A software engineering paradigm as a basis for enterprise integration in (multi-) client/server environments

The ability to build and execute enterprise models including data, service and process models is a topic of growing importance for industry. It addresses the problem to develop reasonable models of the enterprise but has to cope also broadly with implementation and execution issues in heterogeneous environments. With respect to implementation and execution, client/server architectures, request broker mechanisms and distributed data and applications are emerging as the future state-of-the-art. In this context, the existing heterogeneity of technological frameworks as well as coping with legacy systems is a crucial fact. Existing methodologies and tools are not overwhelming these problems. They often do not integrate aspects of enterprise- or process-modelling, CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering), workflow management and client/server execution. As a consequence, new kinds of architectures are needed. This paper outlines an approach, developed at FAW for the described scenario. The main objective of this solution is to cope with heterogeneity by a neutralizing approach instead of standardization. The described software engineering paradigm supports a model-oriented development of distributed data, services and processes in a uniform way towards a neutralizing execution environment. The FAW software engineering paradigm complies with the specifications of CIMOSA and accomplishes the requirements of the COBRA architecture. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: RO 9630(95010),2 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman