Managing consistent interfaces for a customer requirement business object across heterogeneous systems

• US 8,666,845 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sachs, Nadine, Merker, Stefan, Kapaun, Guido, Negash, Tesfaldet
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASEY, ALEXIS M
• Application Number:
  US13/192,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20130030943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.5, 705/26.8
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The disclosure generally describes computer-implemented methods, computer readable mediums, and distributed systems for providing a message-based interface for exchanging customer requirement information. One method includes receiving, via a message-based interface derived from a common business object model that includes business objects having relationships enabling derivation of message-based interfaces and message packages, a first message for providing a notification of an update of product availability including a first message package hierarchically organized as a product available to promise update notification and fulfillment confirmation message entity and an accompanying set of specific, ordered packages, each including specifically ordered elements. The first message is processed according to the first message package'"'"'s specific hierarchical organization, and a second message responsive to the first message is sent, the second message including a second message package derived from the common business object model to provide consistent semantics with the first message package.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program code for providing a message-based interface for exchanging customer requirement information, including information about product availability, the medium comprising:

program code for receiving via a message-based interface derived from a common business object model, where the common business object model includes business objects having relationships that enable derivation of message-based interfaces and message packages, the message-based interface exposing at least one service as defined in a service registry and from a heterogeneous application executing in an environment of computer systems providing message-based services, a first message for providing a notification of an update of product availability that includes a first message package derived from the common business object model and hierarchically organized in memory as;

at a first hierarchical level within the first message package, a product available to promise update notification and fulfillment confirmation message entity; and

at the first hierarchical level in the first message package, a customer requirement package comprising, at a second hierarchical level in the first message package, a customer requirement entity, a business transaction document reference package, and an availability confirmation package, where the business transaction document reference package includes, at a third hierarchical level in the first message package, a business transaction document reference entity, where the availability confirmation package includes, at the third hierarchical level in the first message package, an availability confirmation entity, a base business transaction document reference package, and an item package, where the base business transaction document reference package includes, at a fourth hierarchical level in the first message package, a base business transaction document reference entity, where the item package includes, at the fourth hierarchical level in the first message package, at least one item entity, a product information package, and a customer requirement availability confirmation item reference package, where the product information package includes, at a fifth hierarchical level in the first message package, a product entity and a product requirement specification entity, where the customer requirement availability confirmation item reference package includes, at the fifth hierarchical level in the first message package, a customer requirement availability confirmation item reference entity and a base business transaction document item reference entity, where each item entity includes, at the fifth hierarchical level in the first message package, a cumulated fulfilled quantity, a cumulated fulfilled quantity type code, a cumulated confirmed quantity, a cumulated confirmed quantity type code, a cumulated released quantity, a cumulated released quantity type code, a logistics execution processing status code, and a logistics execution release status code;

program code for processing the first message according to the hierarchical organization of the first message package, where processing the first message includes unpacking the first message package based on the common business object model; and

program code for sending a second message to the heterogeneous application responsive to the first message, where the second message includes a second message package derived from the common business object model to provide consistent semantics with the first message package.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the availability confirmation package further includes a log package.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the item package further includes at least one of the following:

a product information package, a location package, a delivery terms package, and a schedule line package.

4. A distributed system operating in a landscape of computer systems providing message-based services defined in a service registry, the system comprising:

at least one processor operable to execute computer readable instructions embodied on non-transitory media;

a graphical user interface executable by the at least one processor and comprising computer readable instructions, embedded on non-transitory media, for providing a notification of an update of product availability using a request;

a first memory storing a user interface controller executable by the at least one processor for processing the request and involving a message including a first message package derived from a common business object model, where the common business object model includes business objects having relationships that enable derivation of message-based service interfaces and message packages, the first message package hierarchically organized as;

at a first hierarchical level within the first message package, a product available to promise update notification and fulfillment confirmation message entity; and

at the first hierarchical level in the first message package, a customer requirement package comprising, at a second hierarchical level in the first message package, a customer requirement entity, a business transaction document reference package, and an availability confirmation package, where the business transaction document reference package includes, at a third hierarchical level in the first message package, a business transaction document reference entity, where the availability confirmation package includes, at the third hierarchical level in the first message package, an availability confirmation entity, a base business transaction document reference package, and an item package, where the base business transaction document reference package includes, at a fourth hierarchical level in the first message package, a base business transaction document reference entity, where the item package comprises, at the fourth hierarchical level in the first message package, at least one item entity, a product information package, and a customer requirement availability confirmation item reference package, where the product information package includes, at a fifth hierarchical level in the first message package, a product entity and a product requirement specification entity, where the customer requirement availability confirmation item reference package includes, at the fifth hierarchical level in the first message package, a customer requirement availability confirmation item reference entity and a base business transaction document item reference entity, where each item entity includes, at the fifth hierarchical level in the first message package, a cumulated fulfilled quantity, a cumulated fulfilled quantity type code, a cumulated confirmed quantity, a cumulated confirmed quantity type code, a cumulated released quantity, a cumulated released quantity type code, a logistics execution processing status code, and a logistics execution release status code; and

a second memory, remote from the graphical user interface, storing a plurality of message-based service interfaces executable by the at least one processor and derived from the common business object model to provide consistent semantics with messages derived from the common business object model, where one of the service interfaces is operable to process the message via the service interface, where processing the message includes unpacking the first message package based on the common business object model.

5. The distributed system of claim 4, wherein the first memory is remote from the graphical user interface.

6. The distributed system of claim 4, wherein the first memory is remote from the second memory.