Capture, aggregation and/or visualization of structural data of architectures

• US 20050138160A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Stolz, Eckehard, Klein, Frederic M., Rebentisch, Rupert
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

Computerised techniques, systems, and computer program products for a structured, hierarchical model for capturing, aggregating, and/or visualizing structural data of architectures of technical equipment (e.g., IT architectures). The techniques, systems and/or computer program products may include at least one data capture engine adapted to capture and aggregate data based on a structured, hierarchical model; a display engine to generate a plurality of different displays of the captured data in dependency of the structured hierarchical model, where the data capture engine includes at least one database to store the data according to the structured, hierarchical model.

Claims

1. A computerized information system for capturing, aggregating, and visaizing structural data representing an architecture, the system comprising:

at least one data capture engine configured to capture data based on a hierarchical model representing the architecture and aggregate data based on the hierarchical model; and

a display engine configured to generate a plurality of different displays representing the architecture, the displays comprising the aggregated data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises at least one database configured to store the hierarchical model, the at least one database comprising tables that correspond to the structure of the hierarchical model.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the hierarchical model comprises one or more types of nodes and the tables that correspond to the structure of the hierarchical model comprise:

a model table configured to comprise one or more attributes of the hierarchical model;

a Node_Class table configured to comprise information related to the types of nodes in the hierarchical model; and

a Node table configured to comprise a definition of each node within the hierarchical model and hierarchy information for each node corresponding to relationship of each node to the hierarchical model.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the model table, the Node_Class table and the Node table a linked to each other by a plurality of strong links, each strong link defining one or more dependencies of data in a first set of one or more tables to data in a second set of one or more tables, each strong link defining the underlying structure of the hierarchical model.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the hierarchical model further comprises:

an Nclass_Group table configured to comprise information defining a group of the types of nodes in the hierarchical model within the Node_Class table that build a pool of nodes within a mapping;

a Domain table configured to comprise information defining data element types da belong to a node, data element types that belong to a mapping, and data structures stored within the hierarchical model;

an Attribute table configured to comprise operational data associated with a node and operational data associated with a mapping;

a Display table configured to comprise information defining a graphical representation of a specific view of the hierarchical model;

a Shape table configured to comprise one or more graphical parameters defining how node information is displayed, wherein the node information comprises the specification of a position, a size, a shape, and a background;

a Range table configured to comprise color information corresponding to shapes for displaying a shape as part of a query result;

a Query table configured to comprise display information defining how a result of an SQL statement executed on the hierarchical model is displayed;

a Widget table configured to comprise layout information defining a layout of the nodes; and

a Tree table configured to comprise information defining how to build a tree page based on the Widget table.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a graphical user interface engine configured to generate graphical user interface screens based on the hierarchical model, the graphical user interface screens comprising:

one or more data attributes from the hierarchical model; and

operational data from the hierarchical model.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphical user interface engine is configured to generate the graphical user interface screens based on the information contained in at least one of a Display table, a Shape table, a Range table and a Query table, the hierarchical model further comprising:

an Nclass_Group table configured to comprise information defining a group of node_classes within the Node_Class table that build a pool of nodes within a mapping;

a Domain table configured to comprise information defining data element types that belong to a node, data element types that belong to a mapping, and data structures stored within the hierarchical model;

an Attribute table configured to comprise operational data associated with a node and operational data associated with a mapping;

the Display table configured to comprise information defining a graphical representation of a specific view of the hierarchical model;

the Shape table configured to comprise one or more graphical parameters defining how node information is displayed, wherein the node information comprises the specification of a position, a size, a shape, and a background;

the Range table configured to comprise color information corresponding to shapes for displaying a shape as part of a query result; and

the Query table configured to comprise display information defining how a result of an SQL statement executed on the hierarchical model is displayed.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a scenario engine configured to generate a plurality of variations of the hierarchical model, each variation corresponding to a scenario.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the scenario engine is configured to generate a variation corresponding to a what if scenario.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a visualisation engine configured to execute user queries on the hierarchical model and merge query results.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the visualisation engine is further configured to

read one or more shapes associated with the hierarchical model from a table of shapes;

read one or more shape attributes associated with the read shape from a table of attributes;

generate shape data from the read shape; and

write the shape data and the shape attributes to an output file.

12. A machine-implemented method of capturing, aggregating, and visa structure data representing an architecture, the method comprising:

capturing data based on a hierarchical model representing the architecture;

aggregating the capture data based on the hierarchical model; and

generating a plurality of different displays representing the architecture, the displays comprising the aggregated data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing the data according to tile hierarchical model in at least one database, wherein the data is stored in a plurality of tables corresponding to the structure of the hierarchical model.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the hierarchical model is defined to comprise:

a model table configured to comprise one or more attributes of the hierarchical model;

a Node_Class table configured to comprise information related to types of nodes in the hierarchical model; and

a Node table configured to comprise the definition of each node within tile hierarchical model and corresponding hierarchy information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the model table, the Node_Class table and the Node table are linked to each other by a plurality of strong links, each strong link defining one or more dependencies of data in a first set of one or more tables to data in a second set of one or more tables, each strong link defining the underlying string of the hierarchical model.

16. A computer program product, stored on a machine-readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive input selecting a default hierarchical model to represent an architecture;

generate a hierarchical model based on the selected default hierarchical model;

capture data based on the structure of the hierarchical model;

modify the hierarchical model based on the captured data; and

generate displays of the modified hierarchical model, the displays comprising the captured data.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the default hierarchical model corresponds to a type of business, the hierarchical model comprises nodes corresponding to applications used in the type of business, and relationships among nodes correspond to relationships defining a hierarchy of the applications.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein capturing data based on the structure of the hierarchical model comprises generating questionnaires based on the structure of the hierarchical model and receiving responses to the questionnaires.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein modifying the hierarchical model based on the captured data comprises modifying the default hierarchical model based on aggregated data and the machine readable instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

aggregate the captured data based on a structure of the hierarchical model, wherein aggregating the captured data based on the structure of the hierarchical model comprises aggregating like nodes.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein modifying the hierarchical model based on the captured data comprises removing nodes from the hierarchical model.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein modifying the hierarchical model based on the captured data comprises adding nodes to the hierarchical model.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein modifying the hierarchical model based on the captured data comprises modifying a relationship between one or more nodes.

23. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein modifying the hierarchical model based on the captured data comprises modifying attributes associated with a node.

24. The computer program product of claim 16m wherein the hierarchical model comprises different types of models and generating displays of the modified hierarchical model comprises:

generating displays based on default displays, each default display associated with a type of a node of the hierarchical model

25. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein generating displays of the modified hierarchical model comprises:

generating displays based on customizable displays.

26. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein generating displays of the modified hierarchical model comprises:

generating the displays as XML source code.

27. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the machine readable instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive input selecting a scenario; and

generate one or more scenario models based on the selected scenario and the hierarchical model.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the scenario models are linked to the hierarchical model by links, the links defining one or more relationships among the hierarchical model and the scenario models.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the selected default hierarchical model corresponds to a type of hierarchical model and the machine readable instructions am further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to.

perform analysis on the hierarchical model based on the type of hierarchical model.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the analysis comprises historical analysis of the linked hierarchical and scenario models.

31. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the analysis comprises what if analysis across the linked hierarchical and scenario models.

32. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the analysis comprises summary visualization of a current state across the linked and scenario models.