WO2009072818A2

WO2009072818A2 - Total product development and management system and product modeling method for the same

Info

Publication number: WO2009072818A2
Application number: PCT/KR2008/007164
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dae Yeon Park; Byung Bum Kim; Ki Bum Kim; Sang Gil Park
Original assignee: Tmaxsoft. Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-12-04
Filing date: 2008-12-04
Publication date: 2009-06-11
Also published as: WO2009072818A3; KR20090058208A; KR100967442B1

Abstract

Disclosed are an integrated product development and management system capable of in- tegratedly managing and providing product attributes and product rules, and defining products by combinations of product attributes and product rules, thereby maximizing flexibility and expansibility of product development, and a product modeling method. An integrated product development and management system that automates product development, release, and management includes a typical information storage section that stores typical information regarding products, such as product structures, product attributes, and services being dependent on and constituting products; an atypical information storage section that stores atypical information (Rule) indicating rules for products, such as product rules, condition rules, process rules, and the like; a product modeling section that generates product nodes in a hierarchical structure of business areas, product groups, products/services, and product attributes, and models products by defining/combining the typical information stored in the typical information storage section and the atypical information stored in the atypical information storage section; a rule engine that generates a source code of the atypical information; and a deploy manager that delivers and applies product information generated and managed by the integrated product development and management system to a transaction processing system.

Description

TOTAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND PRODUCT MODELING METHOD FOR THE

SAME

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an total(integrated) product development and management system and a product modeling method for the same, and more specifically, to an integrated product development and management system that is capable of integratedly managing and providing product attributes and product rules, defining products by combinations of product attributes and product rules to maximize flexibility and expansibility of product development, and providing an intuitive product hierarchical structure in a tree shape, a product modeling environment, and a high-performance architecture to enable convenient and rapid product development, and to a product modeling method.

[2]

Background Art

[3] With the demands of various customers and markets, various products, such as insurance products, financial products, and the like, and services are being provided. In terms of successful business, it is necessary to rapidly cope with various products and services.

[4] In order to rapidly provide complex and various products and services to the customers, a product development and management system that effectively supports the whole process related to product development and management is needed. For this reason, in the financial sector, instead of a known simple product development system or management system, a product factory system that is capable of integratedly developing and managing products is increasingly adopted.

[5] The product factory system is an integrated product development and management system that automates development, release, and management of various new products and compound products. With the enforcement of the Capital Market Consolidation Act, different financial agencies can competitively provide new products without limit of services. Therefore, the product factory system is attracting attention of banks, security companies and insurance companies.

[6] The product factory system is recognized as being essential for implementation of a next-generation system in order to give a competitive advantage in the rapidly changing market environment. In particular, a recent demand for next-generation system construction of an insurance company includes the product factory system. For this reason, the product factory system is expected to be rapidly and widely used in banks and insurances.

[7] The product factory system has been developed by a programming method, a parameter method, and a business rule method in that order.

[8] The programming method is a product development system that is generally used and directly programs product attributes and rule elements. This makes it easy to optimize biz logic in the customer business and product structure. However, the programming method has problems in that biz logic is duplicated for products/systems, there is a difficulty in maintaining consistency of product information, and IT operation efficiency is gradually lowered as time passes.

[9] The parameter method, in which typical product information is structured, is developed in order to make up for the drawback inherent in the programming method. The parameter method is implemented by changing the parameter values, and thus it is possible to actively cope with the change in the product attribute and rule parameter. However, the parameter method has problems in that DB design and application development for various types of products are needed, the change of the DB has a large effect on the system, and existing product categories limit expansibility of product information.

[10] A recently proposed business rule method makes atypical product informations into rules. The business rule method manages products based on the rule, and thus flexibility of product modification and maintenance efficiency can be ensured. However, the business rule method has problems in that there is a difficulty in managing the shapes of the products, attributes or services for product definition are not supported, a UI convenient function is additionally needed, and there is a difficultly in reflecting various product processing logics. In addition, since the business rule method uses the products of the existing industries, there is a limit to standardization of company- wide product development, modification, and combination, and in terms of performance, it is problematic.

