Software Engines

Per Wikipedia, a software engine is  defined as follows:  "A software engine is a core component of a complex software system." The article provides some examples of software engines such as: chess engines, database engine, search engine, reasoning engine, recommendations engine, and a handful of others.

Spiceworks defines a software engine thus which has more meat on the bone: "A software engine is defined as a core component of a software application that powers its functionality by pre-packaging complex systems into a reusable component that often works in a plug-and-play model to streamline software development."

Effectively, think about the "make" or "buy" decision when you think software engine.  Do you want to write the code necessary to meet the needs of a system or do you want to buy a piece of existing software that meets the needs?  

An example is a relational database engine.  No body really builds their own data storage mechanisms any more; they buy existing software like Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle or use something like PostgreSQL.

Software engines have a basket of "pros" and "cons"; as does writing your own code or even building your own software engine.

An XBRL processor is a software engine that specializes in working with "stuff" that exists in the XBRL format.  But, an XBRL processor only focuses on XBRL.

Something like a standard XBRL-based digital financial report processor would specialize in more than just the XBRL aspect of a financial report.  It also deals with the complexities of a financial report within the engine.

And so a software engine deals with a "package" of fundamental, common, complex critical tasks in the form of a reusable component or manageable unit of software.  A software engine is effectively a problem solving system and the more that system does, the less software developers need to do.  All the necessary pieces need to be included in a software engine.  The advantages of a software engine include:

  • Modularity and Reusability: Software engines encapsulate very specific functionality, making it easier to reuse them across different software projects. Developers can integrate engines into multiple applications without reinventing the wheel.
  • Efficiency: Software engines optimize performance by handling complex tasks efficiently. Because software engines are used on many different projects they are fine-tuned for specific purposes, resulting in better resource utilization and efficiency.
  • Consistency: When using software engines, developers adhere to consistent patterns and practices. This consistency enhances code quality and maintainability.  Also, when a software engine is a standards-based software engine; there is even more consistency.
  • Specialization: Software engines can focus on specific domains or areas of interest. This specialization allows them to excel in their designated areas. They do only that one set of tasks, but they do those tasks very well.
  • Metadata handling: Many software engines incorporate metadata, which defines how real data is processed. This metadata-driven approach enables flexibility and adaptability.
  • Tuning capabilities: Unlike one-off software modules, software engines can be tuned for optimal performance without extensive rewriting.

Open source software engines offer even more advantages.  Each software developer writing their own code for doing common tasks, effectively reinventing the wheel, is a poor use of resources.  Consider software engines where it makes sense.

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