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CopyrightIBMCorporation2010TrademarksExploringtheVectorbehaviorofrelationshipsincommoninformationmodel(CIM)basedservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA)environmentsPage1of6ExploringtheVectorbehaviorofrelationshipsincommoninformationmodel(CIM)basedservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA)environmentsGandhiSivakumarDecember02,2010IntheprocessofcreatingSOAbasedservicesfromCommoninformationmodel,weknowthatthereisaneedtoextendCIMduetoitsabstractnature.
AnimportantaspecttounderstandisthatthedrivingcontextoftheconstellationofCIMobjectspertainingtoanSOAbasedserviceisits"Businessintention".
By"businessintention"ImeantheexpectedfunctionalityoftheServicecomponentwhichinturndrivestheanchorobject(s)specifictotheServiceoperationrequest/response.
Thusthebusinessintentionofaservicedeterminesthetraversaldirectiontoretrievetheelementswithintheconstellationandthisinturnlargelyimpactstherelationshipsoftheobjects.
Eventuallyrelationshipstendtobehavelikeavectorwhichisexploredinthisarticle.
IntroductionIndustrybasedCIMmodellikeTMF(TeleManagementForum)publishedSID(SharedInformationDataModel)manifestsasabigblobofentitiesincludingobjects,attributesandrelationshipswhileCIMmodelliketheIBMpublishedIFW(IBMFinancialServicesIndustryModel)additionallyincludesobjectinterfacesandenablestheusertogenerateservicespecifications.
Businessintention,CIManchorobject(s)andrelationshipdirectionalityAnyservicecomponenthasitsintendedbusinessfunctionalitytermedas"BusinessIntention".
BusinessintentiondeterminestheCIManchorobject(s)(specifictotheserviceoperation)whichdriftstheobjectrelationshiptobehavelikeavector.
TheCIMitselfisabigblobandasstatedearlieritisthe"Businessintention"(BI)ofeachServicewhichdeterminestheanchorobject(s).
AnchorobjectistheCIMobjectwhereeveryserviceoperationrequestorresponsehitsthebedrockoftheCIM.
Oncetheanchorobject(s)isdefined,alltheotherCIMelementscanberetrievedandthishassignificantimpactintherelationshipbehavioroftheobjectswithinaservice.
ForexamplewhenthereisarelationshipdefinedbyCIMbetweenObjectAandObjectB,BImaydeterminetheanchorobjectinsuchamannerthatthetraversalmayneedtohappenfromBtoA(InthiscaseintheServiceinterface,BwillcontainA)orotherwise.
Thusrelationshipstendtoacquirea"vector"behaviorequatingtherelationshipnametothemagnitudeinadditiontopossessingdirectionality.
developerWorksibm.
com/developerWorks/ExploringtheVectorbehaviorofrelationshipsincommoninformationmodel(CIM)basedservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA)environmentsPage2of6Inthisarticle,IintendtoexploresuchacharacteristicoftherelationshipsofCIMobjectsinSOAbasedimplementations.
BusinessprocessandCIMlayersFigure1belowshowsthebusinessprocessandtheCIMlayers.
Figure1.
BusinessProcessandCIMLayersTheupperlayeristheBusinessprocesslayerencompassingtheprocesselementsshownasbubbleswhicheventuallyturnintoServices.
(Note:Theprocesslayerinrealitymaymanifestatvariouslevelsofabstractionex:e-TOM(enhancedTelecomoperationsmap)inTelecomindustryandAPM(Analysisprocessmodel)inbankingindustry.
Dependinguponthere-use,anSOAArchitectmaydecidetorealizethefunctionalityasoneserviceormultipleservices.
ThelowerlayeristheCIMlayerencompassingtheCIMobjects.
AlsonamedaretheCIMobjects(ProductOrder,Resource,TelephoneNumber)whichwewillbediscussingintheexampleforunderstandingthe"vectorbehavior".
Example:ServiceforOrderManagementConsideranexampleofcreatingaserviceformanaginganordertermedas"OrderManagement".
ThenextstepistoanalyzetheBusinessIntentionofthisservice.
BusinessIntentionBusinessintentionisnothingbuttheBusinessfunctionalityoftheservice.
Forsimplicity,letusassumethattheSOA/Integrationarchitectinthiscasedecidestofulfillthisfunctionalitythroughasingleservicecomponentonly;whileinrealitythefunctionalitymaybefulfilledviamultipleservicecomponents.
Animportantaspecttounderstandisthatwhateverbethenumberofservicesthroughwhichanabstractservicefulfillsthegivenfunctionality,itsintentionremainsthesame.
Inourexamplesaythoughordermanagementprocesshadtobeinternallyrealizedthroughservicesibm.
com/developerWorks/developerWorksExploringtheVectorbehaviorofrelationshipsincommoninformationmodel(CIM)basedservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA)environmentsPage3of6suchas"AddressManagement","ProductValidation",etc,itsintentionremainstomanagetheorderonly.
Oncethisaspectisunderstoodclearly,theSOA/IntegrationArchitectneedstoidentifytheAnchorobject(s).
AnchorobjectcharacteristicsAnchorobjectistheCIMobject(s)wheretheserviceoperationlinkstotheCIMasstatedearlier.
Selectionofanchorobject(s)hastobecompletelyalignedwiththebusinessintentioncoupledwiththeServiceoperationrequestandresponse.