[11] Therefore, there is a need for a new product factory system that is capable of speeding up a product development and increasing system efficiency while having the advantages of the parameter method and the business rule method.

[12]

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[13] In view of the above, the present invention provides an integrated product development and management system that has an optimum architecture for product development and management while having the advantages of existing product management systems, and a product modeling method.

[14] Further, the present invention provides an integrated product development and management system that is capable of integratedly managing and providing product attributes and product rules to provide company-widely consistent information, defining products by combinations of product attributes and product rules to maximize flexibility and expansibility of product development, and providing an intuitive product hierarchical structure in a tree shape, a product modeling environment, and a high-performance architecture for convenient and rapid product development, and a product modeling method.

[15] Furthermore, the present invention ensures rapid product definition by a convenient

UI provision and an object-oriented approach, ensures prompt reflection of a change in product rule and meta-based product in a system without correcting a program, and enables product information to be loaded in a memory and to be used, thereby ensuring high performance.

[16]

Technical Solution

[17] In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an integrated product development and management system that automates product development, release, and management. The system includes: a typical information storage section that stores typical information regarding products, such as product structures, product attributes, and services being dependent on and constituting products; an atypical information storage section that stores atypical information (Rule) indicating rules for products, such as product rules, condition rules, process rules, and the like; a product modeling section that generates product nodes in a hierarchical structure of business areas, product groups, products/services, and product attributes, and models products by defining/combining the typical information stored in the typical information storage section and the atypical information stored in the atypical information storage section; a rule engine that generates a source code of the atypical information; and a deploy manager that delivers and applies product information generated and managed by the integrated product development and management system to a transaction processing system.

[18] The product modeling section may include: a product node generating section that generates the product nodes in the hierarchical structure to generate a product; a product attribute assigning section that causes the attribute of a parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically generate the attribute of the generated product, and supports change of the inherited attribute value and addition of a new attribute; a function assigning section that registers a function, which means an interface for mapping a rule to a product, in the generated product, calls a rule to be used for the generated product through the registered function, and maps the called rule to the generated product; a service assigning section that registers a service to be used for the generated product in the generated product; and a product storage section that stores the process results of the product attribute assigning section, the function assigning section, and the service assigning section as the generated product information.

[19] The product node generating section may generate a product node by, in accordance with a request to generate a product node, generating product generation information including the name of a parent node of a product to be generated, the name of a product node to be generated, and a node type, generating a unique key for the product to be generated, and adding a column for the product to be generated to a product table storing a product structure.

[20] If a user selects a specific attribute group from an attribute group pool in which attribute groups each having one or more predefined attributes are stored, the product attribute assigning section may add all attributes included in the selected specific attribute group to the generated product, and if a request to generate a new attribute group which is not present in the predefined attribute group pool is received, the product attribute assigning section may generate attribute group generation information of an attribute group to be generated, add a column for the attribute group to be generated to an attribute group table, and store information regarding the attribute group to be generated.

[21] If a user selects a specific attribute from an attribute pool in which predefined attributes are stored, the product attribute assigning section may add the selected specific attribute to the generated product, and if a request to generate a new attribute which is not present in the predefined attribute pool is received, the product attribute assigning section may generate attribute generation information of an attribute to be generated, add a column for the attribute to be generated to an attribute table, and store information regarding the attribute to be generated.

[22] The function assigning section may cause a function of a parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically register a function in the generated product, if a user selects a specific function from a function pool in which predefined functions are stored, the function assigning section may register the selected specific function in the generated product, and if a request to generate a new function which is not present in the predefined function pool is received, the function assigning section may generate function generation information of a function to be generated, add a column for the function to be generated to a function table, and store information regarding the function to be generated. [23] The service assigning section may cause a service of a parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically register a service in the generated product, if a user selects a specific service from a service pool in which predefined services are stored, the service assigning section may register the selected specific service in the generated product, and if a request to generate a new service which is not present in the predefined service pool is received, the service assigning section may generate service generation information of a service to be generated, add a column for the service to be generated to a service table, and store information regarding the service to be generated.

[24] When a new service is generated, the service assigning section may add an attribute to the generated service, register a function, which is an interface for mapping a rule to a product, in the generated service, call a rule to be used for the generated service through the registered function, and map the called rule to the generated service.

