Device for coordinating a plurality of units using state information

Abstract

The invention relates to an integration device (100) which has: i) at least one storage device (120); and ii) at least one controller (110), in particular a processor, which is coupled to the storage device (120). The integration device (100) is designed to: a) communicate with a plurality of external units (130), wherein in each case, the communication process has the steps of: ai) obtaining a data set from one of the external units (130), said data set being associated with the external unit (130), aii) storing the data set, and aiii) outputting another data set, in particular a data set which is associated with another external unit (130), to the external unit (130), and b) providing and / or triggering the process of providing state information (180) relating to the external unit (130).

Description

[0001] Device for coordinating a plurality of units by means of status information

[0002] Technical area

[0003] The invention relates to an integration device which has at least one memory and one control device. Furthermore, the invention relates to an integration system (data exchange system) for project planning, wherein the system has a plurality of external (project planning) units which are coupled via the integration device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for project planning. In addition, the invention relates to using the integration device and / or the integration system in project planning which concerns an infrastructure, in particular rail infrastructure.

[0004] The invention can thus relate to the technical field of communication technology, in particular with regard to communication between project planning units, e.g. with regard to a rail infrastructure.

[0005] Technical background

[0006] A large number of projects (particularly large-scale projects relating to infrastructure) require a large number of (project planning) units to interact with one another during planning. For example, when engineering complex interdisciplinary projects such as rail infrastructure installations, several engineering tools and processes are involved in configuring the various products and subsystems. However, ensuring data integrity and consistency across all these tools and processes can present a particular technical challenge. To save time and shorten the time to market for the system being developed, data exchange between the tools and processes should be as flexible as possible and enable frequent exchange, particularly constant updates, between the project planning units without compromising integrity.

[0007] A conventional approach in this direction is to create a large, holistic model of the entire system, including all subsystems. Sometimes this approach even goes a step further and attempts to create a single application or application framework that integrates all aspects.

[0008] Another conventional approach is based on the use of files to exchange data between tools and processes. This approach involves defining file formats and exchange protocols. Furthermore, as toolchains become more complex, a corresponding management system must be implemented to track the flow of information from files.

[0009] The alignment of complex models in the state-of-the-art is usually time-consuming, and is followed by an implementation phase that can also last a long time. Therefore, such complex systems often arrive too late, and engineering has already begun without them. As a result, workarounds are created, which sometimes last until the end of the project. However, once the complex model and toolchain are established, they are usually difficult to change due to their many interdependencies.

[0010] Summary of the invention

[0011] There may be a need to provide efficient project planning (particularly project planning in the area of ​​rail infrastructure) with a number of project planning units involved.

[0012] An integration device, an integration system, a method, and a use are described below.

[0013] According to a first aspect of the invention, an integration device is described which comprises: i) at least one memory (in particular an event-based memory); and ii) at least one control device (in particular comprising at least one processor) which is coupled to the memory (in particular wired or wirelessly).

[0014] The integration device is configured to: a) communicate (in particular wired or wirelessly) with a plurality of external units (in particular a project planning unit, e.g. an engineering tool), wherein the communication comprises: ai) receiving a data set (in particular concerning at least one event) from one of the external units (at the control device of the integration device), wherein the data set is associated with the external unit (or is indicative of this specific external unit; corresponds to it), aii) storing the data set (in the memory of the integration device), and aiii) outputting (from the control device of the integration device) a further data set (in particular which is associated with a further one of the external units and / or which at least partially comprises the data set) to the external unit, and b) providing and / or triggering a providing (e.g.by means of an agent functionality) of status information concerning the external unit (and / or the (further) data set).

[0015] According to a second aspect of the invention, an integration system (data exchange system) is described, in particular for project planning (further particularly in the field of rail infrastructure), the system comprising: i) an integration device as described above; and ii) the plurality of external units (which comprise the external unit and the further external unit). Here, the plurality of external units are coupled (to one another) via the integration device.

