Software model integration scenarios

• US 8,448,137 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kaetker, Stefan, Freund, Jens, Latocha, Peter, Moosmann, Gerd
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYIM, SAMUEL E
• Application Number:
  US11/323,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,699 Days
• Field of Search: 717/121
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, to realize a business scenario are described. A plurality of process components and context independent interactions among the process components are defined. Each of the process components characterizes software implementing a respective and distinct process. In addition, each of the process components defines at least one respective service interface for interacting with business objects associated with other process components, and all communication and interaction between process components taking place through the respective interfaces of the process components.

Claims

1. A software modeling system comprising at least one memory storing a software modeling tool and at least one processor executing the software modeling tool to perform operations, the operations comprising:

processing at least one input defining a plurality of process components, each of the process components characterizing software implementing a respective and distinct process, and each of the process components defining at least one respective service interface for interacting with business objects associated with other process components, and all communication and interaction between process components taking place through the respective interfaces of the process components, each service interface comprising at least one service operation, and each service operation belonging to exactly one process component and comprising a separately-callable function;

dividing the plurality of process components into multiple deployment units, wherein each deployment unit characterizes independently operable software, and each process component is entirely included in exactly one deployment unit; and

processing at least one input defining context independent pair-wise interactions among the plurality of process components to realize a business scenario, wherein interaction between a first process component in a first deployment unit and a second process component in a second deployment unit external to the first deployment unit takes place through an incoming message to the first process component from the second process component in the second deployment unit through the respective service interfaces of the first and second process components, and interaction between the first process component and a third process component arranged in the same deployment unit takes place through business objects accessible to the first and third process components in the same deployment unit,

wherein the interaction between the first process component and the third process component arranged in the same deployment unit takes place through business objects located in an application layer of the deployment unit.

2. A system as in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

processing at least one input defining, for each process component, at least one associated business object.

3. A system as in claim 2, wherein none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects associated with any of the other process components.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein the process components characterize inbound operations to handle incoming messages associated with a modification of reading of data encapsulated in a business object associated with the process component.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein the process components characterize outbound operations to handle outgoing messages associated with a modification or reading of data encapsulated in at least one business object associated with another process component.

6. A system as in claim 1, wherein processing at least one input defining a plurality of process components comprises:

generating, for each process component, at least one process agent, each process agent enabling communications between a business object associated with the first process component and a business object associated with at least one of the second or third process component.

7. A system as in claim 6, wherein at least one of the process agents is an inbound process agent characterizing an inbound operation to handle incoming messages.

8. A system as in claim 6, wherein at least one of the inbound process agents is operable to receive a message of a first type and convert it into a message of a second type.

9. A system as in claim 6, wherein at least one of the process agents is an outbound process agent characterizing an outbound operation to transmit outgoing messages to an external process component.

10. A system as in claim 6, wherein each process agent is operable to communicate through the service interface of its respective process component.

11. A system as in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

generating a plurality of integration scenarios, each integration scenario comprising a plurality of logically associated process components to realize a business scenario; and

populating a catalog with the generated integration scenarios.

12. A system as in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

polling a data repository to obtain stored data characterizing a plurality of deployment units.

13. A system as in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of communications between process components within a deployment unit is not message based.

14. A system as in claim 1, wherein a first group including at least one process component is associated with a first deployment unit and a second group including at least one component is associated with a second deployment unit, the deployment units characterizing independently operable software.

15. A system as in claim 14, wherein communications between the first deployment unit and the second deployment unit are message based.

16. A system as in claim 14, wherein at least one of the deployment units comprises at least one business object that is not associated with a process component.

17. A system as in claim 14, wherein at least two of the deployment units are deployed on separate hardware platforms.

18. Apparatus comprising at least one non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions operable, when executed by at least one processor, to perform operations in a software modeling environment, the operations comprising:

processing at least one input defining a plurality of process components, each of the process components characterizing software implementing a respective and distinct process, and each of the process components defining at least one respective service interface for interacting with other process components, and all communication and interaction between process components taking place through the respective interfaces of the process components, each service interface comprising at least one service operation, and each service operation belonging to exactly one process component and comprising a separately-callable function;

dividing the plurality of process components into multiple deployment units, wherein each deployment unit characterizes independently operable software, and each process component is entirely included in exactly one deployment unit; and

processing at least one input defining context independent pair-wise interactions among the plurality of process components to realize a business scenario, wherein interaction between a first process component in a first deployment unit and a second process component in a second deployment unit external to the first deployment unit takes place through an incoming message to the first process component from the second process component in the second deployment unit through the respective service interfaces of the first and second process components, and interaction between the first process component and a third process component arranged in the same deployment unit takes place through business objects accessible to the first and third process components in the same deployment unit,

wherein the interaction between the first process component and the third process component arranged in the same deployment unit takes place through business objects located in an application layer of the deployment unit.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a first group including at least one process component is associated with a first deployment unit and a second group including at least one process component is associated with a second deployment unit, the deployment units characterizing independently operable software.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, the operations further comprising processing at least one input defining message transfer interactions between a particular portion of the plurality of process components and an external system, wherein the particular portion of the plurality of process components are associated with an entity.

20. A computer-implemented method for grouping process components in a software modeling environment, the method comprising:

processing, with a computing system, at least one input defining a plurality of process components, each of the process components characterizing software implementing a respective and distinct process, and each of the process components defining at least one respective service interface for interacting with other process components, and all communication and interaction between process components taking place through the respective interfaces of the process components, each service interface comprising at least one service operation, and each service operation belonging to exactly one process component and comprising a separately-callable function;

dividing, with the computing system, the plurality of process components into multiple deployment units, wherein each deployment unit characterizes independently operable software, and each process component is entirely included in exactly one deployment unit; and

processing, with the computing system, at least one input defining context independent pair-wise interactions among the plurality of process components to realize a business scenario, wherein interaction between a first process component in a first deployment unit and a second process component in a second deployment unit external to the first deployment unit takes place through an incoming message to the first process component from the second process component in the second deployment unit through the respective service interfaces of the first and second process components, and interaction between the first process component and a third process component arranged in the same deployment unit takes place through business objects accessible to the first and third process components in the same deployment unit,

wherein the interaction between the first process component and the third process component arranged in the same deployment unit takes place through business objects located in an application layer of the deployment unit.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

processing, with the computing system, at least one input defining a plurality of deployment units, each deployment unit including at least one process component.