Flexible and dynamic policies for assessment execution

• US 20030135476A1
• Filed: 01/29/2003
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Le, Vu Anh Minh, Holland, Paul Edward, McDowell, Mark William, Dineen, Paul Laurence
• Application Number:
  US10/353,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135476A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/922 Computer program preparation

Abstract

A computer implemented method, software, and system that provides for a flexible definition of an assessment task including data services by providing a policy that defines a sequence of one or more data services, and associating an assessment task with the policy. An assessment framework executes the assessment task by performing the sequence of one of more data services defined in the policy. The policy is stored in a policy database and the assessment type is stored in an analyzer database and/or an audit request database.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of providing for a flexible definition of an assessment task including data services, comprising:

providing a policy that defines a sequence of one or more data services; and

associating an assessment task with the policy,

wherein an assessment framework executes the assessment task by performing the sequence of one of more data services defined in the policy.

2. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising providing an assessment type that refers to the policy, wherein the assessment task is associated with the policy by reference to the assessment type.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the policy is stored in a policy database and the assessment type and assessment task is stored in an analyzer database and/or an audit request database.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 3, wherein the policy is stored in the policy database in XML format in an XML descriptor file.

5. The computer implemented method according claim 1, wherein each data service is implemented by data service class.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 5, wherein the data service class comprises an audit class and a data reporter class.

7. The computer implemented method according to claim 5, wherein, during execution of the assessment task, the data service class is dynamically instantiated by the assessment framework.

8. The computer implemented method according to claim 7, wherein a data service is associated with a set of one or more properties in the policy.

9. The computer implemented method according to claim 8, wherein the data service class is instantiated with the set of properties associated with the data service in the policy.

10. The computer implemented method according to claim 9, wherein policy comprises a data service comprising a data reporter class associated with a property that specifies a formatting for an output from the data reporter class.

11. The computer implemented method according to claim 10, wherein the property specifies an XSLT stylesheet.

12. A computer readable medium having program code recorded thereon for providing for a flexible definition of an assessment task including data services, the program code configured to cause a computing system to perform the steps comprising:

providing a policy that defines a sequence of one or more data services; and

associating an assessment task with the policy,

wherein an assessment framework executes the assessment task by performing the sequence of one of more data services defined in the policy.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the program code is configured to cause a computing system to perform the steps further comprising providing an assessment type that refers to the policy, wherein the assessment task is associated with the policy by reference to the assessment type.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the policy is stored in a policy database and the assessment type is stored in an analyzer database and/or an audit request database.

15. An assessment task definition system comprising:

a policy definition unit for defining policies comprising a sequence of one or more data services;

a policy database for storing policies; and

an assessment task definition unit for defining assessment tasks by associating assessment tasks with policies,

wherein an assessment framework executes the respective assessment tasks by performing the sequence of one of more data services defined in the respective policies.

16. The assessment task definition system according to claim 15, wherein the assessment task definition unit provides access to assessment types that refer to respective policies, wherein the assessment tasks are defined by reference to the assessment types.

17. The assessment task definition system according to claim 16, wherein the assessment tasks and the assessment types are stored in an analyzer database and/or an audit request database.

18. An assessment task definition system comprising:

means for defining a policy that comprises a sequence of one or more data services; and

means for associating an assessment task with a policy, wherein an assessment framework executes the assessment task by performing the sequence of one or more data services defined in the policy.

19. The assessment task definition system according to claim 18, further comprising:

means for defining an assessment type that refers to the policy, wherein the assessment task is associated with the policy by reference to the assessment type.

20. The assessment task definition system according to claim 19, further comprising means for storing the policy and means for storing the assessment task and the assessment type.