[0016] According to a third aspect of the invention, a method for project planning (for organizing data records for project planning) is described, the method comprising: i) communicating (in particular data transmission) a plurality of external units with an integration device, wherein the communicating comprises in each case: ia) receiving a data record from an external unit, wherein the data record is associated with the external unit, ib) storing the data record, and ic) outputting a further data record, in particular which is associated with a further one of the external units, to the external unit; and ii) providing and / or triggering a provision of status information relating to the external unit.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a use of an integration device and / or an integration system as described above in a project which concerns the area of ​​infrastructure, in particular rail infrastructure, is described.

[0018] According to a further aspect of the invention, a device for data processing is described which has at least one processor and which is configured to carry out the method described above.

[0019] According to a further aspect of the invention, a computer program product is described which has instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method described above.

[0020] In the context of this document, the term "integration device" can refer in particular to a device or structure that can be coupled to a plurality of external units and can thereby indirectly couple these external units to one another. In other words, the integration device can act as an interface between different (projecting) units. In one example, data records from the external units are transmitted / sent to the integration device and then stored. In another example, data records are retrieved (requested) from the memory and transmitted / sent to another external unit. For this purpose, the integration device can have at least one control device and the memory. Preferably, the memory can be an event-based memory that continuously stores data records as events so that a history of events can be available for project planning.In a specific embodiment, the integration device may be referred to as an "integrated framework." Furthermore, the integration device, in particular the control device, may have an agent functionality or be coupled to such an agent functionality. In this case, the control device may be configured to provide status information relating to a specific external unit (and / or one or more data sets) and / or to trigger such provision.

[0021] In the context of this document, the term "status information" may refer in particular to information (or message) concerning a status of one of the external entities (in particular with regard to the organization of one or more data sets). In particular, the status information may concern one or more status information aspects. This may, for example, indicate whether these aspects have been completed or not (yet) completed.

[0022] (completed / not completed). This can be implemented particularly efficiently, for example, by setting a flag. In one example, the integration device can provide clear information within the status information about whether a data record has already been requested by a unit or has been provided by a unit. Furthermore, the status of a data record and / or an external unit can be indicated as completed or not completed.

[0023] In the context of this document, the term "dataset" can refer in particular to a plurality of information and / or data (points). In particular, this data can be related to the development of a technical project, e.g. in the rail infrastructure sector. The dataset can be event-based and refer to a specific event or represent a mere message. Furthermore, the dataset can be assigned to a specific topic. In the context of this document, the term "topic" can refer in particular to a specific aspect of the project planning. A topic can, for example, refer to a class of entities and / or objects. In an illustrative example, "signals" would be a topic that can refer to the information of a large number of individual signal entities.Two or more external units can therefore refer to the same topic and / or to the same entities / objects within a topic.

[0024] The term "further data record" can refer to a data record that is indicative of another external entity. The state information can therefore be used to indicate whether the external entity has requested and received the further data record from another external entity within the system. In another example, the further data record can also include (at least in part) the data record of the external entity, e.g., after it has been processed by another entity.

[0025] In the context of this document, the term "external unit" can refer in particular to hardware and / or software that is not considered part of the integration device. Such an external unit can be coupled directly or indirectly to the integration device (wired or wirelessly). In the present context, the external units generate data records or events, exchange them with each other, modify them, etc. In this way, an efficient data exchange can take place within the framework of project planning. In a preferred example, the external units can therefore have development applications (engineering tools) such as AutoCAD, RailML, etc.

[0026] According to an exemplary embodiment, the invention can be based on the idea that efficient project planning (in particular development in the field of rail vehicles) can be provided with a plurality of participating development units if an integration device acts as a central interface to which the plurality of external units that operate with data sets can be coupled. The integration device is configured to communicate with the external project planning units, i.e., to transfer data, and, by providing status information, to provide a simple yet highly accurate means of documenting and continuously updating the status of each unit in relation to the data sets to be exchanged, as well as their consistency and integrity.

