Understanding Tivoli Process Automation Engine (TPAE) and Base Services

Limited Documentation

Tivoli Process Automation Engine (TPAE)

The Tivoli Process Automation Engine (TPAE), also called Base Services, is a collection of core Java classes that can be used as a base to build Java applications. The benefit of using the TPAE architecture (also called Base Services) is that core functionality used in many Java applications does not need to be coded by the applications. Each application relies upon base classes to provide core functionality rather than having to code it into each application. The TPAE layer can be considered a form of middle-ware in that in some ways, it is not directly used as an application by the end user; however, just as a WebSphere administrator will use the console to configure security and other aspects of the configuration, base functionality is accessed through the application user interface (UI). Some of this base functionality includes but is not limited to:

Chart of Accounts
Sites
Organizations
Reports
Users
Security Groups
Work Flow
Administrative Applications
Configuration Application

The following applications are TPAE applications but as the offering expands, may not be a complete list of all TPAE applications.

Maximo Asset Management (MAM)
Tivoli Service Request Manager (TSRM)
Tivoli Asset Management for IT (TAMIT)
Change and Configuration Management Database (CCMDB)

An application that is built on TPAE uses the base system security tools for user, role, and group management and may take advantage of many of the robust features included in the base classes. Some of these features include but are not limited to:

Integration Framework (IF also called MEA)
Custom cron task scheduling and processing
Custom workflow processing
Custom escalation processing
Custom email listeners
Birt J2EE reporting
Application Server Security Integration (LDAP)
Dynamic data retrieval
Electronic signature enablement
Extensive application customization capability (without coding)
And more……

A graphic representation of the TPAE architecture shows below.