METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING CONFIDENCE FACTORS IN FORMING A SYSTEM

• US 20060218155A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fisher, Bradford, Uthe, Robert T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,924,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• 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

Abstract

A method for using confidence factors in forming a system may include receiving a tolerable confidence factor. The method may also include utilizing only resources and relationships of a plurality of resources and relationships with confidence factors equal to or greater than the tolerable confidence factor to form the system.

Claims

1. A method for using confidence factors in forming a system, comprising:

receiving a tolerable confidence factor; and

utilizing only resources and relationships of a plurality of resources and relationships with confidence factors equal to or greater than the tolerable confidence factor to form the system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a resource and optional relationship traversed to acquire the resource to a result set in response to a confidence factor or the resource being greater than or equal to the tolerable confidence factor.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, for any relationship to another relevant resource, adding the other relevant resource to the result set as an auxiliary resource in response to the other relevant resource and associated relationship having a confidence factor greater than or equal to the tolerable confidence factor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the confidence factor for each resource and relationship.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the confidence factor for each resource and relationship comprises determining the confidence factor for at least one resource or relationship using an agent.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the confidence factor for each resource and relationship comprises:

tracking at least one transaction over a time period to determine which resources and inter-resource relationships are utilized; and

determining a confidence factor for each resource and relationship utilized in the at least one transaction as a function of a time duration since each resource and relationship was last utilized.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising data mining and observing a strength of any pattern of resources and relationships and a time duration since each resource and relationship was last utilized to determine the confidence factor for at least one resource or relationship.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a system diagram including a representation of the confidence factor for substantially each resource and relationship.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising distinguishing between different levels of confidence factors in a system diagram.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a status for the system influenced by using the confidence factor of substantially each resource and relationship forming the system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a priority weighting to each resource according to a confidence factor associated with each resource.

12. A system for using confidence factors in forming a system, comprising:

a data structure to receive a tolerable confidence factor; and

a data structure to utilize only resources and relationships with confidence factors equal to or greater than the tolerable confidence factor to form the system.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a data structure to present a system diagram including a representation of the confidence factor for substantially each resource and relationship.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a data structure to distinguish between different levels of confidence factors in a system diagram.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a status propagation algorithm to determine a status for the system influenced by using the confidence factor of substantially each resource and relationship forming the system.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising a data structure to assign a priority weighting to each resource according to a confidence factor associated with each resource.

17. A computer program product for using confidence factors in forming a system, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable medium comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive a tolerable confidence factor; and

computer readable program code configured to utilize only resources and relationships of a plurality of resources and relationships with confidence factors equal to or greater than the tolerable confidence factor to form the system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code configured to present a system diagram including a representation of the confidence factor for substantially each resource and relationship.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code configured to distinguish between different levels of confidence factors in a system diagram.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code configured to determine a status of the system influenced by using the confidence factor of substantially each resource and relationship forming the system.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code configured to assign a priority weighting to each resource according to a confidence factor associated with each resource.