[25] The rule engine may generate and compile the source code of the registered function when the product storage section stores the generated product information.

[26] The integrated product development and management system may provide a graphic user interface (GUI) that enables definition of constituent elements of products and combination of the constituent elements in a drag-and-drop manner.

[27] In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a product modeling method for an integrated product development and management system, which automates product development, release, and management. The method includes: a product node generating step of generating product nodes in a hierarchical structure to generate a product; a product attribute assigning step of causing an attribute of a parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically generate the attribute of the generated product, and supporting change of the inherited attribute value and addition of a new attribute; a function assigning step of registering a function, which means an interface for mapping a rule to a product, in the generated product, calling a rule to be used for the generated product through the registered function, and mapping the called rule to the generated product; a service assigning step of registering a service to be used for the generated product in the generated product; and a product storing step of storing the process results of the product attribute assigning step, the function assigning step, and the service assigning step as the generated product information.

[28] In the product node generating step, a product node may be generated by, in accordance with a request to generate a product node by a user, generating product generation information including the name of a parent node of a product to be generated, the name of a product node to be generated, and a node type, generating a unique key for the product to be generated, and adding a column for the product to be generated to a product table storing a product structure. [29] In the product attribute assigning step, if a user selects a specific attribute from an attribute pool in which predefined attributes are stored, the selected specific attribute may be added as an attribute of the product. [30] In the product attribute assigning step, if a user selects a specific attribute group from an attribute group pool in which attribute groups each having one or more predefined attributes are stored, all attributes in the selected specific attribute group may be added as attributes of the product. [31] The product attribute assigning step may include a step of generating a new attribute in accordance with a user's request and adding the generated attribute to the attribute pool in which predefined attributes are stored. [32] The product attribute assigning step may include a step of grouping one or more predefined attributes to generate a new attribute group in accordance with a user's request and adding the generated attribute group to the attribute group pool in which predefined attribute groups are stored. [33] In the function assigning step, a function of a parent node of the generated product may be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically register a function of the generated product. [34] In the function assigning step, if a user selects a specific function from a function pool in which predefined functions are stored, the selected specific function may be registered as a function to be used for the generated product. [35] The function assigning step may include a step of generating a new function in accordance with a user's request and adding the generated function to the function pool in which predefined functions are stored. [36] In the service assigning step, one or more services constituting a parent node product of the generated product may be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically register services constituting the generated product. [37] The service assigning step may include a step of generating a new service in accordance with a user's request and adding the generated service to a service pool in which predefined services are stored. [38] In the step of adding the service, an attribute may be added for the generated service, a function which means an interface for mapping a rule to a product may be registered for the generated service, a rule to be used for the service may be called through the registered function, and the called rule may be mapped to the generated service. [39] The product storing step may include a step of generating and compiling the source code of the registered function for the generated product. [40] The product attribute assigning step, the function assigning step, and the service assigning step may be performed in an arbitrary order. [41]

Advantageous Effects

[42] In accordance with an embodiment of the integrated product development and management system and the product modeling method of the present invention, the product attributes and the product rules can be integratedly managed, and thus company-widely consistent information can be provided. In addition, products can be defined by combinations of the product attributes and the product rules, and can inherit the attributes and rules of upper- level products. Therefore, flexibility and expansibility of product development can be maximized.

[43] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an intuitive product hierarchical structure in a tree shape, a product modeling environment, and a high- performance architecture can be provided. Therefore, convenient and rapid product development can be achieved. In addition, products can be easily modified and a product shape can be intuitively expressed, and as a result, ease of management/operation can be achieved.

[44] In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, a convenient

UI is provided and an object-oriented approach is adopted. Therefore, rapid product definition can be ensured, and a change in product rule and meta-based product can be promptly reflected in a system without correcting a program. In addition, DB access can be minimized, and thus high performance can be ensured. Furthermore, since the source code of a product rule is generated, a calling a method in a compiled module is not occured when a rule is executed, and as a result, high performance and stability of a system can be ensured.

