Methods, systems, and computer program products for automating releases and deployment of a softawre application along the pipeline in continuous release and deployment of software application delivery models

• US 10,656,927 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2017
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Hawrylo, Kathryn, Gorostiza, Michele, Desai, Chetan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Junchun
• Application Number:
  US15/796,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20190129701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 717177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Various aspects described herein are directed to a method or system that automates the release and deployment of a software application delivery model for the continuous release and deployment of the software application delivery model. These techniques identify a release and pertinent information thereof for a software application delivery model and determine dependencies among at least some of the pertinent information. Tracking records may be generated at least by tracking the release based in part or in whole upon the dependencies. The release or a portion of the release may be advanced from a current stage to a next stage along a release pipeline based in part or in whole upon the tracking records.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automating the release and deployment of a software application delivery model for the continuous release and deployment of the software application delivery model, comprising:

identifying, by a portal comprising computer-executable instructions stored at partially in memory and executed by at least one microprocessor, a release of a software application delivery model and pertinent information describing content of the release, describing activity related to the release, and/or produced during development of the release;

determining dependencies among at least some of the pertinent information, the dependencies defining how components of the release affect other processing;

generating tracking records at least by tracking the release based in part or in whole upon the dependencies;

determining, from the tracking records, that a release activity hindering advancement of the release or a portion of the release is cleared, wherein the release activity is hindering advancement due to work on code for the release being incomplete, and the release activity is cleared in response to the work on the code being completed; and

advancing the release or the portion of the release from a current stage to a next stage along a release pipeline in response to the determining that the release activity is cleared.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the dependencies comprises:

clustering the at least some of the pertinent information into one or more clusters;

determining at least some of the dependencies using the one or more clusters; and

identifying a plurality of artifacts, one or more code modules, the release activity, or relevant information associated with the release.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein determining the dependencies further comprises:

identifying one or more version identifiers or one or more synonyms for the plurality of artifacts, the one or more code modules, the release activity, or the relevant information; and

determining some or all of the dependencies based in part or in whole upon the one or more version identifiers, the one or more synonyms, or code scanning.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein determining the some or all of the dependencies comprises:

identifying a release activity or first information pertaining to the release; and

identifying one or more version identifiers or one or more common identifiers pertaining to the release activity or the first information.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein determining the some or all of the dependencies further comprises:

identifying a set of artifacts or code modules that has been branched into a boxset based in part or in whole upon the one or more version identifiers or the one or more common identifiers; and

identifying identifiers or synonyms of the set of artifacts or code modules from a database that is managed by a release resource module and maintains detailed information of the release.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein determining the some or all of the dependencies further comprises:

determining at least some of the dependencies at least by querying the database to select one or more release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof with the identifiers or the synonyms or by code scanning; and

identifying pertinent release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof into one or more columns in a dependency data structure or in the database.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein determining the some or all of the dependencies comprises:

indexing the dependency data structure or the database with one or more key columns that corresponding to the one or more columns for the pertinent release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the tracking records comprises:

identifying a plurality of tenants corresponding to the release;

identifying a plurality of artifacts, a plurality of code modules, or a combination of one or more artifacts of the plurality of artifacts and one or more code modules of the plurality of code modules;

identifying one or more issues or one or more states with one or more threshold limits; and

classifying the one or more issues or the one or more states into one or more types.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein generating the tracking records comprises:

tracking at least one type of the one or more types to generate and store at least some tracking records of the tracking records; and

executing one or more actions in response to the one or more issues or the one or more states based in part or in whole upon one or more criteria.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein generating the tracking records comprises:

monitoring one or more branching version identifiers for the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination; and

monitoring one or more version identifiers for the one or more branching version identifiers.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein generating the tracking records comprises:

identifying first information pertaining to an issue or a state of the one or more issues or the one or more states; and

identifying or determining one or more dependency relations affecting or affected by the first information.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein generating the tracking records comprises:

determining a priority level for the issue or the state based at least in part upon the one or more dependency relations; and

identifying the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination one or more artifacts and one or more code modules corresponding to the one or more branching version identifiers.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein generating the tracking records comprises:

tracking one or more states of the branching version identifiers, the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination one or more artifacts and one or more code modules for the issue or the state; and

identifying a first set of one or more artifacts, one or more code modules, or a combination of at least one artifact and at least one code module based in part or in whole upon a triggering event based in part or in whole upon one or more states.

14. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer accessible storage medium having stored thereupon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor or at least one processor core executing one or more threads, causes the at least one processor or the at least one processor core to perform a set of acts for automating the release and deployment of a software application delivery model for the continuous release and deployment of the software application delivery model, the set of acts comprising:

identifying, by a portal comprising computer-executable instructions stored at partially in memory and executed by at least one microprocessor, a release of a software application delivery model and pertinent information describing content of the release, describing activity related to the release, and/or produced during development of the release;

determining dependencies among at least some of the pertinent information, the dependencies defining how components of the release affect other processing;

generating tracking records at least by tracking the release based in part or in whole upon the dependencies;

determining, from the tracking records, that a release activity hindering advancement of the release or a portion of the release is cleared, wherein the release activity is hindering advancement due to work on code for the release being incomplete, and the release activity is cleared in response to the work on the code being completed; and

advancing the release or the portion of the release from a current stage to a next stage along a release pipeline in response to the determining that the release activity is cleared.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

clustering the at least some of the pertinent information into one or more clusters;

determining at least some of the dependencies using the one or more clusters; and

identifying a plurality of artifacts, one or more code modules, the release activity, or relevant information associated with the release.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

identifying one or more version identifiers or one or more synonyms for the plurality of artifacts, the one or more code modules, the release activity, or the relevant information;

determining some or all of the dependencies based in part or in whole upon the one or more version identifiers, the one or more synonyms, or code scanning;

identifying a release activity or first information pertaining to the release; and

identifying one or more version identifiers or one or more common identifiers pertaining to the release activity or the first information.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

identifying a set of artifacts or code modules that has been branched into a boxset based in part or in whole upon the one or more version identifiers or the one or more common identifiers;

identifying identifiers or synonyms of the set of artifacts or code modules from a database that is managed by a release resource module and maintains detailed information of the release; and

determining at least some of the dependencies at least by querying the database to select one or more release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof with the identifiers or the synonyms or by code scanning.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

identifying pertinent release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof into one or more columns in a dependency data structure or in the database; and

indexing the dependency data structure or the database with one or more key columns that corresponding to the one or more columns for the pertinent release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

identifying a plurality of tenants corresponding to the release;

identifying a plurality of artifacts, a plurality of code modules, or a combination of one or more artifacts of the plurality of artifacts and one or more code modules of the plurality of code modules;

identifying one or more issues or one or more states with one or more threshold limits; and

classifying the one or more issues or the one or more states into one or more types.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

tracking at least one type of the one or more types to generate and store at least some tracking records of the tracking records;

executing one or more actions in response to the one or more issues or the one or more states based in part or in whole upon one or more criteria;

monitoring one or more branching version identifiers for the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination; and

monitoring one or more version identifiers for the one or more branching version identifiers.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

identifying first information pertaining to an issue or a state of the one or more issues or the one or more states;

identifying or determining one or more dependency relations affecting or affected by the first information;

determining a priority level for the issue or the state based at least in part upon the one or more dependency relations;

identifying the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination one or more artifacts and one or more code modules corresponding to the one or more branching version identifiers.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

tracking one or more states of the branching version identifiers, the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination one or more artifacts and one or more code modules for the issue or the state; and

identifying a first set of one or more artifacts, one or more code modules, or a combination of at least one artifact and at least one code module based in part or in whole upon a triggering event.

