Analysis data validation tool for use in enterprise architecture modeling with result based model updating

• US 7,216,340 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2002
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gifford, Thomas C., Srinivasan, Lavanya, Telford, Courtlan, Vinodkrishnan, Nalledath Palat
• Primary Examiner(s): INGBERG, TODD D
• Application Number:
  US10/286,526
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 717124-127, 717/171, 717/157, 717/133, 370/338, 709/223, 707/100, 712/28, 719/328
• US Class Current: 717/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409

Abstract

A device for modeling an integrated enterprise includes a first tool for constructing a model of the integrated enterprise and a second tool for analyzing calls, contained in the constructed model, between applications of the integrated enterprise and a database shared thereby. The call analysis tool identifies data attribute imbalances in calls between the applications of the integrated enterprise and the shared database. Data attribute imbalances result if the calls attempt to consume data which was never produced or if the calls produce data which is never consumed. The call analysis tool also generates producer/consumer maps of the data attributes used in the model, producer exception reports which identify data attributes which are consumed but never produced and consumer exception reports which identify data attributes which are produced but never consumed.

Claims

1. For a portion of an enterprise network having at least two applications tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium executing on a computer and a database shared between said at least two applications, a method of validating said portion of said enterprise network by modeling the interface of the call structures between said at least two applications and said shared database and analyzing the usage of data attributes of the modeled call structures, comprising:

analyzing a plurality of modeled calls between said at least two applications and said shared database, said plurality of calls including calls of at least two interrelated call types;

determining whether at least one data attribute is contained in at least one of said analyzed plurality of modeled calls of a first one of said at least two interrelated call types but is not contained in any of said analyzed plurality of calls of a second one of said at least two interrelated call types;

generating an exception report listing said data attributes determined to be contained in at least one of said analyzed plurality of calls of said first type but not contained in any of said analyzed plurality of calls of said second type; and

updating said model of the interface of the call structures between said at least two applications and said shared database,

wherein said portion of said enterprise network is validated if there are no data attributes which are contained in at least one of said analyzed calls of said first call type but not contained in any of said analyzed calls of said second call type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first one of said at least two interrelated call types is data producing calls.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first one of said at least two interrelated call types is data producing calls and said second one of said at least two call types is data consuming calls.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said first one of said at least two interrelated call types is data consuming calls.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first one of said at least two calls types is data producing calls and said exception report listing said data attributes identified as being contained in at least one of said analyzed plurality of calls of said first type but not contained in any of said analyzed plurality of calls of said second type is a consumer exception report.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first one of said at least two call types is data consuming calls and said exception report listing said data attributes identified as being contained in at least one of said analyzed plurality of calls of said first type but not contained in any of said analyzed plurality of calls of said second type is a producer exception report.

7. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

determining whether at least one data attribute is contained in at least one of said analyzed plurality of calls of said second of said at least two interrelated call types but is not contained in any of said analyzed plurality of calls of said first call type of said at least two interrelated call types;

wherein said integrated enterprise is validated if there are also no data attributes which are contained in at least one of said analyzed calls of said second call type but not contained in any of said analyzed calls of said first call type.

8. The method of claim 7, and further comprising:

generating a second exception report listing said data attributes identified as being contained in at least one of said analyzed plurality of calls of said second type but not contained in any of said analyzed plurality of calls of said first type.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said first one of said at least two calls types is data producing calls, said exception report listing said data attributes identified as being contained in at least one of said analyzed plurality of calls of said first type but not contained in any of said analyzed plurality of calls of said second type is a consumer exception report, said second one of said at least two call types is data consuming calls, and said second exception report listing said data attributes identified as being contained in at least one of said analyzed plurality of calls of said second type but not contained in any of said analyzed plurality of calls of said first type is a producer exception report.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interrelated call type includes calls which update, produce, or consume attributes and the second interrelated call type includes calls which create, consume, or produce attributes, respectively.

11. A device executing software tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium for validating a portion of an enterprise network, said portion having first and second applications and a shared database, said device validating said portion of said network by modeling the interface of the call structures between said first and second applications and said shared database and analyzing the usage of data attributes of the modeled call structures, comprising:

a unified modeling language (“

UML”

) tool for constructing a model of said portion of said enterprise network; and

a tool for analyzing said model of said portion of said enterprise network, said tool identifying data attribute imbalances in modeled calls between said first and second applications and said shared database;

wherein said model analysis tool generates at least one exception report for said model of said integrated enterprise in response to the identification of data attribute imbalances,

wherein said model of said portion of said enterprise network is updated to correct said model in accordance with the at least one exception report, and

wherein said portion of said enterprise network is validated if no data attribute imbalances are identified in the modeled calls between said first and second applications and said shared database.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein said model analysis tool identifies data attribute imbalances between data producing calls and data consuming calls.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one exception report for said model of said integrated enterprise includes a producer exception report, said producer exception report identifying data attributes which are consumed but never produced.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one exception report for said model of said integrated enterprise includes a consumer exception report, said consumer exception report identifying data attributes which are produced but never consumed.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one exception report for said model of said integrated enterprise includes a producer exception report and a consumer exception report, said producer exception report identifying data attributes which are consumed but never produced and said consumer exception report identifying data attributes which are produced