[45] Further, the system in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention has an optimized architecture for product development and management while having the advantages of existing product management systems. Therefore, product management can be integratedly and easily performed, and business efficiency and productivity can be increased. In addition, products/services can be advanced, and expenses for operating the system related to products can be reduced.

[46]

Brief Description of Drawings

[47] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[48] Fig. 2 is a diagram sequentially showing a product modeling process in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[49] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for generating a product node in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [50] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for adding an attribute group in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [51] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for adding a function in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [52] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for using a function in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [53] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for mapping a function in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [54] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for adding a service in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [55] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a product hierarchical structure in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [56] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a product hierarchical structure in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[57] Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an integrated GUI in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [58] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a product attribute and service definition screen in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [59] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a product rule definition screen in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [60]

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention [61] The objects, technical structure, and advantages of the present invention may be clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. [62] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[63] The term "integrated product development and management system (Product

Factory)" used herein broadly means a system that supports company- wide business by integrating product project, development, sales and analysis, and in a narrow sense, means a product system that manages the shape of a developed product, and provides product information to a transaction system processing contract, deposit and withdrawal, change, cancellation, business management, finance, assets and inspection.

[64] As shown in Fig. 1, an integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: a product modeling section 110 that receives the shape of a product in accordance with a user's instruction through a UI and models a product; a typical information storage section 120 that stores typical information related to the product such as product structure, product attribute, and service being dependent on and constituting the product; an atypical information storage section 130 that stores atypical information to be expressed by rules, such as product rules, condition rules, and process rules; a rule engine 140 that generates the source code of the atypical information; and a deploy manager 150 that delivers and applies product information to a transaction processing system.

[65] The product modeling section 110 plays roles of generating a product node in a hierarchical structure, and defining/combining product attributes such as product conditions, scopes, lists, and the like, and rules such as biz logic structures, calculation expressions, conditional expressions, and the like. The product modeling section 110 includes a product node generating section 111, a product attribute assigning section 112, a function assigning section 113, a service assigning section 114, and a product storage section 115.

[66] In the present invention, the product structure is a hierarchical structure of business areas, product groups, products/services, and product attributes. The product groups are first hierarchically classified, and then the product attributes and the rules are defined and combined to thereby constitute products.

[67] The product node generating section 111 generates a product node in a hierarchical structure in accordance with a request to generate a product node. Specifically, the product node generating section 111 generates product generation information including the name of a parent node of a product to be generated, the name of a product node of the product to be generated, a node type, and the like, generates a unique key for the product to be generated, and adds a column for the product to be generated to a product table for storing a product structure.

[68] The product table is a table for storing a product structure, and may have columns of product name, product ID, product description, parent product ID, node name, product group code, and the like.

[69] If a product node is generated by the product node generating section 111, the product attribute assigning section 112 causes an attribute of a parent node of the corresponding product to be inherited to the corresponding product to thereby automatically generate an attribute of the corresponding product and supports change of an inherited attribute value from the parent node and addition of a new attribute other than the inherited attribute value.

[70] When a new attribute is added, the product attribute assigning section 112 allows a user to use an attribute group pool in which attribute groups each having one or more predefined attributes are stored or an attribute pool in which one or more predefined attributes are stored. That is, the user may select a specific attribute group from the attribute group pool and add a group of attributes to the product together in a drag- and-drop manner, or may select an attribute from the attribute pool and add the selected attribute to the product.

[71] If a request to generate a new attribute group or a new attribute which is not present in the predefined attribute group pool or the predefined attribute pool is input, the product attribute assigning section 112 generates attribute group/attribute generation information including ID, type, description, and the like of an attribute group/attribute to be generated, generates a unique key for the corresponding attribute group/attribute, adds a column for the corresponding attribute group/attribute to an attribute group/ attribute table, and stores corresponding attribute group/attribute information.

[72] The attribute group/attribute table is a table for storing an attribute group/attribute structure, and may have columns of name, ID, description, generation date, update date, and the like.

[73] As described above, the product attribute assigning section 112 plays a role of defining/constituting an attribute group/attribute required for constituting a product. Each attribute may be generated in/deleted from the attribute pool, and may be called from the attribute group and used. All the attributes in the attribute pool are used in the attribute group as occasion demands, and an added/corrected/generated attribute group is used as the constituent element of the product.