[0027] Unlike the state of the art (see above), no comprehensive model of the entire system with all its subsystems and dependencies is generated. This significantly reduces the complexity of setting up toolchains and engineering processes. With the approach described, it may be possible to start project planning and engineering early on without major initial effort. Furthermore, the toolchain can be easily expanded and adapted as the project progresses. The approach can follow modern domain-driven design principles, which enable multiple (preferably at least partially redundant) domain-specific, optimized models and focus on managing the exchange and communication between these domains.With this approach, assumptions about the completeness and consistency of data can be made by following a distributed reasoning approach without having to build a holistic, complex, and system-wide data model.

[0028] Compared to simply exchanging and managing communication with interface files, this approach can also have the following advantages:

[0029] First, it can avoid defining, agreeing on, maintaining and implementing file formats and file exchange protocols in advance, which, similar to the above, can save a lot of time during project setup.

[0030] Furthermore, with an event-based system, data can be exchanged as it becomes available. Even if the data is incomplete at a given point in time and cannot be used to consistently populate a complex interface file, it can still be valuable for other process steps and can be shared so that other engineering processes can start and reuse existing information.

[0031] With the described approach, data can be completed iteratively over time and used by other processes and tools as early as possible. Finally, even with a file-based approach, no overhead may be required. Instead, management functions or processes can be implemented to ensure that data is provided, used, and processed at the right time and in the right amount. Exemplary implementations

[0032] According to one embodiment, the state information relates to at least one of the following state information aspects: i) receiving the data set at the integration device (transmitting / sending, "push"), ii) outputting the further data set from the integration device (requesting, "pull"), iii) status of the data set and / or the external unit.

[0033] This can have the advantage that the relevant data for data organization within a project can be viewed at any time in a clear manner. For each unit of the integration system, the integration device can have an overview of which tasks have been completed and which still need to be completed. This also allows the status of the overall system to be assessed quickly and efficiently. In particular, it can be determined whether a unit has already transferred (all) of its data records to the integration device. Furthermore, it can be determined whether a unit has already retrieved all (relevant) data records of (other) units from the integration device. Furthermore, it can be determined whether the status of a unit and / or a specific data record is already satisfactory (e.g. completed, processed, consistent, etc.).

[0034] The status information aspects can be stored in the integration device and / or transmitted to the external units. For example, if another unit transmits another data set that is relevant to the external unit, its status information aspect ii) is set to "not completed" until the external unit requests or receives the additional data set. Conversely, the same can apply to the additional external unit and the data set.

[0035] In an exemplary embodiment, (at least) three different state variables can be identified as state information aspects (see also Figure 2):

[0036] - Status: Status within an external unit (application / project domain),

[0037] - Pushed: State of provision of (especially all relevant) information from an external unit (application / project domain),

[0038] - Pulled: State of transfer of the existing information (especially all relevant information) into an external unit.

[0039] According to another embodiment, the provided status information (or a status information aspect) indicates whether a completed or incomplete state exists. This allows the external configuration units to be coordinated particularly efficiently and reliably. At any time, it is clearly visible which data set is present or missing for which unit, and which aspects still need to be processed.

[0040] According to a further embodiment, the presence of the completed state for all status information aspects places the external unit in a completed state. This can have the advantage of enabling a particularly efficient and reliable assessment of the project status.

[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, a configuration domain (external unit) is considered complete when all three status information aspects (see above) are complete ("true"). Furthermore, when all status information in all participating external units is complete ("true"), the entire configuration can be considered complete or at least consistent at that point in time.

[0042] According to a further embodiment, the provided state information, in particular a state information aspect, comprises a flag, in particular a Boolean value. This can have the advantage that the state information can be provided in a particularly simple yet particularly reliable manner. As shown in Figure 2, each state information aspect can have a flag indicating the state "completed (true)" or "not completed (false)". Such a Boolean value can be represented in various ways, e.g., 0 / 1, red / green, + / -, etc.

