Message-Based Interface for Heterogeneous Business Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current interfaces for exchanging business information between heterogeneous systems across industries and departments are inconsistent, leading to difficulties in data exchange due to differing semantics, formatting, and lack of standardization, requiring human intervention and specific agreements.

Innovation Solution

A message-based interface system derived from a common business object model, enabling consistent semantics and hierarchical organization to facilitate information exchange across systems, using a service registry and message packages with universally unique identifiers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If different business entities use their own proprietary programs and semantics for information exchange, then each entity can maintain its own business logic and data formatting, but information exchange between entities becomes difficult and requires human intervention

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveBusiness entity autonomyVSAvoidInformation exchange

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal message package structure that can carry different types of business information (property libraries, property lists, quantity conversions, supplier specifications) across heterogeneous systems. This universal container enables information exchange between entities with different proprietary formats while maintaining each entity's business autonomy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The message-based interface acts as an intermediary layer between heterogeneous business systems. Each system continues to use its own internal data structures, but the message package provides a standardized translation layer that enables communication without requiring systems to adopt each other's formats or semantics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Extent of automation

If standardized interfaces are implemented across heterogeneous systems, then information exchange becomes automated and consistent, but the complexity of creating and maintaining the standardization framework increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveInformation exchange automationVSAvoidStandardization framework

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The standardization framework is segmented into distinct, manageable components: message packages for structure, property libraries for data definitions, and message-based interfaces for communication protocols. This segmentation reduces the complexity burden by allowing each component to be developed and maintained independently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses templates and reusable message package structures that can be copied and adapted for different business scenarios. Rather than creating custom interfaces for each interaction, standardized message packages are replicated and populated with specific data, reducing the overall complexity of maintaining multiple unique interfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Adaptability or versatility

If proprietary data formats and semantics are used by each business entity, then data representation flexibility is maintained, but data consistency and interoperability across systems deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveData representation flexibilityVSAvoidData consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The message package structure allows each business entity to maintain its own data representation flexibility within the payload, while the envelope and metadata sections enforce standardized formatting and semantics. This local quality approach enables simultaneous flexibility in data content and consistency in data structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Proprietary data formats are nested within the standardized message package structure. The message package contains the entity-specific data as a nested component, allowing proprietary formats to be preserved while being contained within a consistent, standardized outer structure that ensures interoperability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS9135585B2Managing consistent interfaces for property library, property list template, quantity conversion virtual object, and supplier property specification business objects across heterogeneous systems

Publication Date: 2015.09.15 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 property library, a property list template, a quantity conversion virtual object, and/or a supplier property specification business object.