Business Object Model for Consistent Interface Generation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current business transaction systems face challenges in exchanging information across different business entities due to varying semantics, formatting differences, and lack of consistent interfaces, leading to the need for human intervention and inefficient communication.

Innovation Solution

The generation of consistent interfaces using a business object model that defines business-related concepts, allowing for seamless information exchange across industries and departments by creating interfaces that are semantically disjointed and structurally consistent, facilitating automated transactions without human interaction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If heterogeneous business entities use their own programs with different semantics and formatting, then each business entity can handle its part of the transaction according to its specific needs, but information exchange between different business entities becomes difficult and requires human intervention

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveBusiness entity autonomyVSAvoidInformation exchange efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a business object model as an intermediary layer between heterogeneous business entities. This model provides a standardized interface that mediates information exchange, allowing each entity to maintain its own programs while communicating through a common semantic framework. The business object model acts as a translator that converts between different business-specific formats and a universal representation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The business object model serves as a universal interface that can be applied across different industries, businesses, and departments. It provides multi-functional capabilities by supporting various transaction types (sales, payments, inventory) through a single consistent framework, eliminating the need for separate integration solutions for each scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple industry-specific standards are used, then each standard can be optimized for its specific industry requirements, but consistency between different standards is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveIndustry-specific optimizationVSAvoidInterface consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the business object model into hierarchical components including business objects, attributes, operations, and relationships. This segmentation allows the model to accommodate industry-specific optimizations at the business object level while maintaining consistent structural rules at the attribute and operation levels. Different industries can use the same hierarchical framework with domain-specific instantiations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If human interaction is used to facilitate transactions between heterogeneous programs, then semantic differences can be manually resolved, but transaction processing time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveSemantic accuracyVSAvoidTransaction processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The business object model enables systems to perform self-service by automatically translating and exchanging information through standardized interfaces. The model provides built-in semantics and data types that allow computers to understand and process messages without human intervention, with error handling and validation performed automatically by the system itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8924269B2Consistent set of interfaces derived from a business object model
Publication Date: 2014.12.30 SAP SE
  • US8924269B2 patent drawing
  • US8924269B2 patent drawing
  • US8924269B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A business object model, which reflects data that is used during a given business transaction, is utilized to generate interfaces. This business object model facilitates commercial transactions by providing consistent interfaces that are suitable for use across industries, across businesses, and across different departments within a business during a business transaction.