Customization of process logic in a software system

• US 7,711,688 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morel, Michael J., Mortensen, Douglas R., Mortensen, Richard W., Pinkston, Jeffery S., Anonsen, Steven P., Plaisted, Patrick E., Brookins, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US11/400,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/3, 707/103.Y, 707/104.1, 705/7, 705/400, 705/8, 703/6, 717/101, 717/178, 455/414.1, 709/203
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/944 Business related
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The present invention facilitates customization of a process in a software system without modifying the process source code. The process can be customized by customizing a metadata description of the process, by handing the process agent a customized service identifier or by handling an event propagated by the process agent or its service factory.

Claims

1. A method of customizing a software implemented business process using a computer with a processor, comprising:

providing an agent that instantiates and calls, using the processor, a service factory in response to a request from a client to perform an operation in an activity of the business process, the service factory instantiating and calling a service, based on a service identifier, the service performing the operation; and

customizing the service identifier stored in metadata in a metadata store, used by the agent, to identify a customized service by storing a customization value, in a customization store, that is a separate storage structure from the metadata store storing the service identifier and modifying the service identifier, only after the agent is subsequently invoked by the client, with the customization value; and

after the customized service has performed the operation, maintaining the service identifier in the metadata store at its value prior to customization.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein customizing the service identifier comprises:

passing in a revised service identifier, from the separate storage structure, to the agent in a method to execute on the agent.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the customization value comprises

a delta value indicative of adding a service identifier to the metadata.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the customization value comprises

a delta value indicative of a change to an existing service identifier in the metadata.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein revising comprises:

configuring the service factory to propagate an event when it is invoked by the agent; and

providing an event handler configured to receive the event and return a revised service identifier, from the customization store, to the service factory in response to the event.

6. A customizable business process, comprising:

an agent invokable by a request from a client to perform an operation in an activity of the business process;

a customization store;

a service factory invokable by the agent, in response to the request to instantiate and call a service based on a service identifier stored in a metadata store, the service performing the operation wherein the service factory receives a customized service identifier from the customization store, that customizes the service identifier stored in the metadata store after the agent is invoked, and wherein the service factory instantiates and calls the service based on the customized service identifier; and

a computer processor, being a functional element of the business process and activated by the service factory to facilitate instantiating and calling the service.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the service factory is configured to receive the customized service identifier from the agent.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein the agent is configured to receive the customized service identifier from the customization store in a method invoked by the client.

9. The process of claim 6 wherein the service factory is configured to obtain the service identifier as metadata.

10. The process of claim 9 and further comprising:

a customization subsystem customizes the service identifier with the customized service identifier prior to the service factory obtaining the service identifier from the metadata store.

11. The process of claim 6 wherein the service factory propagates an event in response to being invoked by the agent.

12. The process of claim 11 and further comprising:

an event handler returning a customized service identifier in response to the event.

13. A system for customizing a computer-implemented business process, comprising:

an adapter subsystem having methods invoked to receive a process customization input form a customizable subsystem, the input being indicative of a request to apply a customization to a process to be customized, the adapter subsystem identifying components to be customized based on the request;

a target subsystem having a method invoked by the adapter subsystem to apply the requested customization to the identified components to customize the process based on the request to apply the customization wherein the business process is implemented by calling an agent that calls the methods on the adapter subsystem, and that invokes a service factory to instantiate a service that performs the operation after the target subsystem applies the requested customization, the target subsystem applying the customization by obtaining a service identifier identifying the service, and customizing the service identifier based on the process customization input after the agent is called; and

a processor, being a functional element of the computer-implemented business process, activated by the target subsystem to facilitate invoking the service factory.