[0043] According to a further embodiment, the data set is an event-based data set, in particular, the external unit operates in an event-based manner. This can have the advantage of enabling a particularly clear and interactive organization of the data.

[0044] According to a further embodiment, the data record is a file-based data record, in particular wherein the external unit operates in a file-based manner. This can have the advantage that even units which are not involved in event-based data processing can be integrated into the overall system, whereby the flexibility and performance of the overall system can be significantly higher. According to a further embodiment, the integration device further comprises: an agent functionality which is configured to transfer a file-based data record at least partially into an event-based data record and / or to transfer an event-based data record at least partially into a file-based data record.This can have the advantage that legacy applications can also be integrated directly, whereby the integration device at best does not even "notice" that the agent functionality is necessary as an additional interface.

[0045] The term "agent functionality" in the context of this document can refer in particular to hardware and / or software that is configured to act as an interface between the integration device and an external unit, in particular wherein the external unit is configured to provide file-based data records. The agent functionality can be configured as part of the integration device / control device, or else be an independent area of ​​the integration system. In one example (see Figure 3), the agent functionality is configured to transfer / translate between file-based data records and event-based data records. In one example, the agent functionality can independently provide status information and / or be triggered to do so by the integration device.

[0046] While plug-in-based or event-native applications communicate directly with the integration device when needed, agent-based integrations may require an additional control mechanism to launch the agents when new data is available. In one example, the execution of push agents (data transfers) can be triggered, for example, by hooks or build pipelines of the file-based configuration management system in use. Each time an interface file is created or updated, an event is triggered or a pipeline is executed. During the execution of this event or pipeline, the agent functionality uses the interface file and translates it into messages for the event system.

[0047] In one example, pull agents (requesting data) respond to new messages in the event system by reading its data streams (topics) and creating updated interface files based on the data read from the event system. Manual executions or externally triggered agent calls are also possible alternatives.

[0048] According to a further embodiment, the at least one memory has an event memory (event store, e.g.

[0049] Apache Kafka, etc.). According to another embodiment, the event store stores a large number of events as a series of blocks. This allows an established technology to be implemented directly.

[0050] According to a further embodiment, data records within the event-based store remain essentially unchanged. This can result in a particular advantage in the present context: the data is stored as intended and not manipulated, so that it can be restored at any time with its complete history. In one example, any data manipulation—if necessary—only takes place during output from the integration device. Event-based systems such as Apache Kafka are known to exchange data between tools and processes in order to achieve decoupling. However, such systems natively offer no additional functions that would allow a conclusion about the completeness and consistency of the engineering. When used in their original form, event systems lack functions to evaluate completeness and consistency.Known systems can track the messages sent, but have no way to ensure that the messages have been processed and integrated into the engineering data of all participants.

[0051] According to another embodiment, the external unit has a plug-in for event-based data processing in conjunction with the event-based memory. This can have the advantage of enabling direct integration using simple means. This eliminates the need for an intermediary agent functionality. This measure can increase the flexibility and performance of the system.

[0052] According to a further embodiment, the integration system further comprises: an agent functionality which is coupled to the integration device, in particular wherein the integration device is configured to trigger the agent functionality to provide the state information. In this embodiment, the agent functionality is not assigned to the integration device, but rather is independent within the integration system. Nevertheless, in one example, the integration device can trigger a provision of state information aspects by the agent functionality. In another example, the agent functionality can (at least partially) independently provide state information (aspects).

[0053] According to a further embodiment, the majority of external units comprise project planning units, in particular engineering tools. This allows various established systems (e.g., AutoCAD, RailML, etc.) used in project planning (in the rail infrastructure sector) to be coupled particularly efficiently, reliably, and flexibly via the integration device.

