Targeted asset capture, identification, and management

• US 7,080,355 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2001
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akana, Inc. (Perforce Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: LogicLibrary, Inc. (Perforce Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palof, John, Mariner, Debra, Carlson, Brent, Tamminga, Paul, Graser, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAVIS, JOHN Q
• Application Number:
  US09/900,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20030009455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 717/120, 717/102
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

A targeted asset capture system that maps software resources to a domain model, and search and management tools for retrieving asset information and controlling asset acquisition. The domain model may include a process-centered organization and/or a structural organization of model tasks, functions, and data types. Capture includes mapping to the model functions and data types, and preferably also includes capturing other information about the asset and about the quality of mapping. The domain model may be used to build a search specification for searching for available assets that meet some or all of a set of functional (and/or nonfunctional) requirements. The search specification may also be published in part or in whole as a development specification.

Claims

1. A software utility for interacting with a user to classify a software resource according to a predetermined domain model, the utility comprising:

data type mapping means that allow the user to map data types to the domain model;

function mapping means that allow the user to map software resource functions to the domain model, wherein the functions and data types are provided by an application programming interface (API) of the software resource being classified;

identification means that allow the user to specify the location of the software resource;

a database comprising data type maps, resource function maps, and location information specified by the user; and

search means for searching the database for identifying the software resource as containing software usable by a software developer.

2. The software utility of claim 1, wherein the domain model comprises:

a process model comprising processes and use cases;

a structural model comprising reference components, reference interfaces, and reference functions.

3. The software utility of claim 2, wherein portions of the process model are linked to reference components, reference interfaces, or reference functions of the structural model.

4. The software utility of claim 3, wherein the domain model comprises a plurality of process models, poitions of each process model linked to reference components, reference interfaces, or reference functions of the structural model.

5. The software utility of claim 2, wherein the data type mapping means allow the user to map data types to the structural model.

6. The software utility of claim 2, wherein the function mapping means allow the user to map functions to the structural model.

7. The software utility of claim 1, wherein the data type mapping means or the function mapping means use synonyms to suggest mapping candidates.

8. The software utility of claim 1, wherein the data type mapping means or the function mapping means comprise means for the user to provide comments, the comments being stored in the database.

9. The software utility of claim 8, wherein the comments are associated with a particular data type or resource function and include infonnation relating to quality of mapping.

10. The software utility of claim 8, wherein the comments are associated with a particular data type or resource function and include infonnation relating to the purposes or usage of individual functions or data types.

11. A software utility for managing software resources within an enterprise, comprising:

a database comprising software resource information including location information and functionality information, the functionality information including functions provided by programming interfaces of the software resources being mapped to a domain model; and

a search engine for searching the database to locate software resources usable by a software developer for a software development project.

12. The software utility of claim 11 wherein the search engine searches the database to locate software resources meeting functional or nonfunctional requirements.

13. The software utility of claim 12, wherein the search engine comprises a scoring engine that ranks software resources according to how closely they match the fimctional or nonfunctional requirements.

14. The software utility of claim 12, wherein the search engine comprises means for creating a persistent search specification that can be shared between multiple users.

15. The software utility of claim 14, wherein software resources located by the search engine may be selectively attached to the persistent search specification.

16. The software utility of claim 15, wherein portions of the persistent search specification not met by attached assets may be published as requirements for development of additional software resources.

17. The software utility of claim 14, further comprising means fur notifying at least one of the multiple users when software resources matching the persistent search specification are added to the database.

18. The software utility of claim 14, further comprising means for publishing the persistent search specification as requirements for development of additional software resources.

19. The software utility of claim 18, further comprising means for notifying at least one of the multiple users when software resources matching the persistent search specification are added to the database.

20. The software utility of claim 11, wherein the functionality information is mapped to a plurality of domain models.

21. The software utility of claim 11, further comprising means for viewing the domain model in order to specify requirements for searching the database.

22. The software utility ofclaim 21, wherein the viewing means comprise a graphical user interface.

23. The software utility of claim 22, wherein the domain model comprises a process model and a structural model, and wherein the graphical user interface comprises means for navigating between the process model and the structural model.

24. The software utility of claim 22, wherein elements of the domain model may be directly accessed by keyword search.

25. The software utility of claim 11, wherein the database further comprises a usage record for the software resource.

26. The software utility of claim 25, wherein the usage record is associated with a development project.

27. The software utility of claim 25, wherein the usage record comprises one or more items selected from the group consisting of payment records, license keys, request histories, and usage histories.

28. The software utility of claim 25, further comprising means for generating usage reports for the software resource.

29. The software utility of claim 25, further comprising means for one or managers to approve requests for resource acquisition.

30. A method of classifying a software resource comprising functions and data types, the method comprising:

providing a domain model comprising model functions and mode data types;

mapping resource data types to model data types to produce data type maps;

mapping resource functions to model functions to produce function maps; and

storing the data type maps and function maps in a searchable database,

wherein the functions and data types are provided by a programming interface of the software resource, and

wherein the software resource contains software usable within a software development.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the domain model comprises:

a process model comprising processes and use cases; and

a structural model comprising reference components, reference interfaces, and reference functions.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein portions of the process model are linked to reference components, reference interfaces, or reference functions of the structural model.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the domain model comprises a plurality of process models, portions of each process model linked to reference components, reference interfhces, or reference fimctions of the structural model.

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising providing suggestions of possible model functions or model data types for mapping to resource functions or resource data types.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein providing suggestions includes using synonyms to search model function descriptions and model data type descriptions.

36. The method of claim 30, further comprising storing comments relating to the software resource in the database.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the comments relate to the quality of mapping of the function maps or the data type maps.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the comments include information relating to the purposes or usage of individual resource functions or resource data types.

39. A method of managing software resources within an enterprise, comprising:

maintaining a searchable database of software resource information including location information and fimctionality information, the functionality information includinR functions provided by proaramming interfaces of the software resources that are being mapped to a domain model; and

searching the database to locate any of the software resources fur a software development project based on the data types and functions of the prgramming interface.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising searching the database using a search engine that ranks software resources according to how closely they match functional or nonfunctional requirements.

41. The method of claim 39, further comprising creating a persistent search specification for the database that can be shared between multiple users.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising attaching at least one software resource to the persistent search specification.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising publishing the portions of the search specification not met by any attached resource as requirements for development of additional software resources.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising notifying a user when a resource is added to the database that matches the persistent search specification.

45. The method of claim 41, further comprising publishing the persistent search specification as requirements for development of additional resources.

46. The method of claim 39, further comprising accepting requests for acquisition of software resources and forwarding the requests to an acquirer.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising storing acquisition information provided by the acquirer.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising generating a report of resource acquisition or resource usage.

49. The method of claim 46, further comprising generating a report of requests for the software resources.

50. A method of mapping a software resource to a domain resource model comprising model functions and model data types, the method comprising:

determining resource functions and resource data types to be mapped,

determining an order for mapping resource functions and resource data types,

wherein more complex functions and data types are mapped later than simpler functions and data types;

presenting the resource functions and data types in the determined order to a user for mapping; and

presenting suggested mappings for each function and data type to the user for determination of a mapping, wherein determined mappings for earlier resource functions or data types are used to suggest mappings for later types.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein all data types are ordered before functions.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the user may elect to map functions and data types in an order other than the presented order.