# US 8,543,653 B2 · Systems and methods for business network management discovery and consolidation

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- Number: US 8,543,653 B2
- Document ID: US8543653B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/944,006
- Filed: 2010-11-11
- Published: 2012-05-17
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2010-11-11
- Assignees: Sap SE
- Applicants: Ankur Bhatt; Daniel Ritter; Jürgen Denner; Till Westmann
- Inventors: Ankur Bhatt; Daniel Ritter; Jürgen Denner; Till Westmann
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543653B2

## CPC

- H04L 43/04: Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
- G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

According to some embodiments, a plurality of interconnected entities may be discovered in a network landscape. A subset of the entities may then be automatically consolidated into a business participant, the consolidating may performed in accordance with at least one rule based algorithm. A business process landscape, including the business participant, may then be generated and/or displayed to an operator.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method, comprising:
discovering a plurality of interconnected entities in a network landscape;
automatically consolidating a subset of the entities into a business participant, wherein said consolidating is performed in accordance with at least one rule based algorithm; and
generating a business process landscape including the business participant;
wherein one of the entities in the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant in the business process landscape is a system;
wherein said discovering a plurality of interconnected entities in a network landscape comprises:
discovering information about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant in the business process landscape, the information discovered about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant including a plurality of source models and a plurality of different representations of the system; and
wherein said automatically consolidating a subset of the entities into a business participant comprises:
performing similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models in accordance with the at least one rule based algorithm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the entities are associated with at least one of: (i) a business application, (ii) a business system, (iii) a file system, (iv) a database management system, or (v) an enterprise resource planning system.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said discovering comprises analyzing incoming call configuration information and outgoing call configuration information.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein said discovering is based at least in part on information received from an operator.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said consolidating is based at least in part on a matching, similarity, or relation analysis.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein said consolidating is based at least in part on information received from an operator.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the algorithm comprises a heuristic algorithm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the algorithm is based at least in part on: (i) an application system overview, (ii) product versions, (iii) connectivity information, (iv) integration running on middleware systems or application systems, (v) interfaces, (vi) integration process models, (vii) operational data, (viii) business process descriptions, (ix) business roles and participants, (x) business conversations, or (xi) business collaborations.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said discovering and said consolidating are performed in substantially real time.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said discovering and said consolidating comprise substantially continuous processes.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said discovering and said consolidating are based on a source model representing meta models and operation data accessible via an application programming interface.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the application programming interface is associated with at least one of: (i) an application system, or (ii) an integration bus.

### Claim 13

A network management server, comprising:
a network service layer platform to discover a plurality of interconnected entities in a network landscape; and
a network consolidation layer platform to automatically consolidate a subset of the entities into a business participant, wherein said consolidating is performed in accordance with at least one rule based algorithm;
wherein one of the entities in the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant in the business process landscape is a system;
wherein said network service layer platform to discover a plurality of interconnected entities in a network landscape comprises:
a network service layer platform to discover information about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant in the business process landscape, the information discovered about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant including a plurality of source models and a plurality of different representations of the system; and
wherein the network consolidation layer platform to automatically consolidate a subset of the entities into a business participant comprises:
a network consolidation layer platform to perform similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models in accordance with the at least one rule based algorithm.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The network management server of claim 13, wherein network source layer platform further includes at least one of: (i) an explore and analysis service, (ii) an integration model deployment service, (iii) a source read agent, (iv) a source write agent, or (v) source models.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The network management server of claim 13, wherein the network consolidation layer platform further includes at least one of: (i) a consolidated network model or (ii) a consolidator.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The network management server of claim 13, further comprising:
a network integration model layer platform to provide a graphical user interface displaying a business process landscape that includes the business participant.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The network management server of claim 16, wherein the network integration model layer platform includes at least one of: (i) an operation linker, (ii) a simulator and optimizer, or (iii) an enrichment and integration model component.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the source models included in the information discovered about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant include redundancy and incoherence.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
bringing the plurality of different representations of the system into a common representation.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the performing similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models in accordance with the at least one rule based algorithm comprises:
performing similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models based on ontology, taxonomy and concepts of pattern matching and pattern recognition.

### Claim 21 (depends on 13)

The network management server of claim 13, wherein the source models included in the information discovered about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant include redundancy and incoherence.

### Claim 22 (depends on 13)

The network management server of claim 13, further comprising:
a layer to bring the plurality of different representations of the system into a common representation.

### Claim 23 (depends on 13)

The network management server of claim 13, wherein the network consolidation layer platform to perform similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models in accordance with the at least one rule based algorithm comprises:
a network consolidation layer platform to perform similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models based on ontology, taxonomy and concepts of pattern matching and pattern recognition.

### Claim 24

A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing program code executable by a computer to perform a method, said method comprising:
discovering a plurality of interconnected entities in a network landscape;
automatically consolidating a subset of the entities into a business participant, wherein said consolidating is performed in accordance with at least one rule based algorithm; and
generating a business process landscape including the business participant;
wherein one of the entities in the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant in the business process landscape is a system;
wherein said discovering a plurality of interconnected entities in a network landscape comprises:
discovering information about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant in the business process landscape, the information discovered about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant including a plurality of source models and a plurality of different representations of the system; and
wherein said automatically consolidating a subset of the entities into a business participant comprises:
performing similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models in accordance with the at least one rule based algorithm.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the source models included in the information discovered about the subset of the entities consolidated into the business participant include redundancy and incoherence.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 24, the method further comprising:
bringing the plurality of different representations of the system into a common representation.

### Claim 27 (depends on 24)

The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the performing similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models in accordance with the at least one rule based algorithm comprises:
performing similarity detection and relationship determination across the source models based on ontology, taxonomy and concepts of pattern matching and pattern recognition.