Dynamic node extensions and extension fields for business objects

• US 8,108,434 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Baeuerle, Stefan A., Schlarb, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, UYEN T
• Application Number:
  US12/198,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/793
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A system may include generation of extension metadata defining an extension node associated with a core node of a business object and extension fields associated with the extension node, and generation of a runtime metadata buffer comprising enhanced metadata, the enhanced metadata based on core metadata of the business object and the extension metadata. In some aspects, a service request associated with the business object is received, it is determined whether the service request is associated with the extension node, an extension service associated with the extension node is provided if it is determined that the service request is associated with the extension node, and a core service associated with core data of the business object is provided if it is determined that the service request is not associated with the extension node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a computer, extension metadata defining an extension node associated with a core node of a business object and extension fields associated with the extension node; and

generating, by a computer, a runtime metadata buffer comprising enhanced metadata, the enhanced metadata based on core metadata of the business object and the extension metadata.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by a computer, a business object proxy comprising the core metadata of the business object based on a model of the business object,

wherein the enhanced metadata is generated based on the core metadata of the business object proxy.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the model of the business object is stored in an enterprise services repository,

wherein the business object proxy is generated in a business process platform, and

wherein the extension metadata is stored in an extension repository of the business process platform.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a service request associated with the business object;

determining, by a computer, whether the service request is associated with the extension node;

if it is determined that the service request is associated with the extension node, providing an extension service associated with the extension node; and

if it is determined that the service request is not associated with the extension node, providing a core service associated with core data of the business object.

5. A method according to claim 4,

wherein determining whether the service request is associated with the extension node is based on the enhanced metadata of the runtime metadata buffer.

6. A method according to claim 4, further comprising:

providing, by a computer, a core service associated with extension data of at least one of the extension fields of the extension node if it is determined that the service request is associated with the extension node.

7. A method according to claim 1,

wherein the extension repository stores extension metadata associated with a plurality of database tenants, and

wherein the enhanced metadata is associated with a single database tenant.

8. A system comprising:

an extension repository storing extension metadata defining an extension node associated with a core node of a business object and defining extension fields associated with the extension node; and

a runtime metadata buffer comprising enhanced metadata, the enhanced metadata based on core metadata of the business object and the extension metadata.

9. A system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a business object proxy comprising the core metadata of the business object,

wherein the enhanced metadata is based on the core metadata of the business object proxy.

10. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:

an enterprise services repository storing a model of the business object; and

a business process platform comprising the business object proxy and the extension repository.

11. A system according to claim 8, further comprising:

an enterprise services framework to receive a service request associated with the business object;

a generic wrapper class to determine whether the service request is associated with the extension node;

an extension service provider to provide an extension service associated with the extension node if it is determined that the service request is associated with the extension node; and

a core service provider to provide a core service associated with core data of the business object if it is determined that the service request is not associated with the extension node.

12. A system according to claim 11,

wherein the generic wrapper class is to determine whether the service request is associated with the extension node based on the enhanced metadata of the runtime metadata buffer.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the extension service provider is to call the core service provider to provide a core service associated with extension data of at least one of the extension fields of the extension node.

14. A system according to claim 8,

wherein the extension repository stores extension metadata associated with a plurality of database tenants, and

wherein the enhanced metadata is associated with a single database tenant.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code executable by a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

generating extension metadata defining an extension node associated with a core node of a business object and extension fields associated with the extension node; and

generating a runtime metadata buffer comprising enhanced metadata, the enhanced metadata based on core metadata of the business object and the extension metadata.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising:

generating a business object proxy comprising the core metadata of the business object based on a model of the business object,

wherein the enhanced metadata is generated based on the core metadata of the business object proxy.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the model of the business object is stored in an enterprise services repository,

wherein the business object proxy is generated in a business process platform, and

wherein the extension metadata is stored in an extension repository of the business process platform.

18. A method according to claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a service request associated with the business object;

determining whether the service request is associated with the extension node;

if it is determined that the service request is associated with the extension node, providing an extension service associated with the extension node; and

if it is determined that the service request is not associated with the extension node, providing a core service associated with core data of the business object.

19. A method according to claim 18,

wherein determining whether the service request is associated with the extension node is based on the enhanced metadata of the runtime metadata buffer.

20. A method according to claim 18, further providing a core service associated with extension data of at least one of the extension fields of the extension node if it is determined that the service request is associated with the extension node.

21. A method according to claim 15,

wherein the extension repository stores extension metadata associated with a plurality of database tenants, and

wherein the enhanced metadata is associated with a single database tenant.