Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7926056?dq=5,664,133
Timestamp: 2014-03-17 03:15:42
Document Index: 591065663

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 302', 'arts 303', 'art 303', 'art 302', 'art 302', 'art 302', 'arts 303', 'art 303']

Patent US7926056 - Method for effecting a software service in a system of a software system ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsThe invention concerns a method for effecting a software service in at least one of a plurality of logical systems of a software system landscape, wherein the logical systems are interconnected by logical transport paths, each logical system has associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles...http://www.google.com/patents/US7926056?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7926056 - Method for effecting a software service in a system of a software system landscape and computer systemAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7926056 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/262,326Publication dateApr 12, 2011Filing dateOct 27, 2005Priority dateOct 27, 2004Also published asDE602004006630D1, DE602004006630T2, EP1653347A1, EP1653347B1, US20060143614Publication number11262326, 262326, US 7926056 B2, US 7926056B2, US-B2-7926056, US7926056 B2, US7926056B2InventorsKarlheinz Lier, Volker Schulz, Wolfram NoggeOriginal AssigneeSap AgExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (52), Non-Patent Citations (50), Referenced by (1), Classifications (10), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetMethod for effecting a software service in a system of a software system landscape and computer systemUS 7926056 B2Abstract The invention concerns a method for effecting a software service in at least one of a plurality of logical systems of a software system landscape, wherein the logical systems are interconnected by logical transport paths, each logical system has associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles and the software service relates to at least one of the code and the data of the at least one system, is described. The method includes providing a transport track that defines a route for software services through logical systems in a particular order and specifies one source system, adjacent interconnected systems, and at least one target system; generating a task list in a central task system from the transport track and the system roles, the task list defining tasks for routing a software service from a starting system to the at least one system and for implementing the preliminary software service in the at least one system; and scheduling in a central control system the execution of the tasks stored in the central task system and monitoring task statuses from the central control system.
1. A method of effecting a software service, the method comprising:
in at least one of a plurality of logical systems of a software system landscape, the logical systems being interconnected by logical transport paths, each logical system having associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles and the software service relating to at least one of the code and the data of the at least one system, the method including:
providing system role types, each of the system role types comprising a group of system roles, the system role types including source systems, follow-on systems, and target systems, the follow-on systems including at least one of a training system, a testing system, and a quality assurance system;
providing a transport track that defines a route for the software service through logical systems in a particular order and specifies one source system, at least one of the follow-on systems, and at least one target system;
generating a task list in a central task system from the transport track and the system roles, the task list defining tasks for routing the software service from a starting system to the at least one system and for implementing a preliminary software service in the at least one system, the task list having hierarchy levels, the hierarchy levels including a transport track level, a system role type level below the transport track level, a system role level below the system role type level, a system level below the system role level, and a task level below the system level; and
scheduling in a central control system the execution of the tasks stored in the central task system and monitoring task statuses from the central control system.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduling comprises generating a schedule using predefined schedules for tasks and software service types.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the task list comprises determining from the transport track which systems are affected, determining the system role type of each affected system, determining the software service type, and using predefined tasks associated to system role types and software service types.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein a preliminary software service type and a regular software service type are used as the software service types.
a software system landscape comprising a plurality of logical systems that are interconnected by logical transport paths and each having associated therewith one of a plurality of system role types, the system role types comprising a group of system roles, the system role types including source systems, follow-on systems, and target systems, the follow-on systems including at least one of a training system, a testing system, and a quality assurance system;
a transport track that defines a route for the software service through logical systems in a particular order and specifies one source system, at least one of the follow-on systems, and at least one target system, the software service relating to at least one of the code and the data of at least one system;
a central task system;
means for generating a task list in the central task system from the transport track and the system roles, the task list defining tasks for routing a software service from a starting system to the at least one system and for implementing a preliminary software service in the at least one system, the task list having hierarchy levels, the hierarchy levels including a transport track level, a system role type level below the transport track level, a system role level below the system role type level, a system level below the system role level, and a task level below the system level;
a central control system; and
means for scheduling in the central control system the execution of the tasks stored in the central task system and for monitoring task statuses from the central control system.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein predefined schedules for tasks and software service types are provided for use by the scheduling means.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the means for generating are designed to determine from the transport track which systems are affected, to determine the system role type of each affected system, to determine the software service type, and to use predefined tasks associated to system role types and software service types.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein a preliminary software service type and a regular software service type are provided.
9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform a method of effecting a software service, the method comprising:
in at least one of a plurality of logical systems of a software system landscape, the logical systems being interconnected by logical transport paths, each logical system having associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles and the software service relates relating to at least one of the code and the data of the at least one system, the method including:
providing a transport track that defines a route for the software services through logical systems in a particular order and specifies one source system, at least one of the follow-on systems and at least one target system;
a transport track that defines a route for software service through logical systems in a particular order and specifies one source system, at least one of the follow-on systems, and at least one target system, the software service relating to at least one of the code and the data of at least one system;
a module, having one or more processors, to generate a task list in the central task system from the transport track and the system roles, the task list defining tasks for routing the software service from a starting system to the at least one system and to implement a preliminary software service in the at least one system, the task list having hierarchy levels, the hierarchy levels including a transport track level, a system role type level below the transport track level, a system role level below the system role type level, a system level below the system role level, and a task level below the system level;
a module to schedule in the central control system the execution of the tasks stored in the central task system and to module task statuses from the central control system.
