Platform for multi-service procurement
The present invention describes an on demand service provisioning system to interface with suppliers and customers. One embodiment of the present invention includes a database to store information on customers, suppliers and transactions; a module to interface customers; a module to interface suppliers; a module to interface the database; a stateful section including the module to interface with the database; and a stateless section including the module to interface with the customers and the suppliers.
1. A computer system comprising:
at least one database;
a database server cluster configured to operate the at least one database;
an application server cluster; and
at least one web server;
wherein software executing on the computer system, including the application server cluster and the at least one web server, is configured to provide Internal Services (IS) and external Web Services in multiple procurements as part of a single transaction, wherein the IS is configured to manage the multiple procurements as a procurement tree having a child process and a parent process, related to the child process, and coordinate activities of the child process by passing messages between the parent process and the child process;
wherein the software has an architecture including
a presentation layer configured to present users interfaces, to users with procurement roles within an organization having different procurement profiles, with different look and feel of an application for the users, the user interfaces configured to allow users to describe services the end user wants to procure, purchase instances of the services when presented with service options, modify or cancel the services, and check on status of procurement;
a workflow engine configured to manage a plurality of workflows generic to a plurality of service verticals having different business logic, where each of the service verticals has different service providers having different service definitions and different message exchanges to complete a transaction;
an adapter engine configured to bridge the generic workflows and the different service definitions and different message exchanges;
an asynchronous workflow engine to manage asynchronous aspects of the workflows; and
a messaging system configured to interconnect the presentation layer, the workflow engine, the adapter engine, and the asynchronous workflow engine and facilitate the passing of the messages between the parent process and the child process.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the IS includes a java messaging system.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the IS includes the presentation layer to create a visual presentation.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the IS includes a state change services to take actions related to state changes for a procurement service.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the IS includes one of a notify service and a notify a parent service for multiple process coordination.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the IS includes an invitation service.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the IS includes one or more of multi process coordination, an invitation service, a move-process-to-history service, a timed workflow state change service, and a registered tracking service to register new processes.
8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a calendar integration service including one or more of an invitation sender to coordinate an invitation process for a particular procurement process, a calendar think updater to allow events to be updated into personal calendars, and a reminder sender to send out reminders.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the IS include one or more of an administration service, the workflow engine, a travel services import to allow the importation of available travel services, a timer service to provide callback alarms at a specified time, and an adapter engine to adapt to various types of interfaces.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the IS further includes one or more of XSL services to interface with exchangeable service languages, a tracking service for the external tracking of events, an email listener service for asynchronous email communications, and a notifier to send notifications to one or more communication channels.
11. The system of claim 1 further comprising a web browser-based client.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further includes the workflow engine to process multiple dimensions in a generic reusable manner, including at least one of complexity across users, complexity across verticals, and complexity across providers in a vertical.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein the workflow engine includes a rule engine to govern user interaction in procurement of services.
14. A tangible, non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which when executed, perform a method comprising:
providing a service oriented transaction processing system, including
at least one database;
a database server cluster configured to operate the at least one database;
an application server cluster; and
at least one web server;
wherein software executing on the computer system, including the application server cluster and the at least one web server is configured to provide Internal Services (IS) and external Web Services in multiple procurements as part of the single transaction, wherein the IS is configured to manage the multiple procurements as a procurement tree including a child process and a parent process, related to the child process, and coordinate activities of the child process by passing messages between the parent process and the child process;
wherein the software has an architecture including
a presentation layer configured to present users interfaces, to users with procurement roles within an organization having different procurement profiles, with different look and feel of an application for the users, the user interfaces configured to allow users to describe services the end user wants to procure, purchase instances of the services when presented with service options, modify or cancel the services, and check on status of procurement;
a workflow engine configured to manage a plurality of workflows generic to a plurality of service verticals having different business logic, where each of the service verticals has different service providers having different service definitions and different message exchanges to complete a transaction;
an adapter engine configured to bridge the generic workflows and the different service definitions and different message exchanges; and
an asynchronous workflow engine to manage the asynchronous aspects of the workflows; and
a messaging system configured to interconnect the presentation layer, the workflow engine, the adapter engine, and the asynchronous workflow engine and facilitate the passing of the messages between the parent process and the child process.
15. A computer-implemented method comprising:
providing a service oriented transaction processing system, including
at least one database;
a database server cluster configured to operate the at least one database;
an application server cluster; and
at least one web server;
wherein the software has an architecture including
a presentation layer configured to present users interfaces, to users with procurement roles within an organization having different procurement profiles, with different look and feel of an application for the users, the user interfaces configured to allow users to describe services the end user wants to procure, purchase instances of the services when presented with service options, modify or cancel the services, and check on status of procurement;
a workflow engine configured to manage a plurality of workflows generic to a plurality of service verticals having different business logic, where each of the service verticals has different service providers having different service definitions and different message exchanges to complete a transaction;
an adapter engine configured to bridge the generic workflows and the different service definitions and different message exchanges; and
an asynchronous workflow engine to manage the asynchronous aspects of the workflows; and
a messaging system configured to interconnect the presentation layer, the workflow engine, the adapter engine, and the asynchronous workflow engine and facilitate the passing of the messages between the parent process and the child process.