Method and apparatus for generating components for pattern-based system design analysis using a characteristics model

• US 20060265346A1
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ali, Syed M., Malks, Daniel B., Crupi, John P., Alur, Deepak, Kamen, Yury
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/75 Structural analysis for program understanding

Abstract

A method for analyzing a target system that includes obtaining a characteristics model, generating at least one selected from the group consisting of a schema, characteristics store API, and a characteristics extractor, using the characteristics model, obtaining a plurality of characteristics from the target system using characteristics extractor, wherein each of the plurality of characteristics is associated with the characteristics model, storing each of the plurality of characteristics in the characteristics store using the schema, and analyzing the target system by issuing at least one query to the characteristics store to obtain an analysis result.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a target system, comprising:

obtaining a characteristics model;

generating at least one selected from the group consisting of a schema, characteristics store Application Programming Interface (API), and a characteristics extractor, using the characteristics model;

obtaining a plurality of characteristics from the target system using characteristics extractor, wherein each of the plurality of characteristics is associated with the characteristics model;

storing each of the plurality of characteristics in the characteristics store using the schema; and

analyzing the target system by issuing at least one query to the characteristics store to obtain an analysis result.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics extractor uses the characteristics store API to store each of the plurality of characteristics in the characteristics store.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the characteristics extractor is a front-end of a web-application comprising functionality to enable a user to request at least one action selected from the group consisting of adding, modifying, viewing, searching for, and deleting an entry from the characteristics store.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics store API is a back-end of a web-application comprising functionality to perform the at least one action requested by the user selected from the group consisting of adding, modifying, viewing, searching for, and deleting an entry from the characteristics store.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics store API comprises a data access object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics model defines at least one artifact and at least one characteristic of the artifact.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics model defines a first artifact, a second artifact, and a relationship between the first artifact and the second artifact.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one query is defined using a pattern query language.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pattern query language includes functionality to search for at least one pattern in the target system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristics model comprises a formal specification of a programming language.

11. A system, comprising:

a characteristics model;

a target system comprising a plurality of characteristics;

at least one characteristics extractor configured to obtain at least one of the plurality of characteristics from the target system;

a characteristics store configured to store the at least one of the plurality of characteristics obtained from the target system using a schema and a characteristics store Application Programming Interface (API); and

a query engine configured to analyze the target system by issuing at least one query to the characteristics store and configured to obtain an analysis result in response to the at least one query,

wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of the schema, the characteristics store API, and the characteristics extractor is generated using the characteristics model.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the at least one characteristics extractor is generated using the characteristics model and is configured to use the characteristics store API to store at least one of the plurality of characteristics obtained from the target system in the characteristics store.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the characteristics store API is a back-end of a web-application comprising functionality to perform at least one action requested by a user selected from the group consisting of adding, modifying, viewing, searching for, and deleting an entry from the characteristics store.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one characteristics extractor is a front-end of a web-application comprising functionality to enable a user to request at least one action selected from the group consisting of adding, modifying, viewing, searching for, and deleting an entry from the characteristics store.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one characteristics extractor is automatically generated using the characteristics model.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the characteristics model defines at least one artifact and at least one characteristic of the artifact.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the characteristics model defines a first artifact, a second artifact, and a relationship between the first artifact and the second artifact.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one query is defined using a pattern query language and wherein the pattern query language includes functionality to search for at least one pattern in the target system.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the characteristics store API comprises at least one data access object.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the characteristics model comprises a formal specification of a programming language.

21. A computer readable medium comprising software instructions for analyzing a target system, comprising software instructions to:

obtain a characteristics model;

generate at least one selected from the group consisting of a schema, characteristics store API, and a characteristics extractor, using the characteristics model;

obtain the plurality of characteristics from the target system using characteristics extractor, wherein each of the plurality of characteristics is associated with the characteristics model;

store each of the plurality of characteristics in the characteristics store using the schema; and

analyze the target system by issuing at least one query to the characteristics store to obtain an analysis result.