System and method for automated on-demand creation of a customized software application

• US 8,533,661 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boomi, Inc. (Boomi TopCo, LP)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Nucci, Richard C., Stewart, Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Daxin
• Application Number:
  US12/110,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20080270977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,961 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A web-based interface is provided for visually modeling a business-to-business or application integration process by selecting and associating predetermined process-representing visual elements. A customized, enterprise-specific executable software application (“dynamic runtime engine”) is automatedly produced by software running remotely. The dynamic runtime engine is created to include a generic application template, predefined “stock” codesets selected as a function of the modeled process, and a data profile codeset that includes input provided by the user for customizing the stock components for a specific integration process of a specific enterprise. The application template and selected codesets may subsequently be downloaded to provide an executable dynamic runtime engine software application that is customized to perform a specific integration process for a specific enterprise. Thus, the dynamic runtime engine software application is created automatedly outside of an enterprise'"'"'s computing network, but is customized for a specific enterprise before it arrives within the enterprise'"'"'s computing network or other destination network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automated creation of a customized software application, the method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface permitting building of a visual model by selectively associating a plurality of user-selected visual modeling elements, each visual modeling element corresponding to a respective one of;

a connector codeset comprising data required for electronic communication in accordance with a specific application programming interface (API); and

a trading partner codeset comprising data required for electronic communication with a specific trading partner'"'"'s system;

receiving from the user, via the graphical user interface, data representing a visual model comprising user-selected visual modeling elements associated by the user, the visual model representing a specific integration process for transforming data to enable electronic data exchange between data formats, each visual modeling element being associated with a respective codeset;

receiving from the user, via the graphical user interface, user input providing data attributes for at least one visual modeling element of the visual model, the user input comprising information unique to the specific integration process;

preparing an integration process data profile codeset capturing the user input;

identifying codesets corresponding to the visual modeling elements of the visual model;

transmitting an application template to an enterprise system, the application template being specially configured to be executable in combination with a plurality of different codesets;

transmitting the corresponding codesets to the enterprise system; and

transmitting the integration process data profile codeset to the enterprise system;

the application template, the corresponding codesets, and the integration process data profile codeset collectively providing a customized software application executable at the enterprise system to perform the integration process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an executable container installation program to the enterprise system, the container installation program being executable within the enterprise system to install a container program, the container program being executable to initiate transmission from a server to the enterprise system of at least one of a connector codeset, a trading partner codeset and the integration process data profile codeset.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting to the enterprise system of the application template, the corresponding codesets and the integration process data profile codeset is performed in response to execution of the container program within the enterprise system.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing, on a server, the executable container installation program, a plurality of connector codesets, a plurality of trading partner codesets, and a plurality of the integration process data profile codesets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the graphical user interface comprises providing the graphical user interface via a web browser.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the graphical user interface allows drag-and-drop manipulation of the visual modeling elements.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing on a server data representing the visual model;

storing the integration process data profile codeset on the server;

modifying the integration process data profile codeset in response to a modification made to the visual model; and

transmitting the modified integration process data profile codeset to the enterprise in response to a modification made to the visual model.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the integration process data profile codeset comprises preparing an XML document comprising the user input.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an XML representation of the visual model on a server in association with a user'"'"'s account; and

storing an XML representation of the user input as the integration process data profile codeset, the data provide codeset being stored on the server in association with the user'"'"'s account.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting an application template from a plurality of pre-defined application templates, an appropriate application template being selected as a function of the visual model created by the user.

