SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AGGREGATING INFORMATION-ASSET METADATA FROM MULTIPLE DISPARATE DATA-MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

• US 20150317339A1
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Published: 11/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Koeten, Robert, Vranyes, Steve A., Carter, Stuart, Dickson, Christopher M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,025,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24561 Intermediate data storage techniques for performance improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

The disclosed computer-implemented method for aggregating information-asset metadata from multiple disparate data-management systems may include (1) receiving a first instance of metadata of an information asset from a first data-management system that manages information assets of an entity in a first domain, (2) receiving a second instance of metadata of the information asset from a second data-management system that manages the information assets of the entity in a second domain that is separate and distinct from the first domain, (3) storing the first and second instances of metadata in a global metadata repository that is separate and distinct from the first and second data-management systems, and (4) providing access to the first and second instances of metadata stored in the global metadata repository to the first data-management system, the second data-management system, and/or the entity. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for aggregating information-asset metadata from multiple disparate data-management systems, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first data-management system that manages information assets of an entity in a first domain, a first instance of metadata of an information asset, the first instance of metadata having been generated by the first data-management system;

receiving, from a second data-management system that manages the information assets of the entity in a second domain that is separate and distinct from the first domain, a second instance of metadata of the information asset, the second instance of metadata having been generated by the second data-management system;

storing the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata in a global metadata repository that is separate and distinct from the first data-management system and the second data-management system such that the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata are associated with the information asset;

providing access to the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata stored in the global metadata repository to one or more of;

the first data-management system;

the second data-management system;

the entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first data-management system manages a first instance of the information asset;

the second data-management system manages a second instance of the information asset;

the first instance of metadata comprises metadata of the first instance of the information asset;

the second instance of metadata comprises metadata of the second instance of the information asset;

storing the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata in the global metadata repository comprises;

determining that the first instance of the information asset and the second instance of the information asset are instances of the same information asset;

associating, based at least in part on determining that the first instance of the information asset and the second instance of the information asset are instances of the same information asset, the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first data-management system manages a first instance of the information asset;

the second data-management system manages a second instance of the information asset;

the first instance of metadata comprises metadata of the first instance of the information asset;

the second instance of metadata comprises metadata of the second instance of the information asset;

storing the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata in the global metadata repository comprises;

generating a first fingerprint based at least in part on at least one of;

the first instance of the information asset;

the first instance of metadata;

generating a second fingerprint based at least in part on at least one of;

the second instance of the information asset;

the second instance of metadata;

determining that the first fingerprint matches the second fingerprint;

associating, based at least in part on determining that the first fingerprint matches the second fingerprint, the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the global metadata repository uses a normalized schema to store the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the global metadata repository uses an extensible schema to store the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata;

the extensible schema enables the first data-management system and the second data-management system to store any metadata in the global metadata repository.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information asset is accessible via an information-asset source;

the first data-management system and the second data-management system can generate the first instance of metadata;

the information-asset source must be accessed to generate the first instance of metadata;

the method further comprises coordinating the first data-management system and the second data-management system so that;

the first data-management system;

accesses the information-asset source;

generates the first instance of metadata;

stores the first instance of metadata in the global metadata repository;

the second data-management system accesses the first instance of metadata from the global metadata repository without accessing the information-asset source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information asset is one of a plurality of information assets of the entity that are accessible via an information-asset source;

the steps of receiving the first instance of metadata and receiving the second instance of metadata comprise ensuring that metadata of each of the plurality of information assets is received from at least one of the first data-management system and the second data-management system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information asset is one of a plurality of information assets of the entity that are accessible via an information-asset source;

the first data-management system comprises a backup system that has generated a backup of the information-asset source;

receiving the first instance of metadata comprises requesting, from the backup system, an inventory of each information asset that is contained in the backup of the information-asset source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information asset comprises at least one of:

a file;

an email;

a document.

