The goal of this dissertation is to examine how far IT processes can be understood using a specific example applying a software-package for securities trading.

Doing so, the restrictions and requirements of this software and of the used hardware (such as stability, net load, applied technologies) have to be considered.

Aggravating circumstances are, that this software package, called MeX (Midoffice for electronic exchanges), carries out a technology jump with the new Release 3. Thus the requirements had to be worked out on the basis of MeX-2, while MeX-3 also served as a base.

Building on the actual state and on the requirements, we have developed ideas and solutions how first processes can be understand and second how technical restrictions can be dealt with.

Based on these thoughts prototypes were analyzed, designed and implemented. In explanation, such a prototype is an API for the connection to MeX-3, a server which is responsible for the examination, processing and storage of the data, and a monitor for the display of the data and the calculation of dependencies among messages.

Further the API and the server were embedded in MeX-3 and its technology (Java, EJB, CMP, asynchronous communication) and an Oracle database was designed and implemented in order to allow for persistent storage of the data and to act as an interface between server and monitor.