CLAIM OF PRIORITY The present patent applicati on claims the priority benefit of the filing date of European Application (EPO) No. 04 025 502.8 filed Oct. 27, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates generally to servicing of a software system landscape, and more particularly to a method for effecting a software service in a system of a software system landscape and to a computer system.
In addition to the manual consideration of the type of software service and the system landscape layout and configuration, the operator also needs to take care to import services in the correct order, cf. FIG. 2 a and FIG. 2 b. An original version 201 of the software and data is first modified by a first software service 202, resulting in modified version 203, and subsequently by a second software service 204, resulting in modified version 205, cf. FIG. 2 a. However, if the second software service 204 is imported before the first software service 202, the original version 201 is changed into modified version 206 by the second software service 204 and subsequently into modified version 207 by the first software service 202, cf. FIG. 2 b. The modified versions 205 and 207 differ and the version 207 will not perform as intended.
SUMMARY In one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for effecting a software service in at least one of a plurality of logical systems of a software system landscape, wherein the logical systems are interconnected by logical transport paths, each logical system has associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles and the software service relates to at least one of the code and the data of the at least one system, the method including providing a transport track that defines a route for software services through logical systems in a particular order and specifies one source system, adjacent interconnected systems, and at least one target system; generating a task list in a central task system from the transport track and the system roles, the task list defining tasks for routing a software service from a starting system to the at least one system and for implementing the preliminary software service in the at least one system; and scheduling in a central control system the execution of the tasks stored in the central task system and monitoring task statuses from the central control system.
In a further aspect of the invention, a computer system is provided comprising: a software system landscape comprising a plurality of logical systems that are interconnected by logical transport paths and each have associated therewith one of a plurality of system roles; a transport track that defines a route for software services through logical systems in a particular order and specifies one source system, adjacent interconnected systems, and at least one target system, a software service relating to at least one of the code and the data of at least one system; a central task system; means for generating a task list in the central task system from the transport track and the system roles, the task list defining tasks for routing a software service from a starting system to the at least one system and for implementing the preliminary software service in the at least one system; a central control system; and means for scheduling in the central control system the execution of the tasks stored in the central task system and for monitoring task statuses from the central control system.
Example embodiments of the invention thus provides an automated generation of a task list with all tasks that are required for effecting a software service and a control system for automated scheduling of the tasks and for monitoring their statuses. This effectively provides an automated management of tasks for effecting a software service, be it a regular or a preliminary software service, which considerably reduces the complexity of the process.
FIGS. 2 a and 2 b illustrate software services performed in different orders according to the prior art.
FIG. 5 illustrates tasks associated to system role types.
FIG. 6 illustrates task list.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 illustrates an SAP R/3 Release 4.5 system landscape 300 with separate logical systems 301 that are here divided into a global part 302, e.g. at a main development and production facility, and local parts 303 a, 303 b, 303 c, e.g. at other production facilities.
The logical systems 301 are identical in large parts and function autonomously. The quality assurance system 301 j for example resembles the productive system 301 k in that it provides all the functionality, its present data and additionally special test data. New customization settings or adaptations may thus be thoroughly tested in the quality assurance system 301 j without jeopardizing the productive system 301 k. Each system 301 comprises an import buffer 304 for buffering incoming software services and means 305 for communication with a central task system 307 that is connected to a central control system 308. A transport management system connects the logical systems 301 and serves to route software services across the system landscape via logical directional transport paths 306. A service may for example relate to customization of a system 301, e.g. a selection of predefined functionality in the system 301, or an adaptation of a system 301, e.g. an addition of or amendment to functionality, or to program and data updates or hot fixes or patches the like. Transport tracks are provided that each define one or more particular routes for software services along the transport paths through the system landscape. A transport track may for example define the route from system 301 a through systems 301 b, 301 h, 301 j to system 301 k. Another transport track may define the route from system 301 d through systems 301 e, 301 f to system 301 g. Transport tracks with branches may also be provided, e.g. from system 301 a to system 301 b and then in a first branch to system 301 c and in a second branch to systems 301 l, 301 m. There may be more than one transport track per system landscape, each transport track being assigned to a project context like a development project for the local part 303 a only or a documentation project for the global part 302 only etc.
The systems 301 of each part 302, 303 a, 303 b, 303 c and the central task system 307 may be located and simultaneously executed in a single computer, or may be distributed across separate hardware. The global part 302 and the local parts 303 a, 303 b, 303 c may each run on physically separate computer systems, which themselves may comprise different computers.