23. A system for automating the release and deployment of a software application delivery model for the continuous release and deployment of the software application delivery model, comprising:

a plurality of modules, at least one of which is stored at least partially in memory and comprises at least one microprocessor including one or more processor cores executing one or more threads;

a non-transitory computer accessible storage medium storing thereupon program code that includes a sequence of instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor, causes the at least one microprocessor at least to;

identify, by a portal comprising computer-executable instructions stored at partially in memory and executed by at least one microprocessor, a release of a software application delivery model and pertinent information describing content of the release, describing activity related to the release, and/or produced during development of the release;

determine dependencies among at least some of the pertinent information, the dependencies defining how components of the release affect other processing;

generate tracking records at least by tracking the release based in part or in whole upon the dependencies;

determine, from the tracking records, that a release activity hindering advancement of the release or a portion of the release is cleared, wherein the release activity is hindering advancement due to work on code for the release being incomplete, and the release activity is cleared in response to the work on the code being completed; and

advance the release or the portion of the release from a current stage to a next stage along a release pipeline in response to the determining that the release activity is cleared.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the program code includes further instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor or processor core, cause the at least one processor or processor core at least further to:

cluster the at least some of the pertinent information into one or more clusters;

determine at least some of the dependencies using the one or more clusters;

identify a plurality of artifacts, one or more code modules, the release activity, or relevant information associated with the release;

identify one or more version identifiers or one or more synonyms for the plurality of artifacts, the one or more code modules, the release activity, or the relevant information; and

determine some or all of the dependencies based in part or in whole upon the one or more version identifiers, the one or more synonyms, or code scanning.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the program code includes further instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor or processor core, cause the at least one processor or processor core at least further to:

identify a release activity or first information pertaining to the release; and

identify one or more version identifiers or one or more common identifiers pertaining to the release activity or the first information;

identify a set of artifacts or code modules that has been branched into a boxset based in part or in whole upon the one or more version identifiers or the one or more common identifiers; and

identify identifiers or synonyms of the set of artifacts or code modules from a database that is managed by a release resource module and maintains detailed information of the release.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the program code includes further instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor or processor core, cause the at least one processor or processor core at least further to:

determine at least some of the dependencies at least by querying the database to select one or more release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof with the identifiers or the synonyms or by code scanning; and

identify pertinent release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof into one or more columns in a dependency data structure or in the database;

index the dependency data structure or the database with one or more key columns that corresponding to the one or more columns for the pertinent release activities, artifacts, code modules, or a combination thereof.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the program code includes further instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor or processor core, cause the at least one processor or processor core at least further to:

identify a plurality of tenants corresponding to the release;

identify a plurality of artifacts, a plurality of code modules, or a combination of one or more artifacts of the plurality of artifacts and one or more code modules of the plurality of code modules;

identify one or more issues or one or more states with one or more threshold limits; and

classify the one or more issues or the one or more states into one or more types.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the program code includes further instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor or processor core, cause the at least one processor or processor core at least further to:

track at least one type of the one or more types to generate and store at least some tracking records of the tracking records;

execute one or more actions in response to the one or more issues or the one or more states based in part or in whole upon one or more criteria;

monitor one or more branching version identifiers for the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination; and

monitor one or more version identifiers for the one or more branching version identifiers.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the program code includes further instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor or processor core, cause the at least one processor or processor core at least further to:

identify first information pertaining to an issue or a state of the one or more issues or the one or more states;

identify or determining one or more dependency relations affecting or affected by the first information; and

determine a priority level for the issue or the state based at least in part upon the one or more dependency relations.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the program code includes further instructions that, when executed by the at least one microprocessor or processor core, cause the at least one processor or processor core at least further to:

identify the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination one or more artifacts and one or more code modules corresponding to the one or more branching version identifiers;

track one or more states of the branching version identifiers, the plurality of artifacts, the plurality of code modules, or the combination one or more artifacts and one or more code modules for the issue or the state; and

identify a first set of one or more artifacts, one or more code modules, or a combination of at least one artifact and at least one code module based in part or in whole upon a triggering event.