Meta-model information associated with an enterprise portal

• US 7,984,417 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sap Portals Israel Ltd (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Sap Portals Israel Ltd (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Barak, Nimrod, Krien, Robert, Razumovsky, Marina, Ben-Zvi, Elisha
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Thomas K
• Application Number:
  US11/771,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20090007061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 717/106
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

According to some embodiments, meta-model information associated with an enterprise portal is defined. The meta-model information may then be consumed (e.g., by a design tool) when not in communication with an executing enterprise portal server. According to some embodiments, the meta-model information includes UML class diagram definitions associated with the enterprise portal.

Claims

1. A method associated with a business enterprise portal, comprising:

defining meta-model information associated with the enterprise portal, the meta-model information being associated with unified modeling language class diagram definitions associated with the enterprise portal;

consuming, by an off-line portal design tool, the meta-model information when not in communication with an executing enterprise portal server;

connecting with an executing enterprise portal server; and

generating, using layout information generated with the off-line portal design tool, portal content via the executing enterprise portal server, wherein a plurality of user interface portal design tools may consume the meta-model information and a change to the meta-model information associated with business logic does not require a change to any of the user interface portal design tools.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the meta-model information is further associated with other modeling diagram definitions associated with the enterprise portal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said consuming is associated with an application programming interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the meta-model information is associated with at least one of:

portal semantic object relations;

portal semantic object attributes;

portal semantic object constraints;

available object types;

object templates;

relations between objects;

relations between attributes;

or attribute categorization.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one portal semantic object is independent of run-time and design-time environments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said connecting is associated with a generic application programming interface.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating at least one created object against a definition in the meta-model information.

8. A system, comprising:

a meta-model tool to define meta-model information associated with a Web portal and to store the meta-model information in a portal content directory, the meta-model information being associated with unified modeling language class diagram definitions associated with the enterprise portal;

a first application programming interface to expose the metal-model information in the portal content directory;

a portal design user interface to access the first application programming interface and to facilitate definition, by a user, of a portal layout; and

an enterprise portal run-time server to access a second application programming interface and to provide portal information to a Web browser in accordance with the defined portal layout, wherein the portal design user interface facilitates definition of the portal layout when not in communication with enterprise portal server.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable process steps associated with a business information portal, the process steps comprising:

defining unified modeling language meta-model information associated with the business information portal, the meta-model information being associated with unified modeling language class diagram definitions associated with the enterprise portal;

consuming, by an off-line portal design tool, the meta-model information when not in communication with an executing enterprise portal server;

connecting with an executing enterprise portal server; and

generating, using layout information generated with the off-line portal design tool, portal content via the executing enterprise portal server, wherein a plurality of user interface portal design tools may consume the meta-model information and a change to the meta-model information associated with business logic does not require a change to any of the user interface portal design tools.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said consuming is associated with a first application programming interface.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein said connecting with the executing enterprise portal server is associated with a second application programming interface.