Stepwise template integration method and system

1. A method of creating an integration process between a source system executable on a computer system and a target system executable on a computer system, comprising:

providing a complete workflow as a part of the integration process, the complete workflow having a sequence of activities that specify operations on one or more source objects and the one or more target objects with the respective source system and target system and wherein the complete workflow further includes activities and associated operations that do not directly interact with the one or more source objects and the one or more target objects;

selectively including a limited subset of operations from the sequence of activities in the complete workflow that interact with the one or more source objects and one or more target objects, wherein selectively including a limited subset of operations from the sequence of activities in the complete workflow comprises:

comparing first metadata from the one or more source objects on the source system with first default metadata associated with one or more unmodified source objects from an unmodified source system and comparing second metadata from the one or more target objects on the target system with second default metadata from one or more unmodified target objects from an unmodified target system;

identifying one or more customized source objects and one or more customized target objects responsive to the comparisons made between the first metadata and the first default metadata and between the second metadata and the second default metadata; and

sequencing the limited subset of operations selected from the complete workflow in a stepwise template that streamlines the integration process between the source system and target system by focusing on mappings between and operations performed upon source objects and target objects associated with the limited subset of operations selected from the operations in the complete workflow.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether a stepwise template integration process connecting the source system and the target system using selective steps from a complete workflow integration is already available in a repository of stepwise template integration processes; and

reusing the stepwise template integration process from the repository of stepwise template integration processes that streamlines the integration process between source systems and target systems.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively including a limited subset of operations from the complete workflow depends on if the limited set of operations interact with one or more customized source objects or one or more customized target objects from the respective source system or target system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively including a limited subset of operations from the complete workflow depends on if the limited subset of operations interact with one or more source objects and one or more target objects.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the limited subset of operations from the complete workflow excludes operations and objects that generally do not need modification when performing an integration process.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the limited subset of operations from the complete workflow excludes operations that interact with subsystems on the source system and target system that do not affect source objects and target objects.

7. A system for creating an integration process between a source system and a target system, comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions;

a memory containing the instructions which, when executed on the processor:

provide a complete workflow as a part of the integration process, the complete workflow having a sequence of activities that specify operations on one or more source objects and the one or more target objects with the respective source system and target system and wherein the complete workflow further includes activities and associated operations that do not directly interact with the one or more source objects and the one or more target objects;

selectively including a limited subset of operations from the sequence of activities in the complete workflow that interact with the one or more source objects and the one or more target objects, wherein selectively including a limited subset of operations from the sequence of activities in the complete workflow comprises:

comparing first metadata from the one or more source objects on the source system with first default metadata associated with one or more unmodified source objects from an unmodified source system and comparing second metadata from the one or more target objects on the target system with second default metadata from one or more unmodified target objects from an unmodified target system;

identifying one or more customized source objects and one or more customized target objects responsive to the comparisons made between the first metadata and the first default metadata and between the second metadata and the second default metadata; and

sequence the limited subset of operations selected from the complete workflow in a stepwise template that streamlines the integration process between the source system and target system by focusing on mappings between and operations performed upon source objects and target objects associated with the limited subset of operations selected from the operations in the complete workflow.

8. The system of claim 7 , further comprising instructions when executed,:

determine if a stepwise template integration process connecting the source system and the target system using selective steps from a complete workflow integration is already available in a repository of stepwise template integration processes; and

reuse the stepwise template integration process from the repository of stepwise template integration processes that streamlines the integration process between source systems and target systems.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein instructions that selectively include a limited subset of operations from the complete workflow depends on if the limited set of operations interact with one or more customized source object or one or more customized target objects from the respective source system or target system.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the instructions that selectively include a limited subset of operations from the complete workflow depends on if the limited subset of operations interact with one or more source objects and one or more target objects.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the limited subset of operations from the complete workflow excludes operations and objects that generally do not need modification when performing an integration process.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the limited subset of operations from the complete workflow excludes operations that interact with subsystems on the source system and target system that do not affect source objects and target objects.

