Patent ID: 8327319

Claim:
A software modeling system comprising at least one memory storing a software modeling tool and at least one processor executing the software modeling tool to perform operations to define interactions between at least two process components, the operations comprising: processing at least one input defining, for each process component, at least one inbound operation initiated by other process components to read or modify data encapsulated in a business object solely associated with the process component; and processing at least one input defining, for each process component, at least one outbound operation to read or modify data encapsulated in a business object solely associated with another process component; wherein each of the process components is entirely included in exactly one deployment unit, each deployment unit corresponding to a hardware platform on which a process component is deployed associated with a deployment unit, each of the process components characterizes independently operable and context-independent software implementing a respective and distinct process, and each of the process components defines a respective at least one service interface for communicating and interacting with other process components, and all communication and interaction between process components takes place through the respective interfaces of the process components, each service interface comprising at least one service operation, and each service operation belonging to exactly one process component and comprising a separately-callable function, wherein interaction between process components in different deployment units takes place through messages passed through the respective service interfaces of the process components in the different deployment units, and interaction between process components in a same deployment unit takes place through business objects accessible to the process components in the same deployment unit.