Methodology for the Automatic Capture of Process Information in Federated Knowledge Systems

• US 20100114978A1
• Filed: 10/28/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Sandra K., Ward, David, Mitchell, Joan LaVerne
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases

Abstract

A mechanism for automatically managing process information stored in federated repositories. When practice requirements are collected for a multi-step process, a process metadata data structure comprising process information conforming to the practice requirements is created in a metadata repository. The structure is created by creating a template document for each task in the multi-step process and populating the template documents with the procedure information in the practice requirements. Hierarchical and horizontal associations are created among the template documents based on the execution order of the tasks in the procedure information. Process documents for each task in the multi-step process are created and populated with information about the tasks. The task information, procedure information, and association information for each task is then stored as metadata in the process metadata structure.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing information about a multi-step process in disparate knowledge repositories, the computer implemented method comprising:

collecting practice requirements for the multi-step process, wherein the practice requirements comprise procedure information for performing tasks in the multi-step process, and wherein the procedure information specifies a particular execution order of the tasks in the multi-step process; and

creating a process metadata data structure in a metadata repository comprising process information that conforms to the practice requirements, wherein the creating step further comprises;

creating a template document for each task in the multi-step process;

populating the template documents with the procedure information in the practice requirements;

creating hierarchical and horizontal associations among the template documents based on the execution order of the tasks in the procedure information;

creating a process document for each task in the multi-step process;

populating the process documents with information about the tasks; and

storing the task information, procedure information, and association information for each task as metadata in the process metadata structure.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tasks in the multi-step process are components comprising an information technology solution.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein creating a process document for each task in the multi-step process includes updating pointers in a parent field in the process metadata data structure to point to a parent of the process document, and updating pointers in a child field in the process metadata data structure to point to a child of the process document based on the order of execution in the procedure information.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

searching the metadata in the metadata repository to locate the process information about the multi-step process;

determining from the metadata about the multi-step process that the multi-step process comprises a plurality of tasks; and

locating, using the pointers in the metadata about the multi-step process, the process information for the plurality of tasks in accordance with the execution order specified by the practice requirements.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing, to a user, the process information in the execution order specified by the practice requirements to demonstrate compliance with an audit.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the task information includes information about at least one of an owner of the task, time the task was entered, or time the task was exited.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the task is a unit test in a phase of a software test process.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the order of execution in the procedure information if a field in the process metadata data structure indicates the task in the multi-step process is an optional task.

9. A computer program product for managing information about a multi-step process in disparate knowledge repositories, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code for collecting practice requirements for the multi-step process, wherein the practice requirements comprise procedure information for performing tasks in the multi-step process, and wherein the procedure information specifies a particular execution order of the tasks in the multi-step process; and

computer usable program code for creating a process metadata data structure in a metadata repository comprising process information that conforms to the practice requirements, wherein the computer usable program code for creating a process metadata data structure further comprises;

computer usable program code for creating a template document for each task in the multi-step process;

computer usable program code for populating the template documents with the procedure information in the practice requirements;

creating hierarchical and horizontal associations among the template documents based on the execution order of the tasks in the procedure information;

computer usable program code for creating a process document for each task in the multi-step process;

computer usable program code for populating the process documents with information about the tasks; and

computer usable program code for storing the task information, procedure information, and association information for each task as metadata in the process metadata structure.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the tasks in the multi-step process are components comprising an information technology solution.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer usable program code for creating a process document for each task in the multi-step process includes computer usable program code for updating pointers in a parent field in the process metadata data structure to point to a parent of the process document, and computer usable program code for updating pointers in a child field in the process metadata data structure to point to a child of the process document based on the order of execution in the procedure information.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for searching the metadata in the metadata repository to locate the process information about the multi-step process;

computer usable program code for determining from the metadata about the multi-step process that the multi-step process comprises a plurality of tasks; and

computer usable program code for locating, using the pointers in the metadata about the multi-step process, the process information for the plurality of tasks in accordance with the execution order specified by the practice requirements.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

computer usable program code for providing, to a user, the process information in the execution order specified by the practice requirements to demonstrate compliance with an audit.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the task information includes information about at least one of an owner of the task, time the task was entered, or time the task was exited.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the task is a unit test in a phase of a software test process.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable program code for modifying the order of execution if a field in the process metadata data structure indicates the task in the multi-step process is an optional task.

17. A data processing system for managing information about a multi-step process in disparate knowledge repositories, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;

at least one managed device connected to the bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to collect practice requirements for the multi-step process, wherein the practice requirements comprise procedure information for performing tasks in the multi-step process, and wherein the procedure information specifies a particular execution order of the tasks in the multi-step process; and

create a process metadata data structure in a metadata repository comprising process information that conforms to the practice requirements, wherein the computer usable code to create a process metadata data structure further comprises creating a template document for each task in the multi-step process;

populating the template documents with the procedure information in the practice requirements;

creating hierarchical and horizontal associations among the template documents based on the execution order of the tasks in the procedure information;

creating a process document for each task in the multi-step process;

populating the process documents with information about the tasks; and

storing the task information, procedure information, and association information for each task as metadata in the process metadata structure.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the tasks in the multi-step process are components comprising an information technology solution.

19. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the computer usable code to create a process document for each task in the multi-step process includes updating pointers in a parent field in the process metadata data structure to point to a parent of the process document, and updating pointers in a child field in the process metadata data structure to point to a child of the process document based on the order of execution in the procedure information.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to search the metadata in the metadata repository to locate the process information about the multi-step process;

determine from the metadata about the multi-step process that the multi-step process comprises a plurality of tasks; and

locate, using the pointers in the metadata about the multi-step process, the process information for the plurality of tasks in accordance with the execution order specified by the practice requirements.