Software Model Business Objects for Enterprise System Complexity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing software modeling systems fail to effectively reduce complexity for users by not providing varying levels of detail necessary for different roles in designing, configuring, or implementing enterprise software systems, which are often large and complex, requiring multiple components across various hardware platforms.
Innovation Solution
A modeling system is introduced that defines business objects and process components with service interfaces for communication, allowing interactions through these interfaces, and enabling multiple views of a software system to cater to different user roles, with process components being reusable and deployable on separate platforms, and supporting dynamic mapping between incompatible message formats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If enterprise software systems are designed to support multiple user roles with varying levels of detail, then the system can cater to different needs (systems administrators, configurators, designers, developers), but the system complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The software system is segmented into multiple view types (technical view, functional view, business view) that partition the system information according to different user role needs. Each view presents a customized subset of system details, allowing users to focus on relevant information while the underlying complex system remains intact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an additional dimension of abstraction by creating multiple hierarchical levels of system representation. Instead of a single flat view, the system provides layered views ranging from high-level business processes to low-level technical implementations, allowing users to navigate between different granularities as needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If software systems are distributed across multiple hardware platforms and geographical locations, then system scalability and deployment flexibility improve, but understanding and managing system interactions becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal service interface framework that enables process components to interact across different deployment units and hardware platforms through standardized mechanisms. This universal interface layer abstracts the underlying platform differences, allowing the same interaction patterns to work regardless of where components are deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
Service interfaces act as intermediaries between process components deployed in different units and locations. These interfaces mediate communications and interactions, translating between different implementation details while maintaining a consistent interaction model for all users regardless of deployment complexity.
3Loss of information
If detailed technical information is provided to all users, then complete system understanding is achieved, but users are overwhelmed by unnecessary complexity and cannot focus on their specific tasks
Solution Approach 1:
Different views of the system are tailored with local quality appropriate to each user role. The technical view provides detailed implementation information for developers, the functional view emphasizes operational processes for configurators, and the business view highlights high-level processes for executives. Each user receives information with the appropriate level of detail and technical depth for their specific needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides dynamic views that can be adjusted based on user role, task context, and interaction history. Users can dynamically switch between different levels of abstraction and view types, allowing the information presentation to adapt to changing user needs rather than requiring users to navigate through static detailed technical documentation.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for defining a software model business object are described. A plurality of business objects and interactions between these business objects are defined. Each business object is operable to encapsulate business data and can be associated with exactly one process component. Each of the process components characterizes software implementing a respective and distinct process and defines a respective at least one service interface for communicating and interacting with business objects in other process components. Moreover, all communication and interaction between process components takes place through the respective interfaces of the process components. Additionally, the interactions among business objects in different deployment units occur solely via the process component interfaces.