Service emulator substituting for backend components to satisfy needs of front end components

• US 8,954,922 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Appleyard, James P., Bruce, Edwin J., Flores, Romelia H., Purcell, Joshua L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tecklu, Isaac T
• Application Number:
  US13/601,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

Interface requirements for a set of services to be implemented between service oriented architecture (SOA) front end components and SOA back end components can be identified. A service emulator can be created that satisfies service call and data needs of the SOA front end components. The SOA front end components are operable to be combined with the service emulator to form an interactive prototype. The SOA front end components are operable to be combined with the SOA back end components to form an operable SOA solution.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at least one computing device identifying interface requirements for a set of services to be implemented between service oriented architecture (SOA) front end components and SOA back end components; and

the at least one computing device creating a service emulator that satisfies service call and data needs of the SOA front end components, wherein the SOA front end components are operable to be combined with the service emulator to form an interactive prototype, and wherein the SOA front end components are operable to be combined with the SOA back end components to form an operable SOA solution.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating at least one file or data store based upon the interface requirements for the service emulator, wherein said file or data store provides one or more responses to requests issued from the SOA front end components for the interactive prototype.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service emulator uses at least one file or data store that comprises data configured to be representative of results achieved when using the SOA back end components to federate data from a plurality of back end sources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive prototype is operable for demonstrating user-facing behavior of the operable SOA solution before the SOA back end components are completed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

soliciting feedback from users of the interactive prototype before said set of SOA back end components are completed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying user experience features of said SOA front end based upon feedback provided in response to interacting with the interactive prototype without affecting interactions between said SOA front end components and said SOA back end components, and without affecting the identified interface requirements between the SOA front end components and the SOA back end components.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after creation of the interactive prototype, establishing a version for the SOA front end; and

conducting development efforts that increase an associated version of the SOA front end independent of activities relating to the SOA back end components, while maintaining the interface requirements in a substantially unchanged manner.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the SOA front end components comprise client facing components providing a user experience for the SOA solution, wherein the SOA back end components comprise back end and middleware services for the SOA solution.

9. A computer program product comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer-readable, storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to identify interface requirements for a set of services to be implemented between service oriented architecture (SOA) front end components and SOA back end components; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to create a service emulator that satisfies service call and data needs of the SOA front end components, wherein the SOA front end components are operable to be combined with the service emulator to form an interactive prototype, and wherein the SOA front end components are operable to be combined with the SOA back end components to form an operable SOA solution.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the interactive prototype is operable for demonstrating user-facing behavior of the operable SOA solution before the SOA back end components are completed.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the SOA front end components comprise client facing components providing a user experience for the SOA solution, wherein the SOA back end components comprise back end and middleware services for the SOA solution.

12. A method comprising:

a computer binding a service emulator to service oriented architecture (SOA) front end components of a SOA solution to create an interactive prototype for the SOA solution, wherein the SOA front end components provide user experience for the SOA solution, wherein the SOA solution comprises SOA backend components; and

the computer executing the interactive prototype to provide the user experience of the SOA solution without any of the SOA backend components executing, wherein during execution of the interactive prototype the service emulator satisfies service call and data needs of the SOA front end components.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a set of interface requirements for a set of services loosely coupling the SOA front end components to the SOA backend components, wherein the service emulator conforms to the interface requirements.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the interactive prototype is operable for demonstrating user-facing behavior of the operable SOA solution before the SOA back end components are completed.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the service emulator permits the SOA front end components to be developed and tested independent of the SOA back end components under a condition that the interface requirements are not substantially modified.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the service emulator uses at least one file or data store that comprises data configured to be representative of results achieved when using the SOA back end components to federate data from a plurality of back end sources.

17. A computer program product comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer-readable, storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to bind a service emulator to service oriented architecture (SOA) front end components of a SOA solution to create an interactive prototype for the SOA solution, wherein the SOA front end components provide user experience for the SOA solution, wherein the SOA solution comprises SOA backend components; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to execute the interactive prototype to provide the user experience of the SOA solution without any of the SOA backend components executing, wherein during execution of the interactive prototype the service emulator satisfies service call and data needs of the SOA front end components.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the service emulator permits the SOA front end components to be developed and tested independent of the SOA back end components under a condition that the interface requirements are not substantially modified.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the service emulator uses at least one file or data store that comprises data configured to be representative of results achieved when using the SOA back end components to federate data from a plurality of back end sources.

20. A computer program product comprising:

one or more memories, each of which are non-transitory computer readable mediums;

program instructions stored in the one or more memories;

a service emulator comprised of at least a subset of the program instructions that responsive to being executed by one or more processors are operable to satisfy service call and data needs of a set of service oriented architecture SOA front end components, wherein the SOA front end components and the service emulator together form an executable, interactive prototype of a SOA solution, wherein the SOA front end components comprise client facing components providing a user experience for the SOA solution, wherein the SOA front end components and a set of SOA back end components together form the SOA solution.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

an interface contract document stored in at least one of the one or more memories, wherein the interface contract document defines interactions to occur between the SOA front end and services provided by the SOA back end, wherein the service emulator and the SOA front end are coded to conform to interface standards specified by the interface contract document.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the interactive prototype is executable upon a computing device in a stand-alone fashion without reliance on access to any of the SOA backend components.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the service emulator utilizes at least one XML file to emulate output that would otherwise be provided by the SOA back end components to SOA front end components.

24. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein said SOA front end provides an interface renderable in a Web browser.

25. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the SOA front end provides a Web portal renderable in the Web browser.