Consistent interface for address snapshot and approval process definition

• US 8,949,855 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Bettin, Andreas, Neumann, Andreas, Kohler, Frank, Ritter, Gerd M., Schmitt, Gunter, Pfeifer, Joachim, Genter, Marc-Oliver, Oemler, Michael, Fuhge, Robert B., Wolf, Timo, Grossmann, Toralf, Kruempelmann, Marita, Pinter, Erwin, Otte, Bernd, Lange, Christoph, Pai, Nitesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, H S
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONI, SYED A
• Application Number:
  US13/535,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20140007136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

A business object model, which reflects data that is used during a given business transaction, is utilized to generate interfaces. This business object model facilitates commercial transactions by providing consistent interfaces that are suitable for use across industries, across businesses, and across different departments within a business during a business transaction. In some operations, software creates, updates, or otherwise processes information related to an address snapshot and an approval process definition business object.

Claims

1. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium including program code for providing a message-based interface for exchanging information about address snapshots, 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 requesting creation of an address snapshot, the address snapshot including one or more addresses associated with an individual, the first message including a first message package hierarchically organized based on and derived from the common business object model, the hierarchical organization of the message package including;

at a first hierarchical level in the first message package, an address snapshot create request sync message entity; and

at the first hierarchical level in the first message package, an address snapshot package, wherein the address snapshot package includes, at a first hierarchical level in the first message package, an address snapshot entity, wherein the address snapshot entity includes, at a second hierarchical level in the first message package, at least one web entity, at least one email entity, and at least one name entity;

program code for processing the first message based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package, where processing the first message includes unpacking the first message package based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package and the first message package'"'"'s deriviation from the common business object model, wherein the particular hierarchical organization of the first message package is used at least in part to identify the purpose of the first message; 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 address snapshot entity further includes, at the second hierarchical level in the first message package, at least one of the following:

at least one facsimile entity, at least one telephone entity, a communication preference entity, at least one postal address entity, and at least one display name entity.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the address snapshot entity further includes, at the second hierarchical level in the first message package a source object node reference.

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 tangible media, for requesting creation of an address snapshot, including one or more addresses associated with an individual, the instructions 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 first 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 based on and derived from the common business object model, the hierarchical organization of the message package including;

at a first hierarchical level in the first message package, an address snapshot create request sync message entity; and

at the first hierarchical level in the first message package, an address snapshot package, wherein the address snapshot package includes, at a first hierarchical level in the first message package, an address snapshot entity, wherein the address snapshot entity includes, at a second hierarchical level in the first message package, at least one web entity, at least one email entity, and at least one name entity; and

a second memory, remote from the graphical user interface, storing a plurality of 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, wherein one of the message-based service interfaces is operable to process the message based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package, where processing the message includes unpacking the first message package based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package and the first message package'"'"'s derivation from the common business object model, wherein the particular structure of the message package is used at least in part to identify the purpose of the message.

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.

7. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium including program code for providing a message-based interface for exchanging information about approval process definitions, 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 notifying of an approval process definition, including identifying a business object type and a business object node type for which an approval process is defined, the first message including a message package hierarchically organized in memory based on and derived from the common business object model, the first message package including;

at a first hierarchical level in the first message package, an approval process definition notification message entity; and

at the first hierarchical level in the first message package, an approval process definition package, wherein the approval process definition package includes, at a second hierarchical level in the first message package, an approval process definition entity, wherein the approval process definition entity includes, at a third hierarchical level in the first message package, an access control list entity, a universally unique identifier, a business object type code;

program code for processing the first message based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package, where processing the first message includes unpacking the first message package based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package and the first message package'"'"'s deriviation from the common business object model, wherein the particular hierarchical organization of the first message package is used at least in part to identify the purpose of the first message; 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.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the approval process definition entity further includes at least one version entity.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the approval process definition entity further includes at least one of the following:

a business object node type code and a support area code.

10. 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 tangible media, for notifying of an approval process definition, including identifying a business object type and a business object node type for which an approval process is defined, the instructions 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 first 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 based on and derived from the common business object model, the hierarchical organization of the message package including;

at a first hierarchical level in the first message package, an approval process definition notification message entity; and

at the first hierarchical level in the first message package, an approval process definition package, wherein the approval process definition package includes, at a second hierarchical level in the first message package, an approval process definition entity, wherein the approval process definition entity includes, at a third hierarchical level in the first message package, an access control list entity, a universally unique identifier, a business object type code; and

a second memory, remote from the graphical user interface, storing a plurality of 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, wherein one of the message-based service interfaces is operable to process the message based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package, where processing the message includes unpacking the first message package based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package and the first message package'"'"'s derivation from the common business object model, wherein the particular structure of the message package is used at least in part to identify the purpose of the message.

11. The distributed system of claim 10, wherein the first memory is remote from the graphical user interface.

12. The distributed system of claim 10, wherein the first memory is remote from the second memory.