On-demand service reconciliation, audit, and alert apparatus and method

• US 20070027846A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Thomas, James, Hewett, Michael, Maharg, Mark, Christiance, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

An audit tool (AT) operates in cooperation with an audit tool manager (ATM), a policy file (PF) and a query file (QF) in order to provide a real time display of usage within an on-demand service system. The ATM identifies the data to be gathered. Using the ATM, the user identifies comparison points, maps the comparison points to audit controls, defines policies and develops SQL queries to report transactions and record quantities. The AT gathers data, displays the gathered data, and compares the data points, and alerts the user to a discrepancy. The AT displays the compared data points side by side so that real time visual verification can be made, and the AT also alerts the user to discrepancies.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computer connected to a system by a network;

a first program and a second program in a storage connected to the computer;

a query file in the storage;

a policy file in the storage;

wherein the first program directs a user to enter a plurality of data points, map a first data point to a second data point, enter policies into the policy file, and enter queries into the query file, so that the second program retrieves a first data item from the first data point and a second data item from the second data point, displays the first data item and the second data item at a graphical user interface, compares the first data item and the second data item, determines whether a policy from the policy file has been violated, and responsive to a determination that a policy has been violated, displays an alert.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface further comprises a plurality of displays, each of the plurality of displays being accessed by a selection tab.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plurality of displays includes a configuration control display where SQL queries for retrieving data from each of the plurality of data points can be entered and displayed.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the graphical user interface further comprises a display of the status of the on-demand service system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the system is an on-demand service system having service oriented architecture.

6. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a first program in computer readable medium containing instructions to cause a computer to direct a user to enter a plurality of data points, map one or more sets of data points for comparison, enter policies into the policy file, and enter queries into the query file;

a second program in the computer readable medium containing instructions to cause a computer to retrieve a data from each of the data points mapped for comparison, display the data at a graphical user interface, compare the data, determine whether a policy from the policy file has been violated, and responsive to a determination that a policy has been violated, display an alert.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the graphical user interface further comprises a plurality of displays, each of the plurality of displays being accessed by a selection tab.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the plurality of displays includes a configuration control display where SQL queries for retrieving data from each of the plurality of data points can be entered and displayed.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the graphical user interface is adapted for an on-demand service system.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the graphical user interface is adapted for a service oriented architecture.

11. A computer implemented process comprising:

analyzing an on-demand service system;

identifying a plurality of data points,

retrieving data from each of the data points mapped for comparison;

displaying the data at a graphical user interface;

comparing the data;

determining whether a discrepancy exists based upon a violation of a policy from a policy file; and

responsive to a determination that a discrepancy exists, displaying an alert.

12. The computer implemented process of claim 11 further comprising:

associating sets of data points for comparison; and

mapping each of the associated sets of data points.

13. The computer implemented process of claim 11 further comprising:

creating policies for each of the associated sets of data points; and

entering policies into a policy file.

14. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

creating queries to retrieve data from each of the data points; and

entering queries into the query file.

15. The computer implemented process of claim 12 further comprising:

determining whether the discrepancy has been resolved; and

responsive to determining that the discrepancy has been resolved, removing the alert.

16. The computer implemented process of claim 11 wherein the compute implemented process is employed within a service oriented architecture as an audit service.

17. The computer implemented process of claim 16 wherein a policy file and a query file are located within an application service of the service oriented architecture.