[0054] According to a further embodiment, the plurality of external units are configured to verify at least one provided item of status information, in particular at least one aspect of the status information. This can offer the advantage of redundancy. Such verification can be performed automatically and / or manually.

[0055] According to another embodiment, the presence of the completed state for all external units places the project into a completed state. This can provide an efficient and reliable overview of a project status.

[0056] According to another embodiment, the integration device includes an artificial intelligence (AI) module. This can have the advantage that the algorithms can be continuously improved, which can then also make the overall result more reliable.

[0057] In the context of this document, the term "AI" can refer in particular to computer-based approaches to mimicking cognitive functions of a human mind, especially learning and problem-solving. A variety of different mathematical algorithms and computational models have been developed to implement AI functionalities, for example, machine learning, deep learning, neural networks, genetic algorithms, kernel regression, etc. The main purpose of these approaches can be seen as improving an existing algorithm by training it with training data so that a learning effect occurs and the problem-solving ability of the algorithm improves over time. This can happen with or without human intervention (e.g., tweaking).

[0058] It should be noted that embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to different subject matters. In particular, some embodiments have been described with reference to method claims, while other embodiments have been described with reference to device claims. However, a person skilled in the art will understand from the foregoing and the following description that, unless otherwise stated, in addition to any combination of features belonging to one type of subject matter, any combination of features relating to different subject matters is also deemed to be disclosed by this document. This also applies in particular between features of the method claims and features of the device claims.

[0059] The above-defined aspects and further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the examples of embodiments to be described below and will be explained with reference to the examples of embodiments. The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to embodiments to which the invention is not limited, however. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0060] Figure 1 shows an integration system in which a plurality of external units communicate with an integration device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0061] Figure 2 shows a provision of status information by means of the integration device to the plurality of external units, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0062] Figure 3 shows a transfer between a file-based data set and an event-based data set within the integration system, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0063] Detailed description of the drawings

[0064] The representation in the drawings is schematic. It should be noted that in different figures, similar or identical elements or features are provided with the same reference numerals or with reference numerals that differ from the corresponding reference numerals only within the first digit. To avoid unnecessary repetition, elements or features that have already been explained with reference to a previously described embodiment will not be explained again at a later point in the description.

[0065] Furthermore, spatially relative terms such as "front" and "back", "top" and "bottom", "left" and "right", etc. are used to describe the relationship of one element to another element, as shown in the figures. Thus, the spatially relative terms may apply to orientations used that differ from the orientation shown in the figures. Obviously, these spatially relative terms refer only to simplify the description and to the orientation shown in the figures and are not necessarily limiting, since a device according to an embodiment of the invention may assume orientations other than those shown in the figures, particularly when used.

[0066] Figure 1 shows an integration system 150 with a plurality of external units 130 and an integration device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The integration device 100 has a control device 110 coupled to an event-based memory 120. In this example, the external units 130 are project planning units that are independent of one another and standalone. Each unit uses its own development application (engineering tool), e.g., AutoCAD, RailML, Civil 3D, etc.

[0067] Data records from the respective external units are provided ("push") during the data exchange during configuration of the integration device 100. The control device 110 is configured to receive these data records and store them in the memory 120 (in particular, the identification information is not changed; thus, for example, no universal ID is used in the overall system). The memory 120 is event-based and stores each data record as an event or a message. This results in a block series of data records / events, so that the entire previous configuration is accessible and cannot be manipulated. The events can, for example, be classified according to topics (in particular classes of objects and / or entities, etc.).For example, data records from different external units may refer to the topic of "signals", while other data records from the external units may refer to "switches".

[0068] During project planning, individual external units may require or request specific data sets. These are then output by the integration device 100 ("pull").