13. A computer program product for creating an integration process between a source system and a target system, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

provide a complete workflow as a part of the integration process, the complete workflow having a sequence of activities that specify operations on one or more source objects and the one or more target objects with the respective source system and target system;

selectively include a limited subset of operations from the sequence of activities in the complete workflow that interact with the one or more source objects and one or more target objects, wherein the complete workflow further includes activities and associated operations that do not directly interact with the one or more source objects and the one or more target objects; wherein selectively including a limited subset of operations from the sequence of activities in the complete workflow comprises:

comparing first metadata from the one or more source objects on the source system with first default metadata associated with one or more unmodified source objects from an unmodified source system and comparing second metadata from the one or more target objects on the target system with second default metadata from one or more unmodified target objects from an unmodified target system;

identifying one or more customized source objects and one or more customized target objects responsive to the comparisons made between the first metadata and the first default metadata and between the second metadata and the second default metadata; and

sequence the limited subset of operations selected from the complete workflow in a stepwise template that streamlines the integration process between the source system and target system by focusing on mappings between and operations performed upon source objects and target objects associated with the limited subset of operations selected from the operations in the complete workflow.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

determine if a stepwise template integration process connecting a source system and target system using selective steps from complete workflow integration is not already available in a repository of stepwise template integration processes, and

reuse a stepwise template integration process from the repository of stepwise template integration processes that streamlines the integration process between source systems and target systems.

15. The computer program product of claim of claim 13 wherein instructions that selectively include a limited subset of operations from the complete workflow depends on if the limited set of operations interact with one or more customized source object or one or more customized target objects from the respective source system or target system.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the instructions that selectively include a limited subset of operations from the complete workflow depends on if the limited subset of operations interact with one or more source objects and one or more target objects.

17. The computer program product of claim of claim 13 wherein the limited subset of operations from the complete workflow excludes operations and objects that generally do not need modification when performing an integration process.

18. The computer program product of claim of claim 13 wherein the limited subset of operations from the complete workflow excludes operations that interact with subsystems on the source system and target system and do not affect source objects and target objects.

19. A method of creating an integration process between a source system executable on a computer system and a target system executable on a computer system, comprising:

creating a mapping between one or more source objects and one or more target objects as part of an integration process between a respective source system and target system;

generating a complete workflow as a further part of the integration process, the complete workflow having a sequence of activities that specify operations on the one or more source objects and the one or more target objects with the respective source system and target system;

selectively including a limited subset of operations from the sequence of activities in the complete workflow, wherein selectively including a limited subset of operations from the sequence of activities in the complete workflow comprises:

comparing first metadata from the one or more source objects on the source system with first default metadata associated with one or more unmodified source objects from an unmodified source system and comparing second metadata from the one or more target objects on the target system with second default metadata from one or more unmodified target objects from an unmodified target system;

identifying one or more customized source objects and one or more customized target objects responsive to the comparisons made between the first metadata and the first default metadata and between the second metadata and the second default metadata; and

sequencing the limited subset of operations selected from the complete workflow in a stepwise template that streamlines the integration process between the source system and target system by focusing on the mappings between, and operations performed upon, source objects and target objects associated with the limited subset of operations selected from the operations in the complete workflow.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the complete workflow further includes activities and associated operations that do not necessarily directly interact with one or more source objects and one or more target objects.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

determining if a stepwise template integration process connecting a source system and target system using selective steps from complete workflow integration is not already available in a repository of stepwise template integration processes; and

reusing a stepwise template integration process from the repository of stepwise template integration processes that streamlines the integration process between source systems and target systems.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein selectively including a limited subset of operations from the complete workflow depends on if the limited set of operations interact with one or more customized source objects or one or more customized target objects from the respective source system or target system.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the limited subset of operations from the complete workflow excludes operations and objects that generally do not need modification when performing an integration process.