SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SOFTWARE ARTIFACTS USING MULTIPLE EVIDENCE SOURCES

• US 20080098360A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tarr, Peri L., Klinger, Tamir
• Granted Patent: US 8,479,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/74 Reverse engineering; Extracting design information from source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/75 Structural analysis for program understanding

Abstract

A method (which can be computer implemented) for inferring whether at least a first relationship exists between at least first and second entities includes the steps of applying a first assessor to obtain a first confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities, applying a second assessor to obtain a second confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities, and combining said first and second confidence levels to obtain an overall inference whether said at least first relationship exists between said at least first and second entities.

Claims

1. A method of inferring whether at least a first relationship exists between at least first and second entities, said method comprising the steps of:

applying a first assessor to obtain a first confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities;

applying a second assessor to obtain a second confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities; and

combining said first and second confidence levels to obtain an overall inference whether said at least first relationship exists between said at least first and second entities.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the additional step of applying a plurality of additional assessors to obtain a plurality of additional confidence levels pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities, wherein said step of combining said first and second confidence levels further comprises combining said plurality of additional confidence levels to obtain said overall inference.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said combining step comprises performing the summation:

$\underset{n=1}{\overset{N}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(V_n<br><br>w_n\right)$

where;

each of said first assessor, said second assessor; and

said plurality of additional assessors represents said confidence levels as a value, V_n, between zero and one, with n indicating an nth one of said assessors;

w_n is a weight for said nth one of said assessors; and

N=a total number of said assessors

$\underset{n=1}{\overset{N}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>w_n=1$

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each of said first assessor, said second assessor, and said plurality of additional assessors represents said confidence levels as one of n discrete logical values and wherein said combining step comprises a logical combination of said n discrete logical values.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the additional steps of:

applying a third assessor to obtain a third confidence level pertaining to putative existence of at least a second relationship between said at least first and second entities;

applying a fourth assessor to obtain a fourth confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least second relationship between said at least first and second entities; and

combining said third and fourth confidence levels to obtain an overall inference whether said at least second relationship exists between said at least first and second entities.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein all of said steps are performed by a software tool, said tool comprising at least (i) a list of candidate types of relationships including at least said first relationship and said second relationship, and (ii) a list of assessors for each of said candidate types of relationships, said list including at least said first and second assessors for said first relationship and said third and fourth assessors for said second relationship, further comprising the additional step of facilitating editing of both said list of candidate types of relationships and said list of assessors for each of said candidate types of relationships by a user of said tool.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the additional steps of:

applying said first assessor to obtain a third confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between at least third and fourth entities;

applying said second assessor to obtain a fourth confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least third and fourth entities; and

combining said third and fourth confidence levels to obtain an overall inference whether said at least first relationship exists between said at least third and fourth entities.

8. The method of °

claim 7, wherein said entities comprise at least software artifacts, stakeholders, and tasks.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the additional steps of:

repeating said steps for a plurality of additional entities and relationships; and

forming a graph-like representation depicting said relationships among said entities.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the additional step of updating said graph-like representation to reflect changes in said relationships.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least some of said changes in said relationships result from changes in at least some of said entities.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said entities comprise software artifacts;

said at least first relationship comprises a “

tests”

relationship;

said first assessor comprises one of a create-time assessor;

a name matching assessor, a control flow assessor, a user interaction assessor, and a preceding version assessor; and

said second assessor comprises another one of a create-time assessor, a name matching assessor, a control flow assessor;

a user interaction assessor, and a preceding version assessor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said entities comprise software artifacts; and

said at least first relationship comprises an “

implements”

relationship.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the additional steps of:

repeating said steps in a pair-wise manner for a plurality of additional entities and relationships; and

for each of said pairs of entities;

determining which of a plurality of candidate relationships can apply to a given one of said pairs of entities; and

determining which of a plurality of candidate assessors can apply to a given one of said plurality of candidate relationships for said given one of said pairs of entities.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said candidate relationships and said candidate assessors are obtained by performing the steps of:

facilitating registration of said plurality of candidate assessors with a central authority, said registration of said plurality of candidate assessors including data regarding which of said plurality of candidate relationships a given one of said candidate assessors is capable of assessing;

facilitating registration of said plurality of candidate relationships, said registration of said plurality of candidate relationships including data regarding which kinds of entities a given one of said candidate relationships can apply to.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said registration of said plurality of candidate assessors further includes data regarding which kinds of entities a given one of said candidate assessors is capable of assessing.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said candidate relationships and said candidate assessors are obtained by performing the steps of;

facilitating registration of said plurality of candidate assessors with a manager program, based at least in part upon input from human experts having assessor-related knowledge, said registration of said plurality of candidate assessors including at least indications of which of said plurality of candidate assessors can assess which kinds of said candidate relationships; and

facilitating registration of said plurality of candidate relationships with said manager program, based at least in part upon input from human relationship experts having relationship-related knowledge, said registration of said plurality of candidate relationships including at least indications of which of said plurality of candidate relationships can apply to given pairs of said plurality of entities; and

said determining which of said plurality of candidate relationships can apply to a given one of said pairs of entities and said determining which of said plurality of candidate assessors can apply to a given one of said plurality of candidate relationships for said given one of said pairs of entities comprises executing said manager program.