SingleanchorobjectForexampleletussaythattheBIofOrderManagementistoperformthefulfillmentoftheordercapturedfromthefrontendCRM(CustomerRelationship&Management)application.
TheservicerequestsayisexpectedtoreceivethecompleteorderstructureandrespondbackwithanotherOrderIdcreatedbyit.
InthiscasetheanchorobjectfortherequestistheProductOrder(usingtheTMFSIDasCIM)i.
etheserviceoperationSubmitOrderRequestwillbecoupledorlinkedtoProductOrder(theCIM)andthenalltheotherelementswouldberetrievedusingthis.
OntheotherhandtheresponsetermedasSubmitOrderResponsesaywillagainbelinkedtotheProductOrder(CIM)asshowninfigure2below:Figure2.
ProductOrderasanchorInthiscaseboththerequestandresponsehaveonlyoneanchorobjectandtheyarethesamefortherequestandresponseoperations.
developerWorksibm.
com/developerWorks/ExploringtheVectorbehaviorofrelationshipsincommoninformationmodel(CIM)basedservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA)environmentsPage4of6MultipleanchorobjectsInrealitytheremaybemorethanoneanchorobjectimmaterialoftheoperationrequestorresponse.
Letusconsideradifferentexampleaservice"AddressManagement".
TheBIofAddressManagementistomanagetheaddressdetails.
IftheAddressManagementneedstobedesignedinwaythatitcanreceiveeithertheAddressReferenceIdentifierortheMobileTelephonenumberoftheCustomerandreturnbackanaddressstructure,thentherequestsay"RetrieveAddressDetailsRequest"maylinktoAddress(CIM)aswellasTelephoneNumber(CIM)i.
emorethanoneanchorobjectwhiletheresponse"RetrieveAddressDetailsResponse"maylinktoAddress(CIM)only.
ThevectorbehaviorOncetheanchorobject(s)arefinalized,traversaltotheotherobjectsbecomesensitivetodirectionandtherelationshipstendtobehavelikeavectorwhichisdiscussedsubsequently.
TraversalfromProductOrdertoTelephoneNumberConsiderourfirstexampleOrderManagementservice.
InthiscaseletusassumethattheorderalsoincludestheTelephonenumber.
Inordertoretrieve"TelephoneNumber"usingProductOrderastheanchorobject,thetraversalneedstobedonefromProductOrder.
Figure3.
ProductOrdertoTelephoneNumberFigure3showsthetraversalfromProductOrdertoTelephoneNumberwhichisthroughthepatha1,b1,c1,d1.
a1,b1,c1,d1representtherelationshipnames.
Intheserviceinterfacegenerated,ProductOrderwillcontainTelephoneNumberwhichistraversedthrougha1,b1,c1,d1.
i.
etraversalbecomessensitivetodirectionwiththedirectionbeingsimilartothedirectionofvectorandrelationshipnamesbeingsimilartothemagnitudeofthevector.
ibm.
com/developerWorks/developerWorksExploringtheVectorbehaviorofrelationshipsincommoninformationmodel(CIM)basedservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA)environmentsPage5of6TraversalfromTelephoneNumbertoProductOrderConsideranotherservicesayTelephoneNumberManagement.
ThisservicesayhasarequestoperationReserveTelephoneNumberwithinputsbeingTelephoneNumberandProductIdentifierandtheresponsebeingsuccessorfailure.
InthiscasetheanchorobjectforrequestisTelephoneNumberbecausetheBIistomanagetelephonenumber.
ThismeansthatinordertoretrieveProductIdentifier,thetraversalneedstobedoneintheoppositedirectionasshowninfigure4below.
Thepathisdifferentandneedstohaveadifferentname;inthiscaseitisd2,c2,b2,a2.
Intheserviceinterfacegenerated,TelephoneNumberwillcontainProductOrderwithdifferentrelationshipnames.
Figure4.
ReserveTelephoneNumberRequestUML,XSDandtoolsTheCIMisUMLbasedmostofthetimes;whichmeanstraversalispossibleineitherdirectionamongtheobjects.
HoweverwhenprocessingforSOA,theBIneedstobeidentified,thusdirectionsgetspecifiedaswediscussed.
Foreverybi-directionalrelationship(excludingparentchildrelationship)ideallyanotherrelationshipwithadifferentnameneedstobedefinedi.
e.
differentnamebaseduponthedirection.
Toolsshouldbeintelligentenoughtohandlethecyclicdependencyissues.
IBMRSA(Rationalsoftwarearchitect)toolisintelligentenoughtohandlethe"Vectorbehavior".
InadditionProgressDXSIdataextend,athirdpartytoolisabletohandlesuchscenariosandhasproventointegratewithIBMbluestacktoolslikeWID(WebSphereIntegrationDeveloper),WPS(WebSphereProcessServer).
Dependingupontheprojectneeds,theSOA/IntegrationArchitectneedstoselecttheappropriatetool.
ConclusionInCIMbasedSOAenvironments,relationshipsamongtheobjectsbehavelikeavectorbecomingsensitivetodirection.
Directiongetsdefinedbytheanchorobject(s)whichinturnisdrivenbythedeveloperWorksibm.
com/developerWorks/ExploringtheVectorbehaviorofrelationshipsincommoninformationmodel(CIM)basedservice-orientedarchitecture(SOA)environmentsPage6of6BusinessIntention.
Appropriatetoolsarerequiredtohandlethedesignwhichneedstobecarefullychosenforaproject.
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