Integration infrastructure

• US 8,027,922 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2003
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lee, Wing
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II; Calvin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winter; John M
• Application Number:
  US10/619,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,997 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/50, 709/202, 719/317
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system for making computing applications aware of business events. The system can consist of an enterprise integration layer that automatically publishes business events and a messaging system that automatically subscribes to business events and makes the computing applications aware of the business events. The enterprise integration layer can include a set of client access interfaces, a business object server, and a set of adapters. The interfaces transform data from the format of a front-office application to a common data format. The business object server performs object assembly and disassembly, caching and synchronization, and service invocation functions. The adapters transform business objects into data requests compatible with a back-office system. The enterprise integration layer can also include an enterprise object model to standardize business objects, a rules engine to define and store rules regarding data and events, and a business event repository to contain definitions of business events.

Claims

1. A method for making computing applications throughout an enterprise aware of business events, comprising:

brokering interactions, by an enterprise integration layer computer system, between back office systems that provide data and services and front-office systems that use the enterprise integration layer computer system to access the data and the services provided by the back office-systems through the interactions, brokering the interactions comprising;

receiving, from the front-office systems, accesses to common format descriptions in the enterprise integration layer computer system of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems through client access interfaces of the enterprise integration layer computer system, wherein each of the client access interfaces correspond with a different technology and provide a standardized interface through which the front-office systems access the common format descriptions of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems;

implementing, with a business object server of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the client access interfaces, data functions and service methods associated with the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services, wherein implementing the data functions and the service methods enable the interactions between the front-office systems and back-office systems; and

transforming, with a set of adapters of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the business object server, the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services into a format of the back-office systems corresponding with the implementation of the data functions and the service methods associated with the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services;

defining and storing rules in a rules engine within the enterprise integration layer computer system, the rules including rules regarding when to publish business events in accordance with the interactions between the front-office systems and the back-office systems;

automatically publishing, by the enterprise integration layer computer system, the business events in accordance with the rules;

automatically subscribing, by a messaging computer system coupled to the enterprise integration layer computer system, to the business events published by the enterprise integration layer computer system;

automatically generating, by the messaging computer system, for each of the subscribed business events a message that makes computing applications that are interested in the business event aware of the business event; and

making data persistent within a local data store of the enterprise integration layer computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining objects in an enterprise object model that model the data and the services provided by the back-office systems,

wherein the objects in the enterprise object model are the common format descriptions of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining, in a business event repository within the enterprise integration layer, the business events that are of interest to the computing applications.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

holding, in a metadata repository within the enterprise integration layer, metadata supplied by the set of adaptors that enables the transforming of the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services to the format of the back-office systems.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing distributed transactional quality of service through a transaction processor within the enterprise integration layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the business events are key milestones within a process flow.

7. A method for making computing applications throughout an enterprise aware of business events, comprising:

brokering interactions, by an enterprise integration layer computer system, between back office systems that provide data and services and front-office systems that use the enterprise integration layer computer system to access the data and the services provided by the back office-systems through the interactions, brokering the interactions comprising;

receiving, from the front-office systems, accesses to common format descriptions in the enterprise integration layer computer system of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems through client access interfaces of the enterprise integration layer computer system, wherein each of the client access interfaces correspond with a different technology and provide a standardized interface through which the front-office systems access the common format descriptions of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems;

implementing, with a business object server of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the client access interfaces, data functions and service methods associated with the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services, wherein implementing the data functions and the service methods enable the interactions between the front-office systems and back-office systems; and

transforming, with a set of adapters of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the business object server, the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services into a format of the back-office systems corresponding with the implementation of the data functions and the service methods associated with the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services;

defining and storing rules in a rules engine within the enterprise integration layer computer system, the rules including rules regarding when to publish business events in accordance with the interactions between the front-office systems and the back-office systems;

automatically publishing, by the enterprise integration layer computer system, the business events in accordance with the rules;

automatically subscribing, by a messaging computer system coupled to the enterprise integration layer computer system, to the business events published by the enterprise integration layer computer system;

automatically generating, by the messaging computer system, for each of the subscribed business events a message that makes computing applications that are interested in the business event aware of the business event; and

using previously existing infrastructure services within the enterprise for the enterprise integration layer computer system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the previously existing infrastructure services are selected from a group of services consisting of a naming and directory service, a security service, and an application management and monitoring system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the previously existing infrastructure services include each of a group of services comprising a naming and directory service, a security service, and an application management and monitoring system.

10. A method for making computing applications throughout an enterprise aware of business events, comprising:

brokering interactions, by an enterprise integration layer computer system, between back office systems that provide data and services and front-office systems that use the enterprise integration layer computer system to access the data and the services provided by the back office-systems through the interactions, brokering the interactions comprising;

receiving, from the front-office systems, accesses to common format descriptions in the enterprise integration layer computer system of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems through client access interfaces of the enterprise integration layer computer system, wherein each of the client access interfaces corresponds with a different technology and provides a standardized interface through which the front-office systems access the common format descriptions of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems;

implementing, with a business object server of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the client access interfaces, data functions and service methods associated with the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services, wherein implementing the data functions and the service methods enable the interactions between the front-office systems and back-office systems; and

transforming, with a set of adapters of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the business object server, the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services into a format of the back-office systems corresponding with the implementation of the data functions and the service methods associated with the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services;

defining, in a business event repository within the enterprise integration layer computer system, business events that are of interest to computing applications in the enterprise;

identifying, in the business event repository, all publishers for each of the business events;

automatically publishing, by the enterprise integration layer computer system, the business events in accordance with the interactions between the front-office systems and back-office systems;

automatically subscribing, by a messaging computer system coupled to the enterprise integration layer computer system, to the business events published by the enterprise integration layer computer system;

automatically generating, by the messaging computer system, for each of the subscribed business events a message that makes the computing applications that are interested in the business event aware of the business event; and

defining and storing rules in a rules engine within the enterprise integration layer computer system, the rules including rules regarding when to automatically publish the business events in accordance with the interactions, rules regarding the transforming of the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services into the format of the back-office systems, and rules regarding mapping each of the back-office systems to an appropriate adaptor in the set of adaptors,

wherein the business events are automatically published in accordance with the interactions and the rules regarding when to automatically publish the business events.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

defining objects in an enterprise object model that model the data and the services provided by the back-office systems,

wherein the objects in the enterprise object model are the common format descriptions of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

holding, in a metadata repository within the enterprise integration layer, metadata supplied by the set of adaptors that enables the transforming of the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services to the format of the back-office systems.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing distributed transactional quality of service through a transaction processor within the enterprise integration layer.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the business events are key milestones within a process flow.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

using previously existing infrastructure services within the enterprise for the enterprise integration layer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the previously existing infrastructure services are selected from a group of services consisting of a naming and directory service, a security service, and an application management and monitoring system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the previously existing infrastructure services include each of a group of services comprising a naming and directory service, a security service, and an application management and monitoring system.

14. A method for making computing applications throughout an enterprise aware of business events, comprising:

brokering interactions, by an enterprise integration layer computer system, between back office systems that provide data and services and front-office systems that use the enterprise integration layer computer system to access the data and the services provided by the back office-systems through the interactions, brokering the interactions comprising;

receiving, from the front-office systems, accesses to common format descriptions in the enterprise integration layer computer system of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems through client access interfaces of the enterprise integration layer computer system, wherein each of the client access interfaces corresponds with a different technology and provides a standardized interface through which the front-office systems access the common format descriptions of the data and the services provided by the back-office systems;

implementing, with a business object server of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the client access interfaces, data functions and service methods associated with the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services, wherein implementing the data functions and the service methods enable the interactions between the front-office systems and back-office systems; and

transforming, with a set of adapters of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the business object server, the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services into a format of the back-office systems corresponding with the implementation of the data functions and the service methods associated with the accessed common format descriptions of the data and the services;

defining, in a business event repository within the enterprise integration layer computer system, business events that are of interest to computing applications in the enterprise;

identifying, in the business event repository, all publishers for each of the business events;

automatically publishing, by the enterprise integration layer computer system, the business events in accordance with the interactions between the front-office systems and back-office systems;

automatically subscribing, by a messaging computer system coupled to the enterprise integration layer computer system, to the business events published by the enterprise integration layer computer system;

automatically generating, by the messaging computer system, for each of the subscribed business events a message that makes the computing applications that are interested in the business event aware of the business event; and

making data persistent within a local data store of the enterprise integration layer computer system.

19. A method for making computing applications throughout an enterprise aware of business events, comprising:

defining objects in an enterprise object model that model data and services provided by back-office systems;

brokering interactions, by an enterprise integration layer computer system, between the back office systems that provide data and services and front-office systems that use the enterprise integration layer computer system to access the data and the services provided by the back office-systems through the interactions, brokering the interactions comprising;

receiving, from the front-office systems, accesses to objects of the enterprise object model in the enterprise integration layer computer system through client access interfaces of the enterprise integration layer computer system, wherein each of the client access interfaces corresponds with a different technology and provides a standardized interface through which the front-office systems access the objects of the enterprise object model;

implementing, with a business object server of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the client access interfaces, data functions and service methods associated with the accessed objects that enable the interactions between the front-office systems and back-office systems; and

transforming, with a set of adapters of the enterprise integration layer computer system coupled to the business object server, the accessed objects into a format of the back-office systems corresponding with the implementation of the data functions and the service methods associated with the accessed objects;

defining and storing rules in a rules engine within the enterprise integration layer, computer system the rules including rules regarding when to publish business events in accordance with the interactions between the front-office systems and the back-office systems;

automatically publishing, by the enterprise integration layer computer system, the business events in accordance with the rules;

automatically subscribing, by a messaging computer system coupled to the enterprise integration layer computer system, to the business events published by the enterprise integration layer computer system;

transforming, by a source adaptor of the messaging computer system, data related to at least one of the business events from a format of a source of the at least one of the business events to a common data format;

publishing, by a message interface of the messaging computer system, the at least one of the business events and the transformed data related to the at least one of the business events in the common data format;

transforming, by a target application adaptor of the messaging computer system, the data related to the at least one of the business events from the common data format to a format of a target application subscribed to the at least one of the business events published by the message interface of the messaging computer system; and

processing the at least one of the business events by the target application,

wherein the at least one of the business events and the transformed data related to the at least one of the business events are combined in a single packet and published by the messaging interface of the messaging computer system or are independently published by the messaging interface of the messaging computer system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the business events are key milestones within a process flow.