18. A method of building a database associated with a central authority, said database comprising at least a plurality of candidate relationships and a plurality of candidate assessors, said method comprising the steps of:

facilitating registration of said plurality of candidate assessors with said central authority, said registration of said plurality of candidate assessors including data regarding which of said plurality of candidate relationships a given one of said candidate assessors is capable of assessing; and

facilitating registration of said plurality of candidate relationships, said registration of said plurality of candidate relationships including data regarding which kinds of entities a given one of said candidate relationships can apply to.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said registration of said plurality of candidate assessors further includes data regarding which kinds of entities a given one of said candidate assessors is capable of assessing.

20. A method of building a database associated with a relationship manager program, said database comprising at least a plurality of candidate relationships and a plurality of candidate assessors, said method comprising the steps of:

facilitating registration of said plurality of candidate assessors with said manager program, based at least in part upon input from human experts having assessor-related knowledge, said registration of said plurality of candidate assessors including at least indications of which of said plurality of candidate assessors can assess which kinds of said candidate relationships; and

facilitating registration of said plurality of candidate relationships with said manager program, based at least in part upon input from human relationship experts having relationship-related knowledge, said registration of said plurality of candidate relationships including at least indications of which of said plurality of candidate relationships can apply to given pairs of said plurality of entities.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including computer usable program code for inferring whether at least a first relationship exists between at least first and second entities, said computer program product including:

computer usable program code for applying a first assessor to obtain a first confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities;

computer usable program code for applying a second assessor to obtain a second confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities; and

computer usable program code for combining said first and second confidence levels to obtain an overall inference whether said at least first relationship exists between said at least first and second entities.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising computer usable program code for applying a plurality of additional assessors to obtain a plurality of additional confidence levels pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities, wherein said computer usable program code for combining said first and second confidence levels further comprises computer usable program code for combining said plurality of additional confidence levels to obtain said over all inference.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein said computer usable program code for combining comprises computer usable program code for performing the summation:

$\underset{n=1}{\overset{N}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(V_n<br><br>w_n\right)$

where;

each of said first assessor, said second assessor, and said plurality of additional assessors represents said confidence levels as a value, V_n, between zero and one, with n indicating an nth one of said assessors;

w_n is a weight for said nth one of said assessors; and

N=a total number of said assessors

$\underset{n=1}{\overset{N}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>w_n=1$

24. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein each of said first assessor, said second assessor, and said plurality of additional assessors represents said confidence levels as one of n discrete logical values and wherein said computer usable program code for combining comprises a logical combination of said n discrete logical values.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer usable program code for applying a third assessor to obtain a third confidence level pertaining to putative existence of at least a second relationship between said at least first and second entities;

computer usable program code for applying a fourth assessor to obtain a fourth confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least second relationship between said at least first and second entities; and

computer usable program code for combining said third and fourth confidence levels to obtain an overall inference whether said at least second relationship exists between said at least first and second entities.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising:

computer usable program code for storing at least (i) a list of candidate types of relationships including at least said first relationship and said second relationship, and (ii) a list of assessors for each of said candidate types of relationships, said list including at least said first and second assessors for said first relationship and said third and fourth assessors for said second relationship; and

computer usable program code for facilitating editing of both said list of candidate types of relationships and said list of assessors for each of said candidate types of relationships by a user of said computer usable program code.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer usable program code for applying said first assessor to obtain a third confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between at least third and fourth entities;

computer usable program code for applying said second assessor to obtain a fourth confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least third and fourth entities; and

computer usable program code for combining said third and fourth confidence levels to obtain an overall inference whether said at least first relationship exists between said at least third and fourth entities.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein said entities comprise at least software artifacts, stakeholders, and tasks.

29. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer usable program code for repeating said applying of said first and second assessors and said combining for a plurality of additional entities and relationships; and

computer usable program code for forming a graph-like representation depicting said relationships among said entities.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising computer usable program code for updating said graph-like representation to reflect changes in said relationships.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein at least some of said changes in said relationships result from changes in at least some of said entities.

32. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

said entities comprise software artifacts;

said at least first relationship comprises a “

tests”

relationship;

said first assessor comprises one of a create-time assessor, a name matching assessor, a control flow assessor, a user interaction assessor, and a preceding version assessor; and

said second assessor comprises another one of a create-time assessor, a name matching assessor, a control flow assessor, a user interaction assessor, and a preceding version assessor.

33. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

said entities comprise software artifacts; and

said at least first relationship comprises an “

implements”

relationship.

34. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer usable program code for repeating said applying of said first and second assessors and said combining in a pair-wise manner for a plurality of additional entities and relationships; and

for each of said pairs of entities;

computer usable program code for determining which of a plurality of candidate relationships can apply to a given one of said pairs of entities; and

computer usable program code for determining which of a plurality of candidate assessors can apply to a given one of said plurality of candidate relationships for said given one of said pairs of entities.

35. An apparatus for inferring whether at least a first relationship exists between at least first and second entities, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor, coupled to the memory, operative to;

apply a first assessor to obtain a first confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities;

apply a second assessor to obtain a second confidence level pertaining to putative existence of said at least first relationship between said at least first and second entities; and

combine said first and second confidence levels to obtain an overall inference whether said at least first relationship exists between said at least first and second entities.