An example implementation of the local part 303 a may comprise, cf. FIG. 4, a data base layer 401 for storing and retrieving business data like a factory inventory, employee data, sales figures etc. The data base layer 401 comprises one or more data base servers 402 and four data bases 403, one for each of the systems 301 d, 301 e, 301 fand 301 g. Connected to the data base layer 401 by a suitable network 404, e.g. a LAN, is an application layer 405 for execution of the software of the systems 301 d, 301 e, 301 f and 301 g. The application layer 405 comprises one or more application servers 406.
D Source systems: A transport request comprising a software service is generated and sometimes tested in a system of this type, usually a development system.
O Follow-on system: A transport request comprising a regular software service imported into a system of this type and then forwarded to at least one next system of the transport track. A transport request comprising a preliminary software service is not imported into a system of this type but instead forwarded.
P Target system: A transport request comprising a software service is imported into a system of this type but not forwarded. Target systems are typically productive systems.
Furthermore, at least two software service types are provided. The first type is a regular software service that is generally effected at predefined intervals. Transport requests comprising a software service of this type are collected in the import buffers and imported, tested, forwarded etc. at the time when the regular software service is effected. The second type is a preliminary software service, also called hot fix or patch. This software service needs to be processed immediately in a particular system, generally a malfunctioning productive system, and not necessarily in all systems.
Tasks are assigned to system role types and software service types. The tasks may be marked as compulsory and may comprise the following exemplary tasks:
for type D:logon to remote system
generate transport request with software service release transport request for forwarding to one or more systems for type O:logon to remote system
for regular software service only: import software service forward transport request for type P:logon to remote system
import transport request, notify quality management and await release for preliminary software service only: amend next regular maintenance service to include the imported preliminary software service In the example of FIG. 5 a list 500 contains for the system role type D and a preliminary software service a task 501 to logon to a remote system, a task 502 to create a transport request for a preliminary software service, and a task 503 to release the transport request to the system landscape for forwarding to at least one productive system. For the system role type O the list 500 comprises a task 504 to logon to a remote system and a task 505 to forward transport request without importing it. For the system role type P the list 500 comprises a task 506 to logon to a productive system, a task 507 to confirm that the particular productive system is the destination for the preliminary software service, a task 508 to effect the preliminary software service and a task 509 to amend a next regular maintenance service to include the imported preliminary software service. Other and/or additional tasks as well as attributes like �compulsory� may be provided. For example, a task to first import software services that are already queued in the import buffer but would only be imported during the next regular service, a task to check certain system properties, a task to check the interdependencies of software services in the buffer and to reorder them to avoid mutual overwriting, etc.
Based on the type and the destination(s) of the software service, on the transport tracks, the system role types and the list 500 or a corresponding list for a regular software service, a task list is automatically generated in the central task system 307. The task list contains all tasks that are required to effect the software service in the destination productive system(s).
The task list has a hierarchical structure. The top level contains one entry per transport track. The next level contains one entry per system role type, even in case that no system of corresponding type is defined. The next level contains one entry per system role, only if this role is used by a system. The lowest level contains the tasks for each system.
An exemplary task list 600 is illustrated in FIG. 6 and has here a structure that is hierarchically grouped according to transport track 601, system role types 602, system roles 603, systems 604 and finally tasks 605. The tasks are associated to particular systems. The grouping allows to block and unblock groups of tasks.
Execution of the tasks of a task list is scheduled by the central control system 308. The central control system 308 contains for this purpose a schedule that is automatically generated according to the tasks of the task list. The generation of the schedule involves analyzing the type of each task and other system information and accordingly compiling predefined schedule elements to form the schedule. The predefined schedule elements comprise responsibilities, e.g. assign certain types of tasks for certain systems to particular persons or groups of persons.
For example, the schedule may be assembled to comprise the following elements with responsibilities: create task list for regular software service�change manager; import into quality assurance system�operator; take over for testing and describe test results�tester; approve or reject�quality manager; if approved: import into productive system�operator; if not approved: notify developer�tester.
The central control system 308 is thus suited to completely manage all service and preliminary service related processes from the reporting of a possible malfunction to the final implementation of the correction in the productive system.
The central control system 308 allows a user to display, manage, analyze and document the tasks and any related activity and also to trigger execution of the tasks in the central task system 307. For that purpose, the tasks may provide spool lists, statuses, application logs, job logs etc. to the central control system 308.
According to the method of an example embodiment of the invention, system roles and system role types are provided, the systems of the system landscape being associated to the system roles, and a list of tasks associated to system role types is provided. At least one transport track is provided that defines a route for transport requests through systems in a particular order and specifies one source system, adjacent interconnected systems, and at least one end or target system. A task list is generated from the software service type, the system role types, the list and the transport tracks, and defines tasks for effecting the software service. This involves analyzing the transport tracks to identify the systems that need to be passed, analyzing them to identify their system roles, analyzing the system roles to identify their type, and compiling tasks for the affected systems according to the list. A schedule is also compiled in the central control system according to the tasks in the task list. The central control system then triggers execution of the tasks by particular persons or a group of persons according to authorization levels, and monitors the status of the tasks. The complex process of manual analysis and action of the prior art is thus replaced by an automated centrally managed structured schedule.
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