Versioning in a rules based decision management system

• US 6,546,545 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CGI Technologies and Solutions Incorporated (CGI Group)
• Original Assignee: American Management Systems, Incorporated (CGI, Inc.)
• Inventors: Metzger, Scott, Honarvar, Laurence, Fatigante, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Morse, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHEN, WEI Y
• Application Number:
  US09/219,341
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47, 706/11, 706/45, 706/59, 706/50, 706/46, 717/3, 717/170, 705/38, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/10, 705/14, 711/11, 707/203, 707/204
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computer implemented decision management system which provides strategy versioning. The system (a) creates different strategy versions, (b) selects, without technical intervention, a respective strategy version of the created strategy versions, (c) applies, without technical intervention, the selected strategy version to determine interaction strategies, (d) monitors performance based on the determined interaction strategies, and (e) refines the selected strategy version in accordance with the monitored performance. To select and apply strategy versions without technical intervention, a GUI is used to enter, edit and select strategy versions at a desktop. From the GUI, the strategy versions are stored in relational tables within a relational data model. A versioning level is interjected between a system level and a segment level in a definition hierarchy, so that each strategy can be referenced as being a specific strategy version. Versioning can also be leveraged at other levels in the strategy hierarchy and in conjunction with inheritance.

Claims

1. A computer implemented process comprising:

storing first and second strategy versions for application by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the second strategy version being an edited version of the first strategy version;

selecting the stored, second strategy version; and

applying the selected second strategy version in production by the decision management system so that the decision management system applies the second strategy version by a computer to determine actions to be taken with respect to the clients, monitors results of the applied second strategy version by a computer, and refines the second strategy version in accordance with the monitored results to increase client value over time to the organization, wherein said selecting and applying are performed without technical intervention via stored information relating to the first and second strategy versions.

2. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the stored, first strategy version; and

applying the selected first strategy version in simulation by the decision management system, wherein said selecting and applying the first strategy version are performed without technical intervention via stored information relating to the first strategy version.

3. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

applying the selected second strategy version in simulation by the decision management system.

4. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

editing the stored, second strategy version before being applied in, production by the decision management system.

5. A process as in claim 1, further comprising, before the second strategy version is selected by said selecting:

editing the stored, second strategy version; and

storing the;

edited second strategy version, wherein said selecting selects the stored, edited second strategy version, and said applying applies the selected, edited second strategy version in production by the decision management system.

6. A process as in claim 1, wherein the stored, second strategy version includes only modifications between the first and second strategy versions.

7. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

entering the first and second strategy versions via a graphical user interface, wherein

said storing comprises storing the entered first and second strategy versions in relational tables relating components of the first and second strategy versions-together, and

said applying comprises referring to the relational tables to apply the selected second strategy version, to thereby allow said selecting and applying to be performed without technical intervention.

8. A process as in claim 6, further comprising:

validating the second strategy version before being applied in production by the decision management system, said validating including

copying the first strategy version by systematically copying each component of the first strategy version and the relationships between components to form a copy of the first strategy version,

validating that the copy of the first strategy version is accurate, and

saving the validated copy of the first strategy version, to thereby create the second strategy version.

9. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

entering the first and second strategy versions via a graphical user interface, wherein

said storing comprises storing the entered first and second strategy versions in data structures of a relational data model which relates components of the first and second strategy versions together, and

said applying comprises referring to the data structures to apply the selected second strategy version, to thereby allow said selecting and applying to be performed without technical intervention.

10. A process as in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second versions is a version formed by versioning simultaneously at multiple levels in a definition hierarchy of the decision management system.

11. A process as in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second versions is a version formed by versioning with a first versioning level below a system level in a definition hierarchy of the decision management system, and with a second versioning level monitored results, wherein said editing, selecting and applying are performed without technical intervention.

12. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the first strategy version for one of the group consisting of production by the decision management system, simulation by the decision management system, both production and simulation by the decision management system, and neither production or simulation by the decision management system.

13. A computer implemented process comprising:

creating a first strategy version for application by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization;

editing the first strategy version while maintaining the first strategy version as a strategy version separate from the edited first strategy version, the edited first strategy version being defined as a second strategy version for application by the decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to the clients;

selecting one of the first and second strategy versions; and

applying the selected one of the first and second strategy versions in production by the decision management system so that the decision management system applies the selected one of the first and second strategy versions by a computer to determine actions to be taken with respect to the clients, monitors results of the applied selected one of the first and second strategy versions by a computer, and refines the selected one of the first and second strategy versions in accordance with the monitored results to increase client value over time to the organization, wherein said editing, selecting and applying are performed without technical intervention via stored information relating to the first and second strategy versions.

14. A process as in claim 13, further comprising:

applying the selected one of the first and second strategy versions in simulation by the decision management system.

15. A process as in claim 13, further comprising:

applying the other of the selected first and second strategy versions in simulation by the decision management system.

16. A process as in claim 13, wherein the selected one of the first and second strategy versions is the second strategy version.

