup, an optional eTOM taxonomy, a service name, a service description, a version, a host OSS system, a specification of whether the service is a target service or implemented service, a development phase if an implemented service, contacts, comments, one or more operations including their data parameters, one or more middlewares and associated interface artifacts, clients and interface agreements.

19. The software application of claim 18, wherein, when defined, globally unique service and operation IDs are assigned for at least one of target services and the implemented service.

20. The software application of claim 18, wherein the repository is generated further by presenting options to the user to edit any of the entered information associated with the implemented service and target services.

21. The software application of claim 1, wherein the repository is generated further by:

determining whether the implemented service name has the same name as a target service within the same part domain and subgroup taxonomy.

22. The software application of claim 3, wherein the repository is further generated by:

engaging in a dialog with the user to obtain input associated with the listing of functional services.

23. The software application of claim 1, wherein the repository is a service-oriented architecture repository.

24. The software application of claim 1, wherein the repository is further generated by:

adding the target service or mapped implemented service to the repository.

25. The software application of claim 23, wherein the service-oriented architecture repository places services within a taxonomy of domains and subgroups, and the repository further supports the build-out of the target services roadmap by:

enabling new feature and product architectures and solution designs to view, specify and build out the service oriented target services in parallel; and

mapping each implemented service back to the target service roadmap upon completion of feature development.