Heterogeneous Application Integration via Configuration Files
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of heterogeneous applications is complex and time-consuming due to disparate underlying technologies, requiring significant financial and temporal resources, and existing solutions like Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) offer long-term benefits but not short-term visibility or efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method and system utilizing an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to define integration and interoperation points, generating configuration files for a runtime engine to perform integration and interoperation actions without modifying application code, along with a desktop agent for non-web applications and a protocol for remote communication, enabling real-time transformation and orchestration of web and desktop applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) are implemented for enterprise application integration, then long-term benefits such as cycle time reduction and reuse levels are achieved, but short-term visibility and implementation time are significantly extended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the integration system into two distinct layers: a configuration layer (IDE and configuration files) that requires no code changes, and a runtime engine layer that executes the integration. This segmentation allows the configuration layer to be implemented quickly without touching legacy code, providing short-term visibility, while the runtime engine handles the complex integration tasks for long-term productivity gains.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a runtime engine as an intermediary component that sits between the configuration files and the legacy applications. This intermediary translates configuration instructions into actual integration actions, enabling rapid deployment of integration logic without modifying the underlying applications, thus reducing implementation time while maintaining long-term productivity benefits.
2Adaptability or versatility
If heterogeneous applications are integrated by modifying application code and design, then integration functionality is achieved, but time-to-market and development resources are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by creating a visual configuration model in the IDE that defines all integration points, data flows, and event orchestrations before any runtime execution. This preliminary configuration captures the entire integration logic in a declarative format, allowing the runtime engine to execute pre-planned integration actions immediately, thereby reducing time-to-market while maintaining full integration functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the integration logic in the form of configuration files that mirror the desired integration behavior without touching the actual application code. These configuration files serve as a blueprint that the runtime engine uses to replicate integration functionality, enabling rapid deployment of heterogeneous application integration without code modification and reducing time-to-market.
3Productivity
If legacy applications and back-end systems are re-engineered to achieve enterprise application integration, then enhanced composite applications are created, but financial sponsorship and implementation time are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the runtime engine as an intermediary that handles all complex integration logic, data transformation, and event orchestration between legacy applications. This intermediary absorbs the re-engineering complexity, allowing legacy systems to remain unchanged while still enabling enhanced composite applications. The complexity is isolated in the runtime engine rather than distributed across multiple legacy systems, reducing overall system re-engineering complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the integration logic from the legacy applications themselves and places it in external configuration files and the runtime engine. By taking out the integration functionality from the core legacy applications, the patent eliminates the need to re-engineer the legacy systems, thereby reducing financial sponsorship and implementation time requirements while still delivering enhanced composite applications.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for integrating and interoperating multiple heterogeneous applications, the system comprising: an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to enable human users to define the integration and interoperation points of the multiple applications; a configuration file format based on which the IDE generates specific configuration instances; and a runtime engine that understands configuration files adhering to the file format and performs the necessary integration and interoperation actions on the various constituent applications that have been referred to in the configuration file.