Automatic task generator method and system

• US 20040249856A1
• Filed: 06/06/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Walters, Robert, Garden, Euan
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An automatic task generation mechanism provides generation of tasks such as maintenance tasks for a computer system. A set of tasks is set up along with rules for performing the tasks. The rules may be associated with metadata that allow the tasks to be mapped to the tasks. Events may be detected that are related to database operations such as a create, modify, delete or add command. Upon event detection by the system, the system may store the event and associated metadata. Another process may query the event and metadata storage and compare those items to the rules previously set up. If there is a match between the rules and the event, one or more tasks may be established which correspond to an action that is desired to be taken. The task may then be inserted into a computer system for subsequent execution.

Claims

1. A method for generating tasks for a database management system, the method comprising:

detecting an event that operates on the database management system;

storing an event indicator with associated metadata wherein the event indicator corresponds to the detected event;

matching the event indicator and the associated metadata with rules which utilize database object metadata, the rules referencing system tasks; and

generating specific tasks based on the rules matching to the event indicator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the system tasks using at least one of a user interface and a programmatic interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the database object metadata comprises one or more of size, location, users, language, number of files, fee space, and custom attributes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein storing an event indicator comprises storing the event indicator with associated metadata in a queue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching comprises:

retrieving the event indicator with associated metadata;

retrieving the rules; and

comparing the event indicator and associated metadata with the rules to detect a match between the event indicator and the rules.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific tasks comprise at least one database management system command that corresponds to at least one of the system tasks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the database management system is a SQL-based database management system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific tasks are Transact-SQL commands for directing operations on a SQL database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific tasks comprise at least one of a hardware command and a software command directed towards at least one of a database management function and a non-database management function.

10. A system for generating tasks for a database management system, the system comprising:

a first computer for executing software for generating the tasks,

at least one memory media wherein rules and system tasks for operation on database objects are stored; and

software media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing operations comprising;

detecting an event that operates on the database management system;

storing an event indicator with associated metadata wherein the event indicator corresponds to the detected event;

matching the event indicator and the associated metadata with rules which utilize database object metadata, the rules referencing system tasks; and

generating specific tasks based on the rules matching to the event indicator.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the software comprises a first module for performing the detecting and storing acts and a second module for performing the comparing and generating acts.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first module and the second module are resident on the first computer and a second computer respectively.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising at least one of a user interface and a programmatic interface to provide an input for the rules and the system tasks.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the specific tasks comprise at least one of a database management system command and a non-database system command.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second computer for execution of the matching and generating acts.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the database management system is aSQL based database management system.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the specific tasks are Transact-SQL commands for directing operations on a SQL database.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the specific tasks comprise activating at least one of a hardware function and a software function.

19. A computer-readable medium, having computer-executable instructions, for performing a method of generating specific tasks, the method comprising:

detecting an event that operates on a database management system;

storing an event indicator with associated metadata wherein the event indicator corresponds to the detected event;

matching the event indicator and the associated metadata with rules which utilize database object metadata, the rules referencing system tasks; and

generating the specific tasks based on the rules corresponding to the event indicator.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the database object metadata comprises one or more of size, location, users, language, number of files, fee space, and custom attributes.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein storing the event comprises storing the event and associated metadata in a queue.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein matching the event indicator comprises:

retrieving the stored event indicator and the associated metadata;

retrieving the rules; and

comparing the event indicator and associated metadata with the rules to detect a match between the event indicator and the rules.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the specific tasks comprise at least one of a database management system command and a non database management system command.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the database management system is a SQL based database management system.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the specific tasks are Transact-SQL commands for directing operations on a SQL database.

26. A system for generating tasks for a database management system, the system comprising:

a computer comprising a database management system;

an interface to receive at least one system task and at least one rule related to the at lest one system task;

a memory to store the at least one system task and the at least one rule;

an event detector to detect a database event;

an event queue to register a database event indictor and related metadata wherein the event indicator corresponds to the database event;

a server agent to sense a registration of the database event indicator and the related metadata and to compare the registration with the at least one rule; and

a task generator to produce commands;

wherein if the server agent matches the registration of the database event indicator with the at least one rule, the task generator generates commands based on the at least one rule wherein the at least one rule corresponds to the at least one system task.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the database management system is a SQL database management system.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the commands are Transact-SQL commands directed towards execution within the database management system.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the commands comprise at least one of a hardware command and a software command directed towards at least one of a database management function and a non-database management function.