System to automate development of system integration application programs and method therefor

• US 9,710,282 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boomi, Inc. (Boomi TopCo, LP)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Nucci, Richard C., Ahlborn, James T., Stewart, Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Chat
• Assistant Examiner(s): CURBELO III, SERGIO JOSE
• Application Number:
  US13/333,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20130167109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A symbolic representation of a business process is received, the process including transfer of information from a first software application to a second software application. An association between a first data field included at the first software application and a second data field included at the second software application is determined, and a data manipulation operation to modify data associated with the first data field is determined, the modified data to be stored at the second data field. The determining is based on association information and data manipulation operations maintained at a database. The association information and the data manipulation operations are determined based on previously received business process representations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a service provider first mapping information at a first time, the first mapping information identifying a correspondence between a first variable included at a first document providing access to information associated with a first software application program and a second variable included at a second document associated with a second software application, the first document and the second document provided by a first customer of the service provider and included at a first system integration application program providing an interface for communicating information between the first software application and the second software application;

identifying a first data manipulation operation, the operation to generate a value of the second variable based on a value of the first variable;

storing the first mapping information and the first data manipulation operation at a database;

receiving a request from a second customer of the service provider at a second time, the request to identify a correspondence between variables included at a third document and variables included at a fourth document, the third document and the fourth document provided by the second customer;

determining, by the service provider using a computer, a correspondence between a third variable included at the third document and a fourth variable included at the fourth document based on the first mapping information and based on the first data manipulation operation;

and providing, by the service provider, a second system integration application program based on the determining, the system integration application program to provide an interface for communicating information between a software application associated with the third document and a software application associated with the fourth document.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving second mapping information at a third time, the second mapping information identifying a correspondence between a fifth variable included at a fifth document and a sixth variable included at a sixth document;

identifying a second data manipulation operation, the operation to generate a value of the sixth variable based on a value of the fifth variable;

storing the second mapping information and the second data manipulation operation at the database;

receiving a request at a third time, the request to identify a correspondence between variables included at a seventh document and variables included at an eighth document;

and determining a correspondence between a seventh variable included at the seventh document and an eighth variable included at the eight document based on the first mapping information, the first data manipulation operation, the second mapping information, and the second data manipulation operation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data manipulation operation is a string manipulation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data manipulation operation is a numerical manipulation.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data manipulation operation is specified using a program script.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a correspondence between the third variable and a fifth variable at the fourth document based on the first data manipulation operation.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a correspondence between a fifth variable at the third document and the fourth variable at the fourth document based on the first manipulation operation.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a symbolic representation of a first business process at a service provider, the process including transfer of information from a first software application to a second software application, the first business process provided by a first customer of the service provider;

determining, by the service provider using a computer and in response to a request by the first customer, a first association between a first data field included at a first document providing access to information associated with a first software application program and a second data field included at a second document associated with the second software application, and determining a first data manipulation operation to modify data associated with the first data field, the modified data to be associated with the second data field;

and providing, by the service provider, a system integration application program based on the determining, the system integration application program to provide an interface for the transfer of information between the first software application and the second software application, the transfer based on the first association and the first data manipulation operation;

wherein the determining is based on association information and data manipulation operations maintained at a database, the association information and the data manipulation operations determined based on a mapping between a third data field included at a third document associated with a third software application and a fourth data field included at a fourth document associated with a fourth software application, the third and fourth software applications included at a previously received business process representation provided by a second customer of the service provider.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first data manipulation operation includes a string manipulation or a numerical operation.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the first data manipulation operation is specified using a program script.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the first data field is to provide accessibility to information associated with the first application.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the association information further identifies a correspondence between the first data field and a third data field included at the second software application.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the first data manipulation operation is further to modify data associated with the first data field, the modified data to be associated with a third data field included at the second software application.

14. A system comprising:

a memory;

a microprocessor operatively connected to the memory for executing computer-readable code stored in the memory;

and a computer-readable program code stored in the memory and executable by the microprocessor to;

receive a symbolic representation of a first business process at a service provider, the process including transfer of information from a first software application to a second software application, the first business process provided by a first customer of the service provider;

determine, by the service provider in response to a request by the first customer, a first association between a first data field included at a first document providing access to information associated with a first software application program and a second data field included at a second document associated with the second software application, and determine a first data manipulation operation to modify data associated with the first data field, the modified data to be associated with the second data field;

and generate, by the service provider, software code sets to implement transfer of information between the first software application and the second software application, the transfer based on the first association and the first data manipulation operation;

wherein the determining is based on association information and data manipulation operations maintained at a database, the association information and the data manipulation operations determined based on a mapping between a third data field included at a third document associated with a third software application and a fourth data field included at a fourth document associated with a fourth software application, the third and fourth software applications included at a previously received business process representation provided by a second customer of the service provider.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first data manipulation operation includes a string manipulation or a numerical operation.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the first data manipulation operation is specified using a program script.