System and method for building business service model

• US 20060161466A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Trinon, Jean-Marc, Cline, Troy, Giroir, Walt, Crawford, Shane
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

A modeling system has a database that stores information of resources of a computer network service. A server f has a graphical user interface application for creating and editing service models. The application receives user-entered search criteria and searches information in the database based on the criteria. The search criteria can include a name, type, attribute, and other information of the resources. In addition, the search criteria can be a user-entered search query entered that has one or more logical or Boolean conditions relating resource attributes to attribute values. Using information obtained through searching, the application is used to create at least a portion of a service model of the computer network service. Once created, the application is used to initiate publishing of at least a portion of the service model to one or more impact managers of the computer network service.

Claims

1. A computer network service modeling method, comprising:

receiving at least one user-entered search criterion;

searching information in a database based on the at least one user-entered search criterion, the information in the database describing resources of a computer network service;

creating at least a portion of a service model of the computer network service using information obtained through searching; and

initiating publishing of at least a portion of the service model to one or more impact managers of the computer network service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a resource is selected from the group consisting of computer systems, computer system components, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, operating systems, software applications, and business services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information in the database comprises information of resources reconciled from a plurality of sources of the computer network service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of searching comprises searching information in the database for at least one resource of the computer network service having one or more of the following characteristics—

a resource that is in the service model,

a resource that is not in the service model,

a resource that has been published,

a resource that has not been published,

a resource that has or is substantially similar to a user-entered resource name,

a resource that is a user-entered type of resource,

a resource that is associated with a user-entered impact manager,

a resource that was last published on a user-entered date, and

a resource that was edited by a user-entered user name.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of receiving and searching comprise:

receiving a user-entered search query having one or more logical or Boolean conditions relating resource attributes to attribute values; and

searching information in the database for resource information that meets the user-entered search query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of creating comprises:

receiving a user-entered selection of a resource found through searching; and

performing one or more of—

opening a graphical representation of the selected resource in a graphical workspace,

placing a graphical representation of the selected resource in a selected graphical workspace,

displaying editable properties of the selected resource, and

publishing attributes of the selected resource directly to an associated impact manager.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of creating comprises graphically arranging representations of resources in impact relationships relative to one another.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of creating comprises:

graphically adding a visual representation of a resource to a visual representation of the service model from a template of predefined resources; and

automatically storing an instance of that resource in the database.

9. The method pf claim 1, wherein the act of creating comprises:

receiving user-entered information associated with a resource in a graphical user interface; and

storing the user-entered information in the database,

wherein the user-entered information is selected from the group consisting of a resources type, a name, a description, an owner, an associated impact manager, whether the resource is in the service model, a permission, a priority, a cost, an alias name, a relationship to another resources, and an event associated with the resource.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of initiating publishing comprises:

storing modifications to the service model in an isolated test dataset of the database; and

initiating distribution of modifications from the isolated test dataset to one or more test impact managers of the computer network service.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of initiating publishing comprises graphically displaying modified resource information in the service model to be published compared to resource information previously published to the impact managers.

12. A program storage device, readable by a programmable control device, comprising instructions stored on the program storage device for causing the programmable control device to perform the acts of:

receiving at least one user-entered search criterion;

searching information in a database based on the at least one user-entered search criterion, the information in the database describing resources of a computer network service;

creating at least a portion of a service model of the computer network service using information obtained through searching; and

initiating publishing of at least a portion of the service model to one or more impact managers of the computer network service.

13. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein a resource is selected from the group consisting of computer systems, computer system components, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, operating systems, software applications, and business services.

14. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the information in the database comprises information of resources reconciled from a plurality of sources of the computer network service.

15. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the act of searching comprises searching information in the database for at least one resource of the computer network service having one or more of the following characteristics—

a resource that is in the service model,

a resource that is not in the service model,

a resource that has been published,

a resource that has not been published,

a resource that has or is substantially similar to a user-entered resource name,

a resource that is a user-entered type of resource,

a resource that is associated with a user-entered impact manager,

a resource that was last published on a user-entered date, and

a resource that was edited by a user-entered user name.

16. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the acts of receiving and searching comprise:

receiving a user-entered search query having one or more logical or Boolean conditions relating resource attributes to attribute values; and

searching information in the database for resource information that meets the user-entered search query.

17. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the act of creating comprises:

receiving a user-entered selection of a resource found through searching; and

performing one or more of—

opening a graphical representation of the selected resource in a graphical workspace,

placing a graphical representation of the selected resource in a selected graphical workspace,

displaying editable properties of the selected resource, and

publishing attributes of the selected resource directly to an associated impact manager.

18. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the act of creating comprises graphically arranging representations of resources in impact relationships relative to one another.

19. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the act of creating comprises:

graphically adding a visual representation of a resource to a visual representation of the service model from a template of predefined resources; and

automatically storing an instance of that resource in the database.

20. The program storage device pf claim 12, wherein the act of creating comprises:

receiving user-entered information associated with a resource in a graphical user interface; and

storing the user-entered information in the database,

wherein the user-entered information is selected from the group consisting of a resources type, a name, a description, an owner, an associated impact manager, whether the resource is in the service model, a permission, a priority, a cost, an alias name, a relationship to another resources, and an event associated with the resource.

21. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the act of initiating publishing comprises:

storing modifications to the service model in an isolated test dataset of the database; and

initiating distribution of modifications from the isolated test dataset to one or more test impact managers of the computer network service.

22. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the act of initiating publishing comprises graphically displaying modified resource information in the service model to be published compared to resource information previously published to the impact managers.

23. A computer network service modeling system, comprising:

a database storing information describing resources of a computer network service; and

a server functionally coupled to the database, the server having a graphical user interface application configured to—

receive at least one user-entered search criterion,

search information in the database based on the at least one user-entered search criterion,

create at least a portion of a service model of the computer network service using information obtained through searching, and

initiate publishing of at least a portion of the service model to one or more impact managers of the computer network service.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein a resource is selected from the group consisting of computer systems, computer system components, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, operating systems, software applications, and business services.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the information in the database comprises information of resources reconciled from a plurality of sources of the computer network service.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein to search, the graphical user interface application is configured to search information in the database for at least one resource of the computer network service having one or more of the following characteristics—

a resource that is in the service model,

a resource that is not in the service model,

a resource that has been published,

a resource that has not been published,

a resource that has or is substantially similar to a user-entered resource name,

a resource that is a user-entered type of resource,

a resource that is associated with a user-entered impact manager,

a resource that was last published on a user-entered date, and

a resource that was edited by a user-entered user name.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein to receive and search, the graphical user interface application is configured to:

receive a user-entered search query having one or more logical or Boolean conditions relating resource attributes to attribute values; and

search information in the database for resource information that meets the user-entered search query.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein to create, the graphical user interface application is configured to:

receive a user-entered selection of a resource found through searching; and

perform one or more of—

open a graphical representation of the selected resource in a graphical workspace,

place a graphical representation of the selected resource in a selected graphical workspace,

display editable properties of the selected resource, and

initiate publishing of attributes of the selected resource directly to an associated impact manager.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein to create, the graphical user interface application is configured to graphically arrange representations of resources in impact relationships relative to one another.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein to create, the graphical user interface application is configured to:

graphically add a visual representation of a resource to a visual representation of the service model from a template of predefined resources; and

automatically store an instance of that resource in the database.

31. The system pf claim 23, wherein to create, the graphical user interface application is configured to:

receiving user-entered information associated with a resource; and

store the user-entered information in the database,

wherein the user-entered information is selected from the group consisting of a resources type, a name, a description, an owner, an associated impact manager, whether the resource is in the service model, a permission, a priority, a cost, an alias name, a relationship to another resources, and an event associated with the resource.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein to initiate publishing, the graphical user interface application is configured to:

store modifications to the service model in an isolated test dataset of the database; and

initiate distribution of modifications from the isolated test dataset to one or more test impact managers of the computer network service.

33. The system of claim 23, wherein to initiate publishing, the graphical user interface application is configured to graphically display modified resource information in the service model to be published compared to resource information previously published to the impact managers.