Message-Based Interface for Consistent Business Data Exchange

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current business interfaces are not consistent across industries and departments, leading to difficulties in exchanging information between heterogeneous business entities due to differences in semantics, formatting, and currency usage, requiring a standardized approach for seamless transactions.

Innovation Solution

A message-based interface system that generates consistent interfaces from a business object model, allowing for the exchange of material valuation and product valuation data across heterogeneous applications, using a service registry and message packages with standardized data types and hierarchically organized messages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If heterogeneous business entities use their own proprietary interfaces and semantics, then each business entity can maintain its own business logic and data format, but information exchange between different business entities becomes difficult and requires human interaction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebusiness entity independenceVSAvoidinformation exchange

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a message-based interface as an intermediary layer between heterogeneous business entities. This interface uses standardized message packages with consistent data structures and semantics, allowing different business entities to communicate without direct integration. The message package acts as a mediator that translates between different business entity interfaces, enabling automated information exchange while preserving business entity independence.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal message-based interface that can be used across different industries, businesses, and departments. The standardized message packages are designed to be industry-agnostic and can handle various types of business transactions (sales, procurement, financial, etc.). This universal interface replaces multiple proprietary interfaces with a single multi-functional solution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If different business entities use different semantics and data formats, then each entity can optimize its own systems, but the complexity of integrating these heterogeneous systems increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem optimizationVSAvoidsystem integration

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The message-based interface serves as an intermediary that abstracts away the complexity of heterogeneous system integration. Each business entity can maintain its optimized internal systems while communicating through the standardized message interface. The message package structure provides a common language that simplifies integration without requiring changes to internal system architectures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the integration complexity by separating the communication protocol (message-based interface) from the internal business logic. This segmentation allows each business entity to optimize its internal systems independently while using the standardized message interface for communication. The message package structure divides information exchange into standardized components, reducing integration complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If proprietary interfaces are used by each business entity, then business logic can be maintained internally, but automated transactions cannot be performed and human interaction is required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebusiness logic preservationVSAvoidtransaction automation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The standardized message-based interface enables automated transactions by providing a common communication protocol that different business entities can use without human intervention. The message packages contain structured data that can be automatically processed by systems, eliminating the need for manual data entry and validation while preserving internal business logic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameters of interface communication from proprietary, unstandardized formats to standardized, machine-readable message packages. This parameter change enables automated parsing, validation, and processing of transaction data, allowing systems to communicate and execute transactions automatically without human interaction while maintaining internal business logic integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8756135B2Consistent interface for product valuation data and product valuation level

Publication Date: 2014.06.17 SAP SE

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. In some operations, software creates, updates, or otherwise processes information related to a product valuation data and a product valuation level business object.