Configuring and constructing applications in a mainframe-based computing environment

• US 8,572,564 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2008
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Heuler, Randal J., Crilley, Duane K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Daxin
• Application Number:
  US12/248,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

In various embodiments, a system is provided for building configurable applications. The system may include a distributed tier with a presentation module accessible by a user which is configured to permit configuration of an interface in a session with the user and an interface module configured to process session state data in an extensible language format. The system may also include a mainframe system having an enterprise architecture integration (EAI) framework configured for receiving the extensible language formatted state data and invoking at least one service in association with evaluating the extensible language formatted state data and a business rules engine based on an extensible language format. The mainframe system may be configured to translate the evaluated state data into a reply message based on the extensible language format.

Claims

1. A system for building configurable applications, the system comprising:

a distributed tier including at least one computer processor programmed for executing at least one module, the distributed tier further comprising;

(i) a presentation module accessible by a user, the presentation module being configured to permit configuration of an interface in a session with the user, the session generating state data including at least one indication of a modification to the interface, and,

(ii) an interface module configured to process at least a portion of the state data in an extensible language format to generate extensible language formatted state data, wherein the interface module is configured to route a constructed application from the presentation module to a business process management system for seeking approval of the constructed application by an operational area of an institution;

a mainframe system including at least one computer processor, the mainframe system further comprising;

(i) an enterprise architecture integration (EAI) framework configured for receiving the extensible language formatted state data and invoking at least one service in association with evaluating the extensible language formatted state data, and

(ii) a business rules engine having at least one rule based on an extensible language format, the business rules engine being accessible by the EAI framework in association with evaluating the state data to generate evaluated state data, wherein the business rules engine further comprises at least one configurable screen definition, and,

(iii) a business rules engine builder accessing the business rules engine and permitting selection from among different rules collections in the business rules engine and modification of the at least one rule based on a selection of the at least one configurable screen definition; and

,

the mainframe system being configured to translate the evaluated state data into a reply message based on an extensible language format.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising the interface module being configured for MQ abstraction in association with communicating data to the mainframe system.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an MQ hub for processing data communicated between the distributed tier and the mainframe system.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising the EAI framework being configured to serve as at least one of an MQ connector, an extensible markup language (XML) generator, an XML translator, or a field level data validator for data communicated to or from the mainframe system.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising the EAI framework being configured for communication with at least one external data source.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the reply message includes data associated with a blank presentation template.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the reply message includes data associated with a presentation configured based on existing state data.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising the business rules engine being configured with at least one of a before-rule or an after-rule.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising the distributed tier being configured to perform an XSLT transformation on the reply message received from the mainframe system.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising the distributed tier being configured to convert the transformed replay message into a protocol viewable by a browser.

11. A method for building configurable applications, the method comprising:

facilitating access to a presentation module by a user, the presentation module being configured to permit configuration of an interface in a session with the user, the session generating state data including at least one indication of a modification to the interface;

processing at least a portion of the state data including at least one configurable screen definition in an extensible language format to generate extensible language formatted state data;

receiving the extensible language formatted state data in an enterprise architecture integration framework (EAI) of a mainframe system;

invoking at least one service in association with evaluating the extensible language formatted state data;

triggering at least one rule, stored in a business rules engine, in association with the invoked EAI service for evaluating the extensible language formatted state data, the at least one rule being based on an extensible language format;

permitting, by a business rules engine builder accessing the business rules engine, selection from among different rules collections in the business rules engine and modification of the at least one rule based on a selection of the at least one configurable screen definition;

translating the evaluated state data into a reply message based on an extensible language format; and

,

routing the state data including at least one indication of a modification to the interface from the presentation module to a business process management system for seeking approval of the constructed application by an operational area of an institution.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving data communicated from at least one external data source.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the reply message includes data associated with a blank presentation template.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the reply message includes data associated with a presentation configured based on existing state data.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising performing an XSLT transformation on the reply message generated by the mainframe system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising converting the transformed replay message into a protocol viewable by a browser.