Object-Oriented Business Application Configuration Model
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy business application systems face difficulties due to the physical separation of configuration data and rules, making it hard to understand, create, debug, and modify business applications without causing unintended effects, as the relationships between these components are not clearly defined.
Innovation Solution
The system models business applications using object-oriented programming (OOP) to create a user-friendly representation of business structures, allowing developers to analyze and modify configuration data and rules through a developer interface, correlating changes made to the model with corresponding changes in the business application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If configuration data and rules are stored in physically separate tables, then data storage and processing efficiency are improved, but understanding, creating, debugging, and modifying business applications becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an object-oriented model as an intermediary layer between the physical table structures and the user interface. This model presents configuration data and rules as integrated business objects with clearly defined relationships, allowing users to work with high-level abstractions while the underlying separate tables maintain processing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the business application into distinct object-oriented components (business objects, configuration data, rules) that can be independently manipulated through the user interface. Each object encapsulates specific functionality and data, making the system easier to understand and modify while maintaining the physical separation of data storage for efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If configuration data and rules are physically separated, then storage flexibility is improved, but the relationships between components become unclear and difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The object-oriented model serves as a mediator that explicitly defines and maintains relationships between configuration data and rules. Through this intermediate layer, the system preserves storage flexibility via separate tables while preventing relationship information loss by providing a clear conceptual model that shows how components interrelate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a conceptual dimension to the physical storage structure by introducing object-oriented abstractions. This additional layer of organization allows the system to maintain flexible physical storage while providing clear relational semantics through the object model, effectively resolving the information loss about component relationships.
3Ease of manufacture
If table-driven systems are used, then implementation simplicity is improved, but debugging and modification without unintended effects becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The object-oriented model acts as an intermediary that provides a controlled interface for modifying business applications. Users can debug and modify configuration data and rules through well-defined object operations, which automatically translate to the underlying table structures. This maintains implementation simplicity while improving debugging reliability by preventing unintended effects through the protective layer of the object model.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where modifications to the object model automatically propagate to the underlying table structures with validation. This feedback loop ensures that changes are applied correctly and consistently, improving debugging reliability while maintaining the simplicity of table-driven implementation by automating the translation and validation process.
Data Source
AI summary
An interactive configuration environment consistent with the present invention integrates and displays a table-based business application using a single, interactive display. When business application structures are displayed using object-oriented code structures, the business meaning of the object-oriented code structures may also be displayed in the integrated environment. Users can write a new business rule using object-oriented code, and that code may be converted into logic entities to apply the new rule in the business application. When a user rolls a mouse over an item in the object-oriented code, documentation of the underlying business meaning may be displayed in a pop-up box.