Object oriented technology analysis and design supporting method

• US 6,571,247 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1999
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Danno, Hirofumi, Yuura, Katsuhiko, Iwabuchi, Fumihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US09/432,071
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 707/201, 707/100, 707/7, 707/104.1, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103.Z, 705/1-3, 705/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

In an object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method when analysis and design is being performed according to object-oriented technology on a system for business, a person knowledgeable of the business can generate object design information with minimal variation in quality even if the person is not knowledgeable of object-oriented technology.

In the method, an object design information generator 0104 receives: management resource construction information in which resources that should be managed in business are entered hierarchically as elements, business activity construction information in which business activity to be performed in business are entered hierarchically as elements, and a business action scenario, in which is entered, for each element position at the lowermost level in the business activity construction information, the arrangement of operations needed for carrying out the corresponding business activity. The elements in the management resource construction information and the business activity construction information are treated as objects. Class information having the element name are associated with each element, and method information indicating the behavior of the object is obtained from the business action scenario. The elements positioned hierarchically above and below the element are obtained as the relations class information.

Claims

1. An objected-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method using a processing device to support analysis and design of a system relating to business according to object-oriented technology, comprising the steps:

a) inputting management resource construction information of resources that need to be managed in business, said management resource construction information being expressed hierarchically as elements;

b) inputting business activity construction information of business activities needed for business, said business activity construction information being expressed hierarchically as elements;

c) inputting a business action scenario expressing an arrangement of operations necessary for carrying out business activities corresponding to said elements positioned at a lowermost level in said business activity construction information; and

d) generating, based on elements of said management resource construction information, elements of said business activity construction information and said business action scenario, object design information including class information for associating said elements contained in said management resource construction information and said elements contained in said business activity construction information to each other, method information generated based on said business action scenario for indicating behavior of an object related to said elements positioned at a lowermost level in said business activity construction information, and relational class information indicating relations between said object and other objects.

2. An object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method as described in claim 1 wherein said step d) includes the following sub-steps:

d1) getting, for each element contained in said management resource construction information and said business activity construction information, said element to serve as said class information;

d2) getting, for each element positioned at said lowermost level in said business activity construction information, an arrangement of operations corresponding to said business action scenario to serve as said method information;

d3) getting, for each element in said management resource construction information, an arrangement of operations in which said element is treated as a target out of said arrangement of operations in said business action scenario to serve as said method information; and

d4) getting, for each element contained in said management resource construction information and said business activity construction information, elements positioned hierarchically above and below said element to serve as said relational class information.

3. An object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method as described in claim 1 wherein:

said management resource construction information contains an element in which a data item describes a data structure;

said business activity construction information contains an element in which a data item describes the presence of a plurality of states;

said step d) including the steps of

getting, for each element contained in said management resource construction information and said business activity construction information, a data item corresponding to said element to serve as attribute information used to indicate object attributes; and

adding said attribute information to an object design information for said corresponding element.

4. An object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method as described in claim 1 wherein said step d) includes the step of adding, out of said elements in said management resource construction information, elements treated as targets in said arrangements of operations in said business action scenario to said relational class information of said business activity corresponding to said arrangement of operations.

5. An object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method as described in claim 4 wherein:

said management resource construction information and said business activity construction information contain hierarchical relationship category information indicating if a hierarchical relationship between elements is a “

has a”

relationship based on a composition, or, if a hierarchical relationship between elements is an “

is a”

relationship based on a role;

said step d) including the steps of;

categorizing an element obtained as said relational class information based on said hierarchical relationship category information;

categorizing, when categorizing elements obtained as said relational class information, an element into composition class information, which is used to indicate that said element is composed from another element, if said element is a lower-level element in a “

has a”

relationship;

categorizing an element into generalization class information, which is used to inherit attribute information to a lower-level element, if said element is a higher-level element in an “

is a”

relationship; and

categorizing an element into another class information distinct from said composition class information and said generalization class information if said element is an element treated as a target for an arrangement of operations in said business action scenario.

6. An object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method as described in claim 5, wherein said business action scenario contains for each operation, at least an item indicating the contents of actions to be performed, an item indicating action source performing said action contents, an item indicating an action target serving as a target for said action content, an item indicating action source information on which said action content is applied, and an item indicating action results resulting from said action contents;

and

said step d) including the step of generating, for an element in said management resource construction information indicated as said action target, an arrangement of operations for corresponding operations based on contents entered in columns, and obtaining said arrangement of operations to serve as method information for said element.

7. An object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method as described in claim 6 wherein:

said business action scenario contains, for each operation, an item indicating whether said operation will be reused or not;

said step d) including the step of adding, for an operation indicating reuse, action content of said operation to relational class information of a business activity corresponding to said operation.

8. An object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method as described in claim 1 wherein:

said management resource construction information and said business activity construction information contain hierarchical relationship category information indicating whether a hierarchical relation between elements is a “

has a”

relationship based on a composition or an “

is a”

relationship based on a role;

said step d) including the steps of;

categorizing an element obtained as said relational-class information based on said hierarchical relationship category information;

categorizing, when categorizing elements obtained as said relational class information, said element into composition class information, which is used to indicate that said element is composed from another element, if said element is a lower-level element in a “

has a”

relationship; and

categorizing said element into a generalization class information, which is used to inherit attribute information to a lower-level element, if said element is a higher-level element in an “

is a”

relationship.

9. An object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method as described in claim 1 wherein each time any one of said management resource construction information, said business activity construction information, or said business action scenario is updated, object design information is generated and implemented as object design information associated with an updated section.

10. A storage medium capable of being read by a computer in which is stored a program for executing an object-oriented technology analysis and design supporting method to support analysis and design of a system relating to business according to object-oriented technology, said computer program when executed causes said computer to perform the steps of:

a) inputting management resource construction information of a resource to be managed in business, said management resource construction information being entered hierarchically as an element;

b) inputting business activity construction information of a business activity to be performed in business, said business activity construction information being entered hierarchically as an element;

c) inputting a business action scenario in which is entered an arrangement of operations needed for carrying out a business activity corresponding to an element positioned at a lowermost level in said business activity construction information; and

d) generating, based on elements of said management resource construction information, elements of said business activity construction information and said business action scenario, object design information including class information for grouping objects, which are elements contained in said management resource construction information and said elements contained in said business activity construction information to each other, method information indicating a behavior of an object obtained from said business action scenario related to said elements positional at a lowermost level in said business activity construction information, and relational class information indicating associations between said object and other objects.