Unified Catalog Aggregation for Multi-Portal Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Enterprises face challenges in managing multiple applications with separate catalogs, requiring users to access different portals, which is inconvenient and difficult to maintain, leading to catalog and portal sprawl.
Innovation Solution
An aggregator combines multiple catalogs into an aggregate catalog, synchronizing content and using a common portal for unified access, allowing users to browse and order services from a single interface without modifying existing fulfillment systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate catalogs are maintained for different applications, then each catalog can be independently managed, but users must access multiple portals which increases system complexity and user inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate catalogs into a single unified catalog that aggregates offerings from different applications. This unified catalog is accessible through a single portal, eliminating the need for users to navigate multiple separate portals while maintaining the ability to manage individual application catalogs independently through the unified interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified catalog serves multiple functions: it aggregates offerings from multiple applications, provides a single access point for users, maintains independent catalog management capabilities, and enables cross-application service discovery. This multi-functional approach replaces the need for separate catalogs and portals for each application.
2Ease of operation
If a unified catalog is created to provide one-stop shopping, then user access is simplified, but maintaining synchronization across multiple applications becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The unified catalog acts as an intermediary layer between users and multiple application catalogs. It maintains synchronized views of offerings from different applications without requiring direct modifications to the underlying application catalogs. The system handles synchronization automatically, shielding users from complexity while maintaining data consistency across all connected applications.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing fulfillment systems are modified to support unified catalog, then integration is achieved, but system maintenance and updates become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system architecture segments the catalog functionality into independent, loosely-coupled components. The unified catalog operates as a separate layer that interfaces with existing fulfillment systems through standardized connections. This segmentation allows the unified catalog to be maintained and updated independently without requiring modifications to existing fulfillment systems, preserving their original maintenance characteristics while achieving unified access.
Data Source
AI summary
Catalogs that describe respective offerings for fulfillment by respective applications, are aggregated to form an aggregate catalog. A request relating to at least one of the offerings is received based on content presented from the aggregate catalog. In response to the request, an orchestrated execution of an end-to-end process is performed to fulfill the request relating to the at least one offering, the executing of the end-to-end process comprising calling at least one of the applications.