11. A system for creating a customized software application, the system comprising:

a memory;

a microprocessor operatively connected to the memory for executing computer-readable code stored in the memory;

computer-readable program code stored in the memory and executable by the microprocessor to;

provide a graphical user interface permitting building of a visual model by selectively associating a plurality of user-selected visual modeling elements, each visual modeling element corresponding to a respective one of;

a connector codeset comprising data required for electronic communication in accordance with a specific application programming interface (API); and

a trading partner codeset comprising data required for electronic communication with a specific trading partner'"'"'s system;

receive from the user, via the graphical user interface, user input providing data attributes for at least one visual modeling element of the visual model, the user input comprising information unique to a specific integration process;

prepare an integration process data profile codeset capturing the user input;

receive from the user, via the graphical user interface, a visual model comprising associated user-selected visual modeling elements, the visual model representing a specific integration process for transforming data to enable electronic data exchange between data formats, each visual modeling element being associated with a respective codeset;

identify codesets corresponding to the visual modeling elements of the visual model;

transmit an application template to an enterprise system, the application template being specially configured to be executable in combination with a plurality of different codesets;

transmit the corresponding codesets to the enterprise system; and

transmit the integration process data profile codeset to the enterprise system;

the application template, the corresponding codesets, and the data codeset collectively providing a customized software application executable at the enterprise system to perform the integration process.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

computer-readable program code stored in the memory and executable by the microprocessor to;

transmit an executable container installation program to the enterprise system, the container installation program being executable within the enterprise system to install a container program, the container program being executable to initiate transmission from a server to the enterprise system of one or more of a connector codeset, a trading partner codeset and the integration process data profile codeset.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable program code stored in the memory and executable by the microprocessor to transmit to the enterprise system the application template, the corresponding codesets and the integration process data profile codeset is configured to perform the transmission in response to execution of the container program within the enterprise system.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

computer-readable program code stored in the memory and executable by the microprocessor to;

store, on a server, the executable container installation program, a plurality of connector codesets, a plurality of trading partner codesets, and a plurality of integration process data profile codesets.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable program code stored in the memory and executable by the microprocessor to provide the graphical user interface comprises computer-readable program code executable to provide the graphical user interface via a web browser.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable program code stored in the memory and executable by the microprocessor to provide the graphical user interface comprises computer-readable program code executable to allow drag-and-drop manipulation of the visual modeling elements.

17. A computer program product for automatedly creating a customized software application, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code comprising;

computer-readable program code that provides a graphical user interface permitting building of a visual model by selectively associating a plurality of user-selected visual modeling elements, each visual modeling element being associated with a respective one of;

a connector codeset comprising data required for electronic communication in accordance with a specific application programming interface (API); and

a trading partner codeset comprising data required for electronic communication with a specific trading partner'"'"'s system;

computer-readable program code that receives from the user, via the graphical user interface, a visual model comprising associated user-selected visual modeling elements, the visual model representing a specific integration process for transforming data to enable electronic data exchange between data formats, each visual modeling element being associated with a respective codeset;

computer-readable program code that prepares an integration process data profile codeset capturing user input providing data attributes for at least one visual modeling element of the visual model, the user input comprising information unique to a specific integration process;

computer-readable program code that identifies codesets corresponding to the visual modeling elements of the visual model;

computer-readable program code that transmits an application template to an enterprise system, the application template being specially configured to be executable in combination with a plurality of different codesets;

computer-readable program code that transmits the corresponding codesets to the enterprise system; and

computer-readable program code that transmits the integration process data profile codeset to the enterprise system;

the application template, the corresponding codesets, and the integration process data profile codeset collectively providing a customized software application executable at the enterprise system to perform the integration process.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer-readable program code that transmits an executable container installation program to the enterprise system, the container installation program being executable within the enterprise system to install a container program, the container program being executable to initiate transmission to the enterprise system of one or more of a connector codeset, a trading partner codeset and an integration process data profile codeset.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable program code stored in a memory and executable by the microprocessor to transmit to the enterprise system the application template, the corresponding codesets and the integration process data profile codeset is configured to perform the transmission in response to execution of the container program within the enterprise system.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code stored in a memory and executable by the microprocessor to provide the graphical user interface comprises computer-readable program code executable to provide the graphical user interface via a web browser.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer-readable program code stored in the memory and executable by the microprocessor to provide the graphical user interface comprises computer-readable program code executable to allow drag-and-drop manipulation of the visual modeling elements.