[0069] In the example shown, there are three types of processing units 130: i) a native application 138 operates in an event-based manner, outputs event-based data records, and can therefore establish a direct connection to the integration device 100 with the event-based storage 120. These native applications 138 are developed from the outset with an event-driven architecture in mind. ii) a plug-in based application 135 has a plug-in to connect existing applications via the plug-in interface with the integration device 100 with the event-based storage 120 in order to enable event-driven data processing. iii) a legacy application 131 operates in a file-based manner and does not have a plug-in for an interface.In this case, an agent functionality 140 can be used to connect the existing legacy application 131 with the integration device 100 and the event-based storage 120. The agent functionality 140 translates a file-based data set at least partially into an event-based data set. Preferably, this translation can be performed autonomously and without additional user interaction.

[0070] In this example, the agent functionality 140 is standalone and coupled to the integration device 100. In another example, the agent functionality 140 is integrated into the integration device 100.

[0071] In the example of Figure 1, the integration system 150 thus has the following "levels": i) Project planning units 130 (applications, engineering tools), ii) Files 160 (management), iii) Agent functionality (integrating) 140, iv) Integration device 100.

[0072] A key feature and advantage of this approach is the distributed nature of the organization's data integrity, completeness, and consistency. The integration device 100 tracks the messages / records sent to each entity, the messages / records received by the entity, and whether the messages / records have been fully processed by the entity.

[0073] When an external unit 130 has consumed ("pull"), processed (status) and released ("push") all information from the integration device 100, the project work of this unit can be considered completed (see Figure 2 for details). As soon as all units are completed in this sense, the entire project (engineering toolchain) can be considered complete and consistent. The integration device 100 acts as an interface for organizing the status information 180 regarding the plurality of external units 130 within the project.

[0074] Figure 2 shows the provision of status information 180 by means of the integration device 100 to the plurality of external units 130, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The integration system 150 is constructed as described for Figure 1. However, the status information 180 will now be discussed in detail.

[0075] The responsibility for determining the completeness and consistency information is shared between the units or agent functionalities 160 and the integration device 100. For each project planning unit 130, three status information aspects are determined within the status information 180, which can then be stored as Boolean values ​​(flags) in the integration device 100, e.g.:

[0076] -Retrieved (pulled) 182: true if all data (sets) available in the event system (integration device 100) are retrieved by the unit 130, otherwise false.

[0077] -Transferred (pushed) 181: true if all data created or updated by the unit 130 is transferred to the event system (integration device 100), otherwise false.

[0078] -Status 183: true if the unit 130 has processed all data retrieved from the event system (integration device 100) and is finally in a consistent state with respect to its own engineering domain and data model, otherwise false.

[0079] The integration device 100 is responsible for dynamically and continuously updating these flags 181, 182, 183 (state information aspects of the state information 180). For example, they can be invalidated as follows: when new data is transmitted from a unit 130, the integration device 100 sets the retrieved data records 182 and status flags 183 of all other units consuming the same type of data to false. Before doing so, the integration device 100 can check whether the new messages actually result in any changes to the information stored in the system.

[0080] In one embodiment, units 130 are responsible for validating these flags 181, 182, 183:

[0081] - once all data has been retrieved and made available to the unit 130, the retrieved flag 182 is set to "true", which, with respect to the event store 120 (e.g., Apache Kafka), may correspond to, for example, setting / committing the consumer offset.

[0082] - When a unit 130 has processed the information and reached a consistent / finished engineering state, it can communicate this to the integration device 100 via an explicit API call (Status Management API as shown in Figure 3) by setting the status flag 183 to "true".

[0083] - when all resulting information of the engineering step is sent back to the integration device 100, the unit 130 can set its transmit flag 181 to "true".

[0084] For legacy applications (file-based entities) 131 that follow a batch process and have no direct connection to the state management API (event-based), the agent functionality 160 can play an important role (particularly triggered by the integration device 100). The agent functionality 160 can set the status flag 183 based on the status and contents of the interface files of the entity 131, and possibly other information it can read from the application context.

