Automation of software application engineering using machine learning and reasoning

• US 8,607,190 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Coldicott, Peter Alan, Ellis, Raymond Walter, Lane, Eoin, Gonzalez, Celso
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/604,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20110099532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

Abstract

A system for automatically creating a desired software application design. In response to an input to create a desired software application design, functional requirements for the desired software application design are retrieved. Then, non-functional requirements associated with each retrieved functional requirement are retrieved. In addition, software models associated with the retrieved functional requirements are retrieved. Further, software patterns associated with the retrieved non-functional requirements are retrieved. Then, the retrieved software models are transformed into software code for the desired software application design. Also, the retrieved software patterns are applied to associated code sequences in the software code to automatically create an architecture for the desired software application design. Finally, the architecture for the desired software application design is outputted for use by a user. The decisions made during the software application design process are also captured for analysis for future improvement of the desired software application design.

Claims

1. A method for generating a computer program that reuses previously stored program components and satisfies quality requirements for an industry for which the computer program is targeted, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a specification of an industry classification for the computer program, a specification of Service Oriented Architecture for the computer program, a plurality of functional requirements for the computer program, a requirement for performance level of the computer program, a requirement for fault-tolerance of the computer program and a requirement for scalability of the computer program;

determining, by one or more processors, one or more of the program components that implement the plurality of functional requirements;

determining, by one or more processors, one or more combinations of the previously stored program components that include the one or more program components implement the functional requirements, are interconnected by Service Oriented Architecture, and

satisfy the requirements for (a) performance level of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification, (b) fault-tolerance of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification, and (c) scalability of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of an industry type for the desired software application design, wherein the industry type is a component of the industry classification; and

receiving a selection of an architectural style for the desired software application design, wherein the architectural style is a style of the Service Oriented architecture.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving also receives a requirement for security constraints of the computer program, wherein the determining of the combinations of program components also satisfy the security constraints.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

automatically creating a software architecture for the computer program by applying the determined combinations of the program components, wherein the automatically created software architecture satisfies the received functional requirements and satisfies the requirements for (a) performance level, (b) fault-tolerance and (c) scalability of the computer program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein software patterns are implemented for determining the performance level, (b) fault-tolerance and (c) scalability, wherein the software patterns refer to a manner in which the program components interconnect, wherein different interconnections of the program components result in different characteristics for performance, fault tolerance, and scalability of a resulting computer program, wherein the software patterns represent repeatable solutions implemented repeatedly in different development environments, wherein performance level, fault tolerance, and scalability values for the software patterns utilized in the determining step of the method are computed using storage values discerned from historical implementations of these software patterns in the different development environments.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing a topic map to maintain database associations between functional requirements and software patterns used to satisfy requirements for (a) performance level, (b) fault-tolerance, and (c) scalability of the computer program, wherein the topic map complies with an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for topic maps.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting the computer program that is automatically created from the program combinations of the program components.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional requirements are based on the selected industry type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determinations that the requirements for performance level, fault-tolerance, and scalability of the computer program are satisfied is determined from a combination of associated code sequences in software code for the computer program based on a specified architectural style of the Service Oriented Architecture.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a transformation, learning, and reasoning engine uses a series of rules to determine whether the requirements for performance level, fault-tolerance, and scalability of the computer program are satisfied.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating, by one or more processors, at least a portion of the computer program by automatically combining the determined combinations of program components.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determined program components are reusable software assets.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional requirements define what the computer program is expected to accomplish within a particular context.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining, by one or more processors, global constraints that must be satisfied by the computer program, and wherein the determined combinations of program components satisfy the global constraints when interconnected by the Service Oriented Architecture.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a software pattern represents a repeatable solution to a problem in a particular context, wherein the software pattern is used for determining combinations of the program components that satisfy the performance level, the fault-tolerance, and the scalability of the computer program.

16. A data processing system for generating a computer program that reuses previously stored program components and satisfies quality requirements for an industry for which the computer program is targeted, comprising:

a bus system;

a computer-readable storage device connected to the bus system, and a set of program instructions stored on the storage device; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of program instructions to;

receive a specification of an industry classification for the computer program, a specification of Service Oriented Architecture for the computer program, a plurality of functional requirements for the computer program, a requirement for performance level of the computer program, a requirement for fault-tolerance of the computer program and a requirement for scalability of the computer program;

determine one or more of the program components that implement the plurality of functional requirements;

determine one or more combinations of the program components that include the one or more program components and implement the functional requirements, are interconnected by Service Oriented Architecture, and

satisfy the requirements for (a) performance level of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification, (b) fault-tolerance of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification, and (c) scalability of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification.

17. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage device and computer readable program code stored on the storage device generating a computer program that reuses previously stored program components and satisfies quality requirements for an industry for which the computer program is targeted, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code to receive a specification of an industry classification for the computer program, a specification of Service Oriented Architecture for the computer program, a plurality of functional requirements for the computer program, a requirement for performance level of the computer program, a requirement for fault-tolerance of the computer program and a requirement for scalability of the computer program;

computer readable program code to determine, by one or more processors, one or more of the program components that implement the plurality of functional requirements;

computer readable program code to determine, by one or more processors, one or more combinations of the program components that include the one or more program components and implement the functional requirements, are interconnected by Service Oriented Architecture, and

computer readable program code to satisfy the requirements for (a) performance level of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification, (b) fault-tolerance of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification, and (c) scalability of the computer program corresponding to the industry classification.

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

computer readable program code to receive a selection of an industry type for the desired software application design, wherein the industry type is a component of the industry classification; and

computer usable program code configured to receive a selection of an architectural style for the desired software application design, wherein the architectural style is a style of the Service Oriented architecture.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code to receive receives a requirement for security constraints of the computer program, wherein the computer readable program code to determine the combinations of program components also satisfy the security constraints.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising;

computer readable program code to automatically create a software architecture for the computer program by applying the determined combinations of the program components, wherein the automatically created software architecture satisfies the received functional requirements and satisfies the requirements for (a) performance level, (b) fault-tolerance and (c) scalability of the computer program.