17. A process as in claim 13, further comprising:

providing a graphical user interface which allows a system user to create, edit and select strategy versions;

entering the first strategy version via the graphical user interface; and

storing the entered first strategy version in relational tables of a relational data model, wherein

said editing comprises referring to the relational tables to obtain and edit the first strategy version, and storing the edited first strategy as the second strategy version in the relational data model, and

said applying refers to the relational data model to apply the selected one of the first and second strategy versions, to thereby allow said selecting and applying to be performed without technical intervention.

18. A process as in claim 13, further comprising:

validating the second strategy version before the second strategy version is applied in either production or simulation by the decision management system, said validating including

copying the first strategy version by systematically copying each component of the first strategy version and the relationships between components to form a copy of the first strategy version,

validating that the copy of the first strategy version is accurate, and

saving the validated copy of the first strategy version, to thereby create the second strategy version.

19. A computer implemented process comprising:

creating first and second strategy versions for application by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the second strategy version being an edited version of the first strategy version;

storing the first and second strategy versions in a relational data model relating components of the first and second strategy versions together;

selecting the stored, second strategy version; and

applying the selected second strategy version in production by the decision management system by referring to the relational data model so that the decision management system applies the second strategy version by a computer to determine actions to be taken with respect to the clients, monitors results of the applied second strategy version by a computer, and refines the second strategy version in accordance with the monitored results to increase client value over time to the organization.

20. A process-as in claim 19, further comprising:

selecting the stored, first strategy version; and

applying the selected first strategy version in simulation by the decision management system by referring to the relational data model.

21. A process as in claim 20, further comprising:

applying the selected second strategy version in simulation by the decision management system.

22. A process as in claim 19, further comprising:

editing the stored, second strategy version before being applied in production by the decision management system.

23. A process as in claim 19, further comprising, before the second strategy version is selected:

editing the stored, second strategy version; and

storing the edited second strategy version in the relational data model, wherein said selecting selects the stored, edited second strategy version, and said applying applies the selected, edited second strategy version in production by the decision management system by referring to the relational data model.

24. A computer implemented process comprising:

creating a first strategy version for application by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization;

storing the created first strategy version in a relational data model;

editing the first strategy version while maintaining the first strategy version as a strategy version separate from the edited first strategy version, the edited first strategy version being defined as a second strategy version for application by the decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to the clients;

storing the second strategy version in the relational data model in a manner which relates components of the first and second strategy versions together;

selecting one of the first and second strategy versions; and

applying the selected one of the first and second strategy versions in production by the decision management system by referring to the relational data model so that the decision management system applies the selected one of the first and second strategy versions by a computer to determine actions to be taken with respect to the clients, monitors results of the applied selected one of the first and second strategy versions by a computer, and refines the selected one of the first and second strategy versions in accordance with the monitored results to increase client value over time to the organization.

25. A process as in claim 24, further comprising:

applying the selected one of the first and second strategy versions in simulation by the decision management system by referring to the relational data model.

26. A process as in claim 24, further comprising:

applying the other of the selected first and second strategy versions in simulation by the decision management system by referring, to the relational data model.

27. A computer implemented process comprising:

creating different strategy versions for application by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, at least some of the created strategy versions being edited versions of other strategy versions;

selecting, without technical intervention via accessing stored information relating to the strategy versions, a respective strategy version of the created strategy versions;

applying, without technical intervention via stored information relating to the selected strategy version, the selected strategy version by the decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to the clients by a computer;

monitoring results of the applied selected strategy version by a computer by the decision management system; and

refining the selected strategy version in accordance with the monitored results by the decision management system to increase client value over time to the organization.

28. A computer implemented process comprising:

creating different strategy versions for application by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, at least some of the strategy versions being edited versions of other strategy versions;

storing the strategy versions in a relational data model which relates components of the strategy versions together;

selecting a respective strategy version of the stored strategy versions;

applying the selected strategy version by a computer by the decision management system by referring to tables in the relational data model, to determine actions to be taken with respect to the clients;

monitoring results of the applied selected strategy version by a computer by the decision management system; and

refining the selected strategy version in accordance with the monitored results by the decision management system to increase client value over time to the organization.

29. A process comprising:

providing a computer-implemented decision management system which applies strategies by a computer to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, monitors results of the applied strategies by a computer, and refines the applied strategies in accordance with the monitored results to increase client value over time to the organization, the decision management system having a definition hierarchy; and

versioning strategies for the decision management system simultaneously at multiple levels in the definition hierarchy to thereby create different versions of strategies for application by the decision management system, at least some of the different versions of strategies being edited versions of other versions of strategies.

30. A process as in claim 29, wherein

the definition hierarchy defines a system level, a segment level and a function level, the segment level being between the system level and the function level, and

said versioning strategies includes

versioning strategies at a first versioning level below the system level, and

versioning strategies at a second versioning level below the function level.

31. A process as in claim 29, wherein said versioning comprises:

versioning strategies at a first versioning level in the definition hierarchy; and

versioning strategies at a second versioning level below the first versioning level.