10. A computer-implemented method for aggregating information-asset metadata from multiple disparate data-management systems, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying, at a first data-management system, an information asset, wherein the first data-management system manages information assets of an entity in a first domain;

generating, at the first data-management system, a first instance of metadata of the information asset;

storing the first instance of metadata in a global metadata repository that;

stores a second instance of metadata of the information asset that was collected from a second data-management system that;

generated the second instance of metadata; and

manages the information assets of the entity in a second domain that is separate and distinct from the first domain;

is separate and distinct from the first data-management system and the second data-management system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the information asset is accessible via an information-asset source;

the first data-management system comprises a backup system that backs up the information-asset source;

the backup system generates the first instance of metadata as part of backing up the information-asset source.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting that the information asset has been modified;

updating, in response to detecting that the information asset has been modified, the first instance of metadata;

storing the updated first instance of metadata to the global metadata repository.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

requesting, at the first data-management system, information associated with the information asset from the global metadata repository;

receiving, at the first data-management system and from the global metadata repository, information associated with the information asset that includes the second instance of metadata;

performing, at the first data-management system, an action involving the information asset based at least in part on the information associated with the information asset received from the global metadata repository.

14. A system for aggregating information-asset metadata from multiple disparate data-management systems, the system comprising:

a receiving module, stored in memory, that;

receives, from a first data-management system that manages information assets of an entity in a first domain, a first instance of metadata of an information asset, the first instance of metadata having been generated by the first data-management system;

receives, from a second data-management system that manages the information assets of the entity in a second domain that is separate and distinct from the first domain, a second instance of metadata of the information asset, the second instance of metadata having been generated by the second data-management system;

a storing module, stored in memory, that stores the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata in a global metadata repository that is separate and distinct from the first data-management system and the second data-management system such that the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata are associated with the information asset;

a providing module, stored in memory, that provides access to the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata stored in the global metadata repository to one or more of;

the first data-management system;

the second data-management system;

the entity;

at least one processor that executes the receiving module, the storing module, and the providing module.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the first data-management system manages a first instance of the information asset;

the second data-management system manages a second instance of the information asset;

the first instance of metadata comprises metadata of the first instance of the information asset;

the second instance of metadata comprises metadata of the second instance of the information asset;

the storing module stores the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata in the global metadata repository by;

determining that the first instance of the information asset and the second instance of the information asset are instances of the same information asset;

associating, based at least in part on determining that the first instance of the information asset and the second instance of the information asset are instances of the same information asset, the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the first data-management system manages a first instance of the information asset;

the second data-management system manages a second instance of the information asset;

the first instance of metadata comprises metadata of the first instance of the information asset;

the second instance of metadata comprises metadata of the second instance of the information asset;

the storing module stores the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata in the global metadata repository by;

generating a first fingerprint based at least in part on at least one of;

the first instance of the information asset;

the first instance of metadata;

generating a second fingerprint based at least in part on at least one of;

the second instance of the information asset;

the second instance of metadata;

determining that the first fingerprint matches the second fingerprint;

associating, based at least in part on determining that the first fingerprint matches the second fingerprint, the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the global metadata repository uses a normalized schema to store the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the global metadata repository uses an extensible schema to store the first instance of metadata and the second instance of metadata;

the extensible schema enables the first data-management system and the second data-management system to store any metadata in the global metadata repository.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the information asset is accessible via an information-asset source;

the first data-management system and the second data-management system can generate the first instance of metadata;

the information-asset source must be accessed to generate the first instance of metadata;

the receiving module and the providing module further coordinate the first data-management system and the second data-management system so that;

the first data-management system;

accesses the information-asset source;

generates the first instance of metadata;

stores the first instance of metadata in the global metadata repository;

the second data-management system accesses the first instance of metadata from the global metadata repository without accessing the information-asset source.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the information asset is one of a plurality of information assets of the entity that are accessible via an information-asset source;

the receiving module ensures that metadata of each of the plurality of information assets is received from at least one of the first data-management system and the second data-management system as part of receiving the first instance of metadata and receiving the second instance of metadata.