Architectural Design for Embedded Support Application Software

• US 20100070289A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wocher, Berthold, Haeberle, Tilmann
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for implementing a software architecture design for a software application implementing embedded support. The application is structured as multiple process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, and multiple service operations, each being implemented for a respective process component. The process components include, for example, a Support Request Processing process component that handles a request reflecting the initial inquiry to clarify and solve an incident during the operations of an IT system and a Software Problem Reporting process component that handles the collection and reporting of context data in the IT system.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising application software encoded on a tangible machine-readable information carrier, the application software being structured as process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, the software comprising:

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

a support request processing process component that handles the processing of requests to clarity and solve incidents; and

a software problem reporting process component that handles the collection and reporting of context data; and

a plurality of service operations, each service operation being implemented for a respective process component, the operations comprising inbound and outbound operations, the outbound operation for a first process component being operable to send a message to a second process component of the plurality of process components, the second process component having an inbound operation for receiving the message, the passing of messages between an inbound and an outbound operation defining a message-based pair-wise interaction between the respective process components of the respective operations, the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components including interactions between;

the support request processing process component and the software problem reporting process component.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of process components further includes;

a service request processing at requester process component that handles the logging and resolving of service requests concerning customer issues at an external customer site; and

a service request processing at provider process component that handles the logging and resolving of service requests concerning customer issues at an external provider site; and

the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components further include interactions between;

the software problem reporting process component and the service request processing at provider process component;

the service request processing at requester process component and the support request processing process component; and

the support request processing process component and the service request processing at provider process component relating to a support request.

3. The product of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of process components is assigned to exactly one deployment unit among multiple deployment units, and each deployment unit is deployable on a separate computer hardware platform independent of every other deployment unit; and

all interaction between a process component in one deployment unit and any other process component in any other deployment unit takes place through the respective service interfaces of the two process components.

4. The product of claim 3, wherein the deployment units comprise:

a customer relationship management deployment unit that includes the support request processing process component.

5. The product of claim 1, wherein:

each of the process components includes one or more business objects; and

none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects included in any of the other process components.

6. The product of claim 5, wherein the business objects comprise a business process object.

7. The product of claim 5, wherein none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

8. The product of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of process agents, each process agent being either an inbound process agent or an outbound process agent, an inbound process agent being operable to receive a message from an inbound operation, an outbound process agent being operable to cause an outbound operation to send a message, each process agent being associated with exactly one process component.

9. The product of claim 8, wherein the inbound process agents comprise a first inbound process agent operable to start the execution of a business process step requested in a first inbound message by creating or updating one or more business object instances.

10. The product of claim 8, wherein the outbound process agents comprise a first asynchronous outbound process agent that is called after a business object that is associated with the first outbound process agent changes.

11. The product of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise synchronous and asynchronous operations.

12. A system, comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more hardware platforms for executing a computer software application;

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

a support request processing process component that handles the processing of requests to clarify and solve incidents; and

a software problem reporting process component that handles the collection and reporting of context data; and

a plurality of service operations, each service operation being implemented for a respective process component, the operations comprising inbound and outbound operations, the outbound operation for a first process component being operable to send a message to a second process component of the plurality of process components, the second process component having an inbound operation for receiving the message, the passing of messages between an inbound and an outbound operation defining a message-based pair-wise interaction between the respective process components of the respective operations, the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components including interactions between;

the support request processing process component and the software problem reporting process component.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the plurality of process components further includes;

a service request processing at requester process component that handles the logging and resolving of service requests concerning customer issues at an external customer site; and

a service request processing at provider process component that handles the logging and resolving of service requests concerning customer issues at an external provider site; and

the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components further include interactions between;

the software problem reporting process component and the service request processing at provider process component;

the service request processing at requester process component and the support request processing process component; and

the support request processing process component and the service request processing at provider process component relating to a support request.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

each of the process components includes one or more business objects; and

none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects included in any of the other process components.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein a plurality of process agents, each process agent being either an inbound process agent or an outbound process agent, an inbound process agent being operable to receive a message from an inbound operation, an outbound process agent being operable to cause an outbound operation to send a message, each process agent being associated with exactly one process component.

17. The system of claim 12, the system comprising one hardware platform, wherein:

the support request processing process component is deployed on one hardware platform.

18. A method for developing a computer software application, comprising:

obtaining in a computer system digital data representing an architectural design for a set of processes implementing an end-to-end application process, the design specifying a process component for each process in the set of processes, the design specifying further specifying a set of process component interactions, wherein;

the specified process components include;

a support request processing process component that handles the processing of requests to clarify and solve incidents;

a software problem reporting process component that handles the collection and reporting of context data; and

using the design including the specified process components and the specified process component interactions to develop a computer software application to perform the set of processes.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the specified process components further include;

a service request processing at requester process component that handles the logging and resolving of service requests concerning customer issues at an external customer site; and

a service request processing at provider process component that handles the logging and resolving of service requests concerning customer issues at an external provider site; and

the process component interactions further include interactions between;

the software problem reporting process component and the service request processing at provider process component;

the service request processing at requester process component and the support request processing process component; and

the support request processing process component and the service request processing at provider process component relating to a support request.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein each process in the set of processes is a business process transforming a defined business input into a defined business outcome.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein obtaining digital data representing the architectural design further comprises editing the design before using the design.