[74] The function assigning section 113 plays roles of registering a function in a product, calling a rule to be used for the product through the registered function, and mapping the called rule to the product. Here, the function means an interface for mapping a rule to a product. That is, in order to map a rule to a product, an interface, called a function, is needed. A rule is called through such an interface and used for a product.

[75] Similarly to the inheritance of the attribute, the function assigning section 113 preferably causes a function of the parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the corresponding product to thereby automatically register a function in the corresponding product. In addition, the function assigning section 113 may select and register a function to be used for the generated product from among predefined functions in a function pool.

[76] The function assigning section 113 also plays roles of generating a new function in accordance with a user's request and adding the generated new function to the function pool in which predefined functions are stored. That is, if a request to generate a new function is input, the function assigning section 113 generates function generation information including a function name, a function type, input/output parameters, and the like for a function to be generated, generates a unique key for the corresponding function, adds a column for the corresponding function to a function table, and stores corresponding function information.

[77] The function table is a table for storing a function structure, and may have columns of function name, function ID, description, parent product ID, node name, product group code, and the like.

[78] Similarly to the product attribute assigning section 112 and the function assigning section 113, the service assigning section 114 causes a service of the parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the corresponding product to thereby automatically register a service in the corresponding product, and registers, in the generated product, a service to be used for the generated product from among predefined services in a service pool. Specifically, when a request to generate a new service is input, the service assigning section 114 generates service generation information including service ID, service type, service description, and the like for a service to be generated, generates a unique key for the corresponding service, adds a column for the corresponding service to a service table, and stores corresponding service information.

[79] The service table is a table for importing and storing necessary information from the attributes and the functions when a service is added, and may have columns of service name, service ID, description, service generation date, update date, and the like.

[80] In the present invention, the service basically has the same tree structure as the product, and is inherited only to the product and used. That is, the service may be defined as a sub-product for constituting a product. Each service has an attribute and a function, like the product, and is present just as the constituent element of the product.

[81] As described above, the service has an attribute and a function like the product.

Therefore, when a new service is generated, the service assigning section 114 plays roles of adding an attribute to the generated service, registering a function, which is an interface for mapping a rule to a product, in the generated service, calling a rule to be used for the generated service through the registered function, and mapping the called rule to the generated service. [82] Process result data of the product attribute assigning section 112, the function assigning section 113, and the service assigning section 114 for product generation is maintained in the UI until a product is completed and stored. If product modeling is completed, the product storage section 115 stores the process results of the product attribute assigning section 112, the function assigning section 113, and the service assigning section 114 as corresponding product information.

[83] The typical information storage section 120 is a repository that stores typical information of products, such as product structures, product attributes, and services being dependent on and constituting products. The atypical information storage section 130 is a repository that stores atypical information, which means rules for the products, such as product rules, condition rules, process rules, and the like.

[84] As described above, the integrated product development and management system

100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes both the typical information storage section 120 and the atypical information storage section 130, thereby integratedly defining and managing typical information and atypical information.

[85] The rule engine 140 is an engine that generates the source code of atypical information to be expressed by a rule, and generates and compiles the source code of the function when product information is stored.

[86] The deploy manager 150 delivers product information generated and managed by the integrated product development and management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention to a transaction processing system (new contract system, demand and supply system, business support system, and the like). Specifically, after product modeling is completed, if a simulation is performed to confirm the attribute defining a product and the operation of the rule, and a completed product is recognized as being placed on the market, the deploy manager 150 deploys the corresponding product to an operating server or a transaction processing system.

[87] A product modeling process by the integrated product development and management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 2 to 8.

[88] Fig. 2 is a diagram sequentially showing a product modeling process in an integrated product development and management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for generating a product node in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for adding an attribute group in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for adding a function in an integrated product de- velopment and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for using a function in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for mapping a function in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for adding a service in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[89] In the integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the products are constituted by tree nodes on an object-based architecture, and visual modeling is supported. The attributes, functions, and services are defined in the individual pools, and thus the products can be modeled by reusing the predefined attributes, functions, and services in the pools.