[0085] Figure 3 shows a transfer of a file-based data record 160 into an event-based data record within the integration system 150, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. From the perspective of the integration device 100, file-based operating units 131 are merely ordinary units that have the same three flags within the status information 180 to evaluate completeness and consistency. Internally, such rule engines can use data models or other suitable methods to check whether the configuration follows the features predefined by the overall system, or whether additional dependencies between subsystems are correctly taken into account.

[0086] It is shown schematically how the agent functionality 140 can transmit in both directions: file -> event and event -> file. The agent functionality 140 can provide the state information and / or be triggered by the integration device 100. The agent functionality 140 can act as an interface between the external unit 131 and the integration device 100 and, for example, transmit the following state information aspects: i) Push: Read, Transform, Produce, ii) Pull: Consume, Transform, Write, iii) Report status.

[0087] It should be noted that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the use of the article "a" or "a" does not preclude a plurality. Elements described in connection with different embodiments may also be combined. It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims should not be construed to limit the scope of the claims.

[0088] Regardless of the grammatical gender of a particular term, persons with male, female or other gender identities are included.

Claims

Patent claims 1. An integration device (100) comprising: at least one memory (120); and at least one control device (110) connected to the Memory (120) is coupled; wherein the integration device (100) is configured to: Communicate with a plurality of external units (130) , wherein the communicating comprises: Obtaining a data set from one of the external units (130), the data set being associated with the external unit (130), Saving the data record, and Outputting a further data set, in particular which is associated with another of the external units (130), to the external unit (130), and Providing and / or triggering a provision of status information (180) relating to the external unit (130).

2. The integration device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the state information (180) relates to at least one of the following state information aspects: Receiving the data set at the integration device (100), outputting the further data set from the integration device (100), status of the data set and / or the external unit (130).

3. The integration device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the provided state information (180) is indicative of whether a completed state or an incomplete state exists; and / or wherein the presence of the completed state in all state information aspects is indicative of the external unit (130) being in a completed state.

4. The integration device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the provided state information (180), in particular a state information aspect, comprises a flag, in particular a Boolean value.

5. The integration device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data set is an event-based data set, in particular wherein the external unit (138) operates in an event-based manner, or wherein the data set is a file-based data set, in particular wherein the external unit (131) operates in a file-based manner.

6. The integration device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: an agent functionality (140) configured to at least partially transfer a file-based data set into an event-based data set, and / or to at least partially transfer an event-based data set into a file-based data set.

7. The integration device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one memory (120) comprises an event memory, in particular wherein the event memory stores a plurality of events as a block series, and / or where records within the event-based store are essentially unchanged.

8. The integration device (100) according to claim 7, wherein the external unit (135) comprises a plug-in for event-based data processing in connection with the event-based memory (120).

9. An integration system (150), in particular for project planning, the system (150) comprising: an integration device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims; and the plurality of external units (130); wherein the plurality of external units (130) are coupled via the integration device (100).

10. The integration system (150) according to claim 9, further comprising: an agent functionality (140) coupled to the integration device (100), in particular wherein the integration device (100) is configured to trigger the agent functionality to provide the state information (180).

11. The integration system (150) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the plurality of external units (130) comprise projecting units, in particular engineering tools.

12. The integration system (150) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the plurality of external units (130) are configured to provide at least one item of status information (180), in particular at least one state information aspect.

13. The integration system (150) according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the presence of the completed state for all external units (130) is indicative of a completed state for the project design.

14. A method for projecting, the method comprising: Communicating a plurality of external units (130) with an integration device (100), wherein the communicating comprises: Obtaining a data set from an external Unit (130), wherein the data set is associated with the external unit (130), Saving the data record, and Outputting a further data set, in particular which is associated with another of the external units (130), to the external unit (130); and Providing and / or triggering a provision of status information (180) relating to the external unit (130).

15. Using an integration device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and / or an integration system (150) according to any one of claims 9 to 13 in a project concerning the area of ​​rail infrastructure.

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