Consistent interface for opportunity

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program code to provide a message-based interface for exchanging opportunity data, the program code operable when executed by at least one processor to:

receive via a message-based interface derived from a common business object model, where the common business object model includes business objects having relationships that enable derivation of message-based interfaces and message packages, the message-based interface exposing at least one service as defined in a service registry and from a heterogeneous application executing in an environment of computer systems providing message-based services, a first message for requesting replication of opportunity data, including business transaction information and identification of parties involved in a prospective business transaction, the first message including a first message package hierarchically organized in memory based on and derived from the common business object model, the first message package including:

at a first hierarchical level in the first message package, an opportunity replication request message entity; and

at the first hierarchical level in the first message package, an opportunity package including, at a second hierarchical level in the first message package, an opportunity entity and a status package:

wherein the opportunity entity includes, at a third hierarchical level in the first message package, an identifier, a processing type code and a process status valid since date; and

wherein the status package includes, at the third hierarchical level in the first message package, a status entity; and

process the first message based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package, where processing the first message includes unpacking the first message package based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package, the specific hierarchical elements at each hierarchical level, and the first message package's derivation from the common business object model, wherein the particular hierarchical organization of the first message package and the specific hierarchical elements at each hierarchical level are used at least in part to identify the purpose of the first message; and

send a second message to the heterogeneous application responsive to the first message, where the second message includes a second message package derived from the common business object model to provide consistent semantics with the first message package.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the opportunity package includes, at the second hierarchical level in the first message package, at least one of the following: a prospect party package, a competitor party package, a sales employee party package, an employee responsible party, a sales unit party package, a party package, a sales cycle package, a sales forecast package, a sales and service business area package, a business transaction document reference package, an attachment folder package, a text collection package, and an item package.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the opportunity entity further includes, at the third hierarchical level in the first message package, at least one of the following: system administrative data, a name, a priority code, a group code, an origin type code, a result reason code, and a change ordinal number value.

4. A distributed system operating in a landscape of computer systems providing message-based services defined in a service registry, the system comprising:

at least one processor operable to execute computer readable instructions embodied on non-transitory media;

a graphical user interface comprising computer readable instructions executable by the at least one processor, embedded on non-transitory media, for requesting replication of opportunity data, including business transaction information and identification of parties involved in a prospective business transaction, the instructions using a request;

a first memory storing a user interface controller executable by the at least one processor for processing the request and involving a first message including a first message package derived from a common business object model, where the common business object model includes business objects having relationships that enable derivation of message-based service interfaces and message packages, the first message package hierarchically organized based on and derived from the common business object model, the hierarchical organization of the first message package including:

at a first hierarchical level in the first message package, an opportunity replication request message entity; and

at the first hierarchical level in the first message package, an opportunity package including, at a second hierarchical level in the first message package, an opportunity entity and a status package:

wherein the opportunity entity includes, at a third hierarchical level in the first message package, an identifier, a processing type code and a process status valid since date; and

wherein the status package includes, at the third hierarchical level in the first message package, a status entity; and

a second memory, remote from the graphical user interface, storing a plurality of message-based service interfaces executable by the at least one processor and derived from the common business object model to provide consistent semantics with messages derived from the common business object model, wherein one of the message-based service interfaces is operable to process the first message based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package, where processing the first message includes unpacking the first message package based on the hierarchical organization of the first message package, the specific hierarchical elements at each hierarchical level, and the first message package's derivation from the common business object model, wherein the hierarchical organization of the first message package and the specific hierarchical elements at each hierarchical level in the first message package are used at least in part to identify the purpose of the first message.

5. The distributed system of claim 4 , wherein the first memory is remote from the graphical user interface.

6. The distributed system of claim 4 , wherein the first memory is remote from the second memory.