[90] In the product modeling process, first, a product node is generated (S 111).

[91] As shown in Fig. 3, if a request to generate a new product at a specific node (product node or product group node) is input, the integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention outputs a window to which information regarding a product to be generated, such as type, name, code, description, parent node information, and the like of a product to be generated are input.

[92] In this case, the parent node information is automatically input. If necessary information is input, product generation information including a parent node name, a corresponding node name, a node type (product, product group), and the like is generated. The corresponding node is present as a child node of the parent node and a tree structure is visualized.

[93] If the product node is generated, procedures for assigning product attribute, function, and service are performed.

[94] The product attribute is basically inherited from the parent node. However, the user may change the inherited attribute value or add a new attribute group or a new attribute through a UI on a screen shown in Fig. 4 (Sl 12). In this case, as shown in Fig. 4, if the user selects and adds an attribute group having a plurality of attributes, a plurality of attributes in the corresponding attribute group are added to the corresponding product together.

[95] Meanwhile, when an attribute group/attribute to be used for the product is not defined in the attribute group/attribute pool, the user may define a new attribute group/ attribute.

[96] If an attribute is assigned, as shown in Fig. 5, a procedure for adding a function to the corresponding product is performed (Sl 13). A function to be used for the product is predefined in the function pool. As shown in Fig. 5, the user may select and add a function to be used for the corresponding product from among functions in the function pool, or may define a new function. When a new function is defined, a corresponding function column is added to the function table, and a unique key for the function is automatically generated.

[97] As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the use or mapping of a function is performed with reference to the function pool. When a function to be added to the corresponding product is defined in the function pool, the corresponding function is registered in the corresponding product, the product and the function are defined to be associated with each other, and input/output mapping of the rule and the function is performed. If a function to be added is not defined, a new function is generated and registered in the function pool, and is then registered in the product.

[98] Next, if a function is defined and added, a procedure for adding a service to a product is performed through a screen shown in Fig. 8 (Sl 14).

[99] Similarly to the attribute or function, a service to be used for the corresponding product is predefined in the service pool. If a service to be used for the corresponding product is not defined, a new service may be defined. In this case, a newly defined service column is added to the service table, and a unique key is automatically generated. The service basically has the same tree structure as the product, and is dependent only on the product.

[100] Result data including the attribute, function, and service assigned for the generated product is maintained in the UI until the product is stored. Then, if the user completes product modeling and requests to store the product, information in the UI is stored as information of the corresponding product, and columns are individually added to the attribute, function, and service tables (Sl 15). During the product storage process, in the case of a function, compiling and registration are performed after the source code is generated.

[101] Hereinafter, a further description will be provided for the integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figs. 9 to 13.

[102] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a product hierarchical structure in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a product hierarchical structure in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an integrated GUI in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a product attribute and service definition screen in an integrated product development and management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a product rule definition screen in an integrated product development and management system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[103] As shown in Fig. 9, in the integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the product structure has a hierarchical structure of business areas, product groups, products/services, and product attributes. After the products are hierarchically classified, the product attributes and rules are defined and combined to constitute the products.

[104] The business area means a business that is being independently conducted or to be conducted by a company and a subsidiary company. In the case of a bank, as shown in Fig. 10, the business area may be "banking".

[105] The product group is dependent on each business area, and means a product type that is identified in accordance with a difference in constituent element between the products. The product group is a template constituent unit for registering a product. As the product group capable of being dependent on the business area "banking", "bank account" may be exemplified, as shown in Fig. 10. In addition, "budget", "fund", and the like may be assigned as the product groups.

[106] The product/service is dependent on each product group, and means material/ immaterial product to be generated for commercial transaction. The product/service is a basic unit of customer's selection/purchase. In this case, the products include single products, compound products, and package products.

[107] Finally, the product attribute which is typical information constituting a product becomes a minimum unit constituting a product. The product rule means atypical information that expresses relations between product attributes and rules. As shown in Fig. 10, in the case of 'long-term housing savings', the product attributes may be requirements, period, monthly payment, interest, and the like. If the relations between the attributes and the rules are defined, a product is completed.

