assessing component based erp architecture for developing organizations

Assessing component based ERP architecture for developing organizations

Masoud Rafighi, University Of Qom

Yaghoub Farjami, University Of Qom

Introduction

• Software Architecture describes the high-level structure of a system in terms of components and component interactions. In design, architecture is widely recognized as providing a beneficial separation of concerns between the gross system behavior of interacting components and that of its constituent components. Similarly this separation is also beneficial when considering deployed systems and evolution as it allows us to focus on change at the component level rather than on some finer grain.

IJCSIS, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2016https://sites.google.com/site/ijcsis/

Software architecture

• Architecture is the fundamental organization of a system consisting of components, each of which is associated with each other and with the system and the principles governing its design and evolution. Software architecture in fact is the selection of a general structure for implementing a software project based on a set of user requirements and business of software systems in order to be able to implement the intended applications and also to optimize and accelerate the quality of software, its production and maintenance.


ERP• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) programs are

core software used by companies to coordinate information in every area of the business. ERP programs help to manage company-wide business processes, using a common database and shared management reporting tools. A business process is a collection of activities that takes one or more kinds of input and creates an output, such as a report or forecast that is of value to the customer. ERP software supports the efficient operation of business processes by integrating throughout a business tasks related to sales, marketing, manufacturing, logistics, accounting, and staffing.

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Architectures for development of Software distributed

• Data- centric architecture• The goal of this architecture is to maintain the

integration and the ability of aggregation. The word “data-centric” refers to systems in which the availability and timeliness of the data is an appropriate descriptive of system performance. A client runs on a set of independent control field and common data that is accessed by all customers and it can be as a passive source (such as a file) or an active source (blackboard).


Architectures for development of Software distributed

• Architecture Component-based• Software components are a comprehensive and extendable

piece which its function is well defined. Through interfaces with other components can be combined and interact with each other. Three goals of component-based architecture include: Overcoming complexity, manage the changing, re-usability.

• Plug in architecture• Plug-in architectures and platforms represent a promising

approach for building software systems which are extensible and customizable to the particular needs of the individual user, However, there are several technical features which have contributed to the success of plug-in system.


Measurement and analysis of the architecture criteria

• Layout of components• Create• Connection• Development• The main advantage• The main problem


Compare architectures


Plug in

Component Data- centricCriterion

Architecture They are placed in the outer layers of software [22].

Components are integrated and modular,A unit is independent establishment and is independent of other componentsA unit of independent deployment [12,14]

Data is stored in a database and a common data is accessed by all customers [24, 26].

Layout

The plug-in creates a configuration file is executed and all the settings will be in the file [22].

Special languages for defining interfaces, (IDL).[11,12]There's a lot of software components1.Input/output types2.Functional behavior3.Concurrent behavior4.Timing behavior5.Resource usage6.Security[11,15]

The architecture emphasizes the accessing and updating data [24, 26].

Creation

In this architecture, plug-connected to the outer layer software [21].

IPC protocol IIOP) Internet Inter-ORB Protocol([12,11]Not context dependentNot related to a specific area and can be used in the system [15]

The connection is established in two ways:When the shared data, as a passive source, acts like file.When the shared data is as a blackboard [24, 26].

Connection

Plugins can be deployed globally or only for a specific environment and not limited in its development.[19,20].

Components are interchangeable for example component B can be replaced with component A Compassable with other components A good combination of mechanisms is used [14,11]

It has high Corrigibility Due to the change of each customer having no effects on other customers [24, 26]. Development

This function is a component-based architecture [22].

The conference was published in Germany in 1968,is not selected from other architectures [9,10]

It's not selected from another architecture[26]. Elected or a

combination of other architectures

It will active Customization with attention to user’s needs Simple and PowerfulIts structure is such that the position of other plugins can use functions [18].

Reuse of software in order to reduce development costsVariability, performance,Support for parallel distributed systems on runtime [15].

The data integrity is provided by mechanism of blackboard and common data is an independent part of the customer. Therefore, this style is scalable and can easily add new customers [24, 26].

The main advantage

Database is not a suitable place to store configuration information [21].

Data integration components can be hard to combine.[12]

In this style if a connection is established between the customers In spite of the fact that it will reduce Corrigibility, it will increase the efficiency [24, 26].

The main problem

Problems architectures

• Extensibility problem involving (the laws that have been changed, change in data, the changes in the organization, integration, change in operations, changes in systems, developing new systems).

• Problem of imprisonment or trapped data.• Programmer locked-in problem, the only

programmer can develop the system further.


Separation-of-Concerns (SOC)

A key principle of software development and architecture is the notion of Separation-of-Concerns. At an architectural level, separation of concerns is a key component of building layered applications. In a traditional N-tier application structure, layers might include data access, business logic, and user interface. More modern N-tier application designs might include a core domain model and separate infrastructure modules in addition to one or more front end services and/or user interfaces. Web pages, to a greater or lesser degree, separate concerns relating to structure, logic, and formatting through the use of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. At a lower level, the networking model used by the Internet is broken into a series of layers each with specific concerns and responsibilities, and demonstrates how separation of concerns can be effectively applied.


