Patent ID: 7949997

Claim:
A method for performing integration of a software application into an existing information technology (IT) infrastructure, said method comprising: creating a plurality of views, each view being created by a different group of an integration project of a business, each different group using a different tool to effectuate creation of each view, each view configured to create a different subset of contents of an inventory that includes domains of information needed by the integration project; validating each view, said validating each view comprising defining rules and transforms for mapping key types of content of each view to the inventory, identifying missing information from the content of each view, and clarifying ownership boundaries and responsibilities for each view; creating the inventory through use of the views, said creating the inventory comprising populating the domains of information in the inventory, said domains of information comprising a data dictionary domain which defines terms used in the business, a services domain specifying services which are exposed, a message dictionary domain comprising information on a format of a message, and a system directory domain specifying where each software component of the IT infrastructure is physically located; generating system artifacts, said system artifacts being generated from the contents of the inventory in combination with first templates, said system artifacts comprising runtime code configured to execute integration of the software application into the existing IT infrastructure; generating test artifacts, said test artifacts being generated from the contents of the inventory in combination with second templates, said test artifacts comprising test programs for validating the system artifacts; validating the system artifacts through use of the test artifacts, said validating the system artifacts comprising verifying that the system artifacts meet requirements for the system artifacts; deploying the runtime code of the system artifacts to execute integration of the software application into the existing IT infrastructure; and progressively updating the inventory as more information about the IT infrastructure or the software application is developed.