[108] Meanwhile, the integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention provides a convenient integrated graphic user interface (GUI) that enables definition of constituent elements of a product and combination of the constituent elements in a drag-and-drop manner.

[109] Referring to Fig. 11, the integrated product development and management system

100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention provides a product tree which is in a tree structure for intuitively showing the inheritance relation between the products. Each node is classified by a product group/product, and products having the substantially same features are managed in the form of a product group. [110] The service is dependent on the product, and means a concept of a sub-product for expressing a compound product. Similarly to the product, the service has a tree structure. Therefore, the inheritance relation between the services may be defined, and each service may be added to a window for product edition in a drag-and-drop manner.

[I l l] The window for product edition is a window in which a product can be defined by a combination of services, attribute groups, and rules. From the window, the inherited attribute group and the redefined attribute group can be differentiated on the UI, thereby enabling intuition of the product structure, together with the product tree. The window for product edition also supports substantial attribute value settings of the attributes constituting an added attribute group.

[112] The attribute pool is a pool for defining the attributes constituting each product group. The attribute pool supports various data types, such as Int, String, Boolean, date, and the like, and in the attribute pool, data can be expressed by various methods, such as a list type, a scope type, a meta type, and the like.

[113] The attribute group pool is a pool for defining the attribute group as one of the product constituent elements. In this case, the attribute group can be defined by a combination of predefined attributes. Similarly, the attribute group pool supports a drag-and-drop system.

[114] As shown in Fig. 12, the integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention performs inheritance and resetting by an object-oriented approach, thereby enabling flexible definition of products. Therefore, when a new product is developed, the attributes and rules of an upper- level product can be inherited as they are, and as a result, a product can be conveniently and rapidly developed.

[115] Fig. 13 shows a screen for defining a product rule. When a product is modeled, it is necessary to define a rule in order to process atypical data of the corresponding product.

[116] That is, as shown in Fig. 13, in order to process biz logic for a product, it is necessary to define the product in connection with the rule. An arithmetic operation between product data is performed in association with the predefined rules and the product information. Setting of the relations between products, attributes, services, and rules enables users to easily grasp the relations between the products.

[117] As described above, with respect to the defined product, the integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with the embodiment of the invention supports a function to verify through a simulation whether or not data and rules of the defined product are normally constructed. The product developer preferably grasps the relations between product constituent elements and presence/ absence of an error of the attributes to thereby verify the effectiveness of the product, and completes product development.

[118] Whether to place the developed product on the market or not is decided by decisions of a department for recognition. After final recognition, the product is deployed to the operating server or the transaction processing system.

[119] The product information defined by the integrated product development and management system 100 in accordance with the embodiment of the invention may be accessed by three methods in terms of application development. For example, in the case of the product attributes, an access may be performed through an API. In the case of the product rules, the source codes of the product rules may be generated and an access to the source codes may be performed through an API. The whole product tree and attribute may be generated in the XML and an access thereto may be performed based on the XQuery.

[120] In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, when a product is modeled, a product node is generated, a product attribute group/attribute, a function, and a service are sequentially assigned in that order, and a product is stored. However, this order is just for illustrative. The attribute group/attribute assignment, the function assignment, and the service assignment may be performed in an arbitrary order.

[121] As described above, the embodiment has been described in the specification and the drawings. The specific terms used herein are just illustrative, but they are not intended to limit the subject matter of the present invention or the scope of the present invention described in the attached claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalents may be made. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims rather than the description and the drawings.

[122]

[123]

Claims

[1] An integrated product development and management system that automates product development and management, the system comprising: a typical information storage section that stores typical information for products; an atypical information storage section that stores atypical information (Rule) indicating rules for products; a product modeling section that generates product nodes in a hierarchical structure, and models products by defining/combining the typical information stored in the typical information storage section and the atypical information sto red in the atypical information storage section; a rule engine that generates a source code of the atypical information; and a deploy manager that delivers and applies product information developed and managed by the integrated product development and management system to a transaction processing system.