The proposed model

This architecture made of combining Data- centric architecture, plug-in architecture and component architecture so that in this architecture all components are connected to the data center but the components must appear with two hands (it is getting from plug-in architecture with this innovation that both hands SERVICE INTERFACE and Plug in interface added to every component. It means components have two hands instead of one hand). So in addition to connection they can transfer services and data.By using SOC discuss we concluded that every component must maintain its own data and just Common data such as Authentication and etc. will be kept in Data- Centric. We called the proposed architecture, CPDC Architecture which contains bellow parts:


12

The proposed model

Data center: Information in the data center, public data, such as user categories, authentication and organizational chart of the organization need to be placed in the center.Service interface: An interface to transfer services from one component to another componentPlug in interface: Certain protocol for connecting componentsService: Services and operations that are performed on the data in each modulePlug in manager: management, control and configure of plugin will done.Specific data: Data that is for a special system and there is no need to exist in other systems.Host component: The various modules which are available in the organization

The proposed model


Evaluation and testing the soundness of architecture

• Extensibility SYSTEMS

• The merge of the two organizations


Extensibility SYSTEMS

In the first problem of the development system and add a new system to program in a way that the integration didn’t lose; If you use CPDC Architecture model, we can easily add a system to our organization system and the new system is able to transfer data.



Now, adding a new system to organization with the following two approaches:• First approach: similar systems exist in the organization so they can

merge together and in the format of the old system used in organization. In this approach, the following steps are performed. The proof is shown in Figures 3 and 4.

• First step: adding processes of both systems in a single system• Second step: adding Specific data of both system in a single system• Third step: adding services of both system in a single system• Forth step: the aggregated system should connect to the data center• Fifth step: management of new and old systems must be removed

and a single management stays on aggregate systems.



The second approach is that the new system does not exist in the organization and should fully be added as a new system, these steps can be done in this approach.• Step One: with adding a new system to organization it

should be connected to the data center to authenticate from data center

• Step Two: If the new system wants to connect to other existing systems, it can use both hands plug in interface and service interface, so after the connection they can send and receive data. The proof is shown in Figures 5 and 6.

• The third step: defining the management of new system in the organization


Extensibility SYSTEMS• Algorithm Extensibility SYSTEMS• Input: A new subsystem and all the relationships with other subsystems and all the relationships in an org• Output: A new extensibility system• Org organization;• I New Host Component; • J Similar subsystem in org;• Q (merge I&J);• If I equal J; • Do merge I and J; • specific data of Q Merge specific data of I with specific data of J;• services of Q Merge services of I with services of J;• Add Q relation with data center;• Revoke Privileges Manager I;• Revoke Privileges Manager J;• Grant Privileges Manager Q;• End if.• If subsystem Q need to connect with other subsystem; • Add relation between plug in interface Q and other subsystem service interface; • Else• Add I relation with data center in org;• Grant Privileges Manager I;• End if.• If subsystem I need to connect with other subsystem; • Add relation between plug in interface I and other subsystem service interface;• End if. • End.


The merge of the two organizations

The problem of merging two organizations can keep integration in organization and merge all systems by using CPDC architecture. Some systems such as Host component A2 and Host component B2 are common with Host components of other organizations will combine to gather, they work the same in both organization, systems that are different must first be separated from the previous data- centric and connect to new data- centric, then they can connect to each of necessary systems of new organization with both hands SERVICE INTERFACE and Plug in and transfer data. So the new processes will be defined easily by systems of new organization.



As mentioned, when two organizations use our architecture they can merge together easily, follow these steps:• First step: merge data center of both organizations.• Second step: Systems that are common in both organizations should be

integrated with each other and made a single system.• Third step: Systems that are uncommon in both organizations should be

connecting to data center. Fig11• Fourth step: Any of systems can connect and communicate to other systems

with using two hands plug in interface and service interface (fig.12) in a way that they can send/ receive data

• Fifth step: Management systems that are common in both organization and management must be removed and a single management stays on aggregate systems.

• Sixth step: Management systems that are uncommon in both organizations will be defined as new management in the new data center.



• Algorithm Merge (ORG1, ORG2)• Input: subsystems and all the relationships in org1 and subsystems and all the relationships in org2• Output: A new integrate system• Org1 organization 1;• Org2 organization 2;• Data Center marge (DataCenter1, Data Center2) ;• Data Center all public data in data center1;• Data Center all public data in data center2;• For all Host Component i Org1 and Org2• Delete i relations with data center 1 or data center 2;• Revoke Privileges Manager Host Component I;• End for.• For common subsystems in the org1 and org2 • Do merge common subsystems; • Add i relations with data center;• Merge specific data of common subsystems of org1 and org2;• Merge services of common subsystems of org1 and org2;• Grant Privileges Manager Host Component I;• End for.• For uncommon subsystems in the org1 or org2 • Add i relations with data center;• Grant Privileges Manager Host Component I;• End for.• If subsystem i need to connect with subsystem j;• Add relation between plug in interface i and service interface j;• End if• End.



Now that the problem development of the system and merging of the two organizations systems was resolved with the proposed model, systems can transfer data between the old and new systems, the second Problem of imprisonment or trapped data will solved by using the proposed architecture. With attention to development of system the third problem programmer locked-in problem, the only programmer can develop the system further will disappear.


Conclusions

According to studies, each of architectures has problems. In plug in architecture database is not appropriate place to store information, component architecture is week in data integration, components will connect to gather hardly and in datacenter architecture there is no link between systems and all systems are connected to database, finally with the proposed architecture ‘CPDC Architecture’ which is a special combine of three architecture not only solve all above problems but also Take advantages of them to Resolving problems like: developing new systems, merging common systems of different organization, imprisonment or trapped data, programmer locked-in problem, the only programmer can develop the system further. The architecture responds to the issues, ensures scalability and versatility of the systems of organization and eventually ensures the integrity between all systems.


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assessing component based erp architecture for developing organizations

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