System and method for automated on-demand creation of a customized software application

• US 9,176,711 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boomi, Inc. (Boomi TopCo, LP)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Nucci, Richard C., Stewart, Mitchell J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Daxin
• Application Number:
  US13/971,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A web-based interface is provided for visually modeling a business-to-business or application integration process by selecting and associating predetermined process-representing visual elements. A customized, enterprise-specific executable software application (“dynamic runtime engine”) is automatedly produced by software running remotely. The dynamic runtime engine is created to include a generic application template, predefined “stock” codesets selected as a function of the modeled process, and a data profile codeset that includes input provided by the user for customizing the stock components for a specific integration process of a specific enterprise.

Claims

1. An information handling system for preparing a visual model representing a specific integration process comprising:

an interface device for transmitting data to provide a graphical user interface window within which to build a customized visual model representing a specific integration process for transforming data to enable electronic data exchange between data formats by selectively associating a plurality of visual modeling elements selected from a menu of visual modeling elements, each visual modeling element being associated with a respective one of;

a connector code set comprising data required for electronic communication in accordance with a specific application programming interface (API); and

a trading partner code set comprising data required for electronic communication with a specific trading partner'"'"'s system;

the interface device for receiving data representing the customized visual model and user input of data attributes unique to the specific integration process for at least one visual modeling element;

a processor for executing code to automatically generate a customized software integration application executable to perform the integration process that is based on the customized visual model,

wherein the customized software integration application executable to perform the integration process includes an application template specially configured to be executable with the code sets corresponding to the visual modeling elements and an integration process data profile code set captured from the user input of data attributes unique to the specific integration process for at least one visual modeling element, and

wherein the customized software integration application is configured to automatically initiate download for updates to a code set for at least one visual modeling element.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface window is configured to associate selected visual modeling elements in a flowchart.

3. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface window further comprises a data entry element providing a data entry field configured to receive user input providing data attributes for at least one visual modeling element of the visual model.

4. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface window further comprises a user-selectable option causing transmission of the data representing the customized visual model of the specific integration process to the information handling system.

5. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface window further comprises a user-selectable option causing transmission to an enterprise system of data representing a specific visual model built by the user, the specific visual model representing a specific integration process.

6. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the customized software integration application is configured to automatically check for updates to a code set for at least one visual modeling element.

7. A method for automatedly generating a customized software integration application executable to perform an integration process via a customized visual model representing a specific integration process comprising:

providing a graphical user interface window in which to build a customized visual model representing a specific integration process for transforming data to enable electronic data exchange between data formats;

receiving data, via an interface device, representing the customized visual model including a plurality of selectively associated visual modeling elements selected from a menu of visual modeling elements, each visual modeling element being associated with a respective one of;

a connector code set comprising data required for electronic communication in accordance with a specific application programming interface (API); and

a trading partner code set comprising data required for electronic communication with a specific trading partner'"'"'s system;

receiving user input of data attributes unique to the specific integration process for at least one visual modeling element;

executing code, via a processor, to automatically generate the customized software integration application executable to perform the integration process that is based on the customized visual model,

wherein the customized software integration application executable to perform the integration process includes an application template specially configured to be executable with the code sets corresponding to visual modeling elements and an integration process data profile code set captured from user input of data attributes unique to the specific integration process for at least one visual modeling element, and

wherein the customized software integration application is configured to automatically initiate download for updates to visual modeling element code sets.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising selectively associating the plurality of visual modeling elements selected from a menu of visual modeling elements in a flowchart.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a data entry field configured to receive user input providing data attributes for at least one visual modeling element of the visual model.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting a user-selectable option in the graphical user interface window to cause transmission of the data representing the customized visual model of the specific integration process to the information handling system executing code to automatically generate the customized software integration application.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising a user-selectable option in the graphical user interface window causing transmission to an enterprise system of data representing a specific visual model built by the user, the specific visual model representing the specific integration process.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the customized software integration application is configured to automatically check for updates to visual modeling element code sets.

13. An information handling system for operating a dynamic runtime engine to execute a customized software integration application executable to perform a specific integration process comprising:

an interface device for receiving an automatically generated customized software integration application based on a customized visual model representing a specific integration process for transforming data to enable electronic data exchange between data formats by selectively associating a plurality of visual modeling elements selected from a menu of visual modeling elements, each visual modeling element being associated with a respective one of;

a connector code set comprising data required for electronic communication in accordance with a specific application programming interface (API); and

a trading partner code set comprising data required for electronic communication with a specific trading partner'"'"'s system;

a processor executing the dynamic runtime engine for downloading the code sets corresponding to the visual modeling elements of the customized visual model;

the processor executing instructions of the downloaded code sets corresponding to the visual modeling elements of the customized visual model to perform the specific integration process that is based on the customized visual model;

wherein the customized software integration application executable to perform the integration process includes an application template specially configured to be executable with the code sets corresponding to visual modeling elements and an integration process data profile code set captured from user input of data attributes unique to the specific integration process for at least one visual modeling element and

wherein the dynamic runtime engine is configured to automatically initiate download for updates to visual modeling element code sets of the customized software integration application.

14. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein the dynamic runtime engine is configured to automatically check for updates to visual modeling element code sets of the customized software integration application.

15. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein the customized visual model representing a specific integration process for transforming data to enable electronic data exchange between data formats further comprises the selected visual modeling elements associated in a flowchart.

16. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein the dynamic runtime engine reports the results of all processes as they are completed by the customized software integration application.

17. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein the dynamic runtime engine reports the number of documents processed by the customized software integration application for one specific integration process execution.