An innovative method for data and software integration in SaaS

Recently the main trend in providing software services has been shifting from an ASP (application service provider)-oriented to a SaaS (software as a service). ASP is a software service model in which the service is provided on a one by one basis according its ownership, while SaaS is a software servicemodel inwhich the service is provided virtually on a one by one basis, but physically all at once. In a SaaS environment, all users can access the system via Internet without any software installation—examples include Google and Amazon. Now, more companies are shifting their business software service from ASP to SaaS. However effecting the transition of the existing software and data from ASP to SaaS is not an easy task. First, we have to solve the problem of the integration of data for different forms of software, because each data set consists of different data types. Second, the software integration must support a user customizing interface for various users on the Web. Almost all users want customized services, but those require high costs. In this paper we propose a novel method for transferring the existing business software to integrated software that can be used in the SaaS environment. We use a master table and master code to implement the integrated system. The master table is based on the project master table, and other user information tables are connected to collect the necessary information. All information about the project is stored in each column of the project master table. Themaster table can integrate various software databases. By using this novel methodology, the existingASP-based software anddata can be effectively transferred to the SaaS environment. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.