[2] The system of claim 1, wherein the product modeling section includes: a product node generating section that generates the product nodes in the hierarchical structure to generate a product; a product attribute assigning section that causes the attribute of a parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically generate the attribute of the generated product, and supports change of the inherited attribute value and addition of a new attribute; a function assigning section that registers a function, which means an interface for mapping a rule to a product, in the generated product, calls a rule to be used for the generated product through the registered function, and maps the called rule to the generated product; a service assigning section that registers a service to be used for the generated product in the generated product; and a product storage section that stores the process results of the product attribute assigning section, the function assigning section, and the service assigning section as the generated product information.

[3] The system of claim 2, wherein the product node generating section generates a product node by, in accordance with a request to generate a product node, generating product generation information including the name of a parent node of a product to be generated, the name of a product node to be generated, and a node type, generating a unique key for the product to be generated, and adding a column for the product to be generated to a product table storing a product structure.

[4] The system of claim 1, wherein the typical information includes at least one of product structures, product attributes and services being dependent on and constituting products.

[5] The system of claim 2, wherein, if a user selects a specific attribute group from an attribute group pool in which attribute groups each having one or more predefined attributes are stored, the product attribute assigning section adds all attributes included in the selected specific attribute group to the generated product, and if a request to generate a new attribute group which is not present in the predefined attribute group pool is received, the product attribute assigning section generates attribute group generation information of an attribute group to be generated, adds a column for the attribute group to be generated to an attribute group table, and stores information regarding the attribute group to be generated.

[6] The system of claim 1, wherein the atypical information includes at least one of product rules, condition rules, and process rules.

[7] The system of claim 2, wherein, if a user selects a specific attribute from an attribute pool in which predefined attributes are stored, the product attribute assigning section adds the selected specific attribute to the generated product, and if a request to generate a new attribute which is not present in the predefined attribute pool is received, the product attribute assigning section generates attribute generation information of an attribute to be generated, adds a column for the attribute to be generated to an attribute table, and stores information regarding the attribute to be generated.

[8] The system of claim 2, wherein the function assigning section causes a function of a parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically register a function in the generated product, if a user selects a specific function from a function pool in which predefined functions are stored, the function assigning section registers the selected specific function in the generated product, and if a request to generate a new function which is not present in the predefined function pool is received, the function assigning section generates function generation information of a function to be generated, adds a column for the function to be generated to a function table, and stores information regarding the function to be generated.

[9] The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical structure includes at least one of business areas, product groups, products/services, and product attributes.

[10] The system of claim 2, wherein the service assigning section causes a service of a parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically register a service in the generated product, if a user selects a specific service from a service pool in which predefined services are stored, the service assigning section registers the selected specific service in the generated product, and if a request to generate a new service which is not present in the predefined service pool is received, the service assigning section generates service generation information of a service to be generated, adds a column for the service to be generated to a service table, and stores information regarding the service to be generated.

[11] The system of claim 10, wherein, when a new service is generated, the service assigning section adds an attribute to the generated service, registers a function, which is an interface for mapping a rule to a product, in the generated service, calls a rule to be used for the generated service through the registered function, and maps the called rule to the generated service.

[12] The system of claim 2, wherein the rule engine generates and compiles the source code of the registered function when the product storage section stores the generated product information.

[13] The system of claim 1, wherein the integrated product development and management system provides a graphic user interface (GUI) that enables definition of constituent elements of products and combination of the constituent elements in a drag-and-drop manner.

[14] A product modeling method for an integrated product development and management system, which automates product development and management, the method comprising: a product node generating step of generating product nodes in a hierarchical structure to generate a product; a product attribute assigning step of causing an attribute of a parent node of the generated product to be inherited to the generated product to thereby automatically generate the attribute of the generated product, and supporting change of the inherited attribute value and addition of a new attribute; a function assigning step of registering a function, which means an interface for mapping a rule to a product, in the generated product, calling a rule to be used for the generated product through the registered function, and mapping the called rule to the generated product; a service assigning step of registering a service to be used for the generated product in the generated product; and a product storing step of storing the process results of the product attribute assigning step, the function assigning step, and the service assigning step as the generated product information.

[15] The method of claim 14, wherein the product attribute assigning step, the function assigning step, and the service assigning step are performed in an arbitrary order.