Methodology for generating accessing functions for programmed execution of panel-driven business applications

• US 8,001,520 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Twisselmann, Ute, Schmidt, Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, THUY CHAN
• Application Number:
  US11/966,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing

Abstract

A method of providing access to Business Applications (BA) executed on a data processing system, BAs offer their services interactively controlled by a multitude of BA panels. The individual panels, the sequence of the panels as they are displayed by the BA, and the activities required to launch a BA to display a succeeding panel are described. Describing the panels results in a directed graph modeling the spectrum of panel interactions with a BA called a User Interaction Graph (UIG). By analyzing the UIG Transaction Methods (TM) is generated. When called, the TM procedures are capable of autonomously executing and controlling the BAs by handling a sequence of BA panels. They autonomously fill the various BA panels with the correct input information, initiate the required activities for traversing through a certain panel sequence and return the output information gathered during its execution.

Claims

1. A method for migrating legacy business applications executed on a data processing system to a modern environment comprising:

arranging, by a computer, one or more of the legacy business applications into one or more transaction objects, said legacy business applications interactively controlled by a multitude of business application panels, said legacy business applications further entering succeeding business application panels in response to user interactions, user specified data and the contents of a database operated on by the legacy business application;

arranging, by the computer, one or more of said transaction objects into one or more transaction object methods enabled to transparently and autonomously execute the underlying legacy business applications by interacting with a sequence of business application panels;

transparently signaling transaction objects in at least one of said transaction object methods to execute business applications to create business objects, said business objects being maintained in business object instance space in the database;

communicating between transaction objects in said transaction object methods with messages arranged in defined transaction records, each transaction record being instantiated with a related one transaction object to supply or retrieve data as part of the related one transaction object invocation;

retrieving, by the computer, business objects from said business object instance space automatically and placing said retrieved business object in a transaction record when said retrieved business object is needed later in the transaction object method such that business objects may be reused;

placing said transaction object methods into a graph, said graph including predecessors of business application, transaction objects and business objects making up said transaction object methods;

determining, by the computer, from said graph, legacy business applications which provide data and business objects needed for performing said transaction object methods in the modern environment; and

executing, by the computer, at least one transaction object in a local processing system, the executing transaction object communicating with a remote data processing system via a computer network, and the executing transaction object controlling execution of a business application on the remote data processing system.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

arranging said business applications and said transaction objects from a first number of business applications to form a new application system comprising at least one transaction object method having a second number of business application, said second number being less than first number, and interaction of transaction record messages between said transaction objects.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said transaction record comprises an external transaction record which calls another transaction object.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said transaction record comprises an internal transaction record which starts the transaction object.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said transaction record comprises a preemptive transaction record which contains data which is provided in advance for use by a transaction object method.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said transaction record comprises an interactive which contains data which is not provided in advance, but whose data is the result of earlier run transaction objects run by said transaction object method.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said transaction record includes parameters and keystrokes.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising detecting all transaction records needed for said transaction object method and automatically associating said transaction object method with said detected needed transaction records.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said transaction object methods are placed into a graph, said graph showing successors and predecessors of business application, transaction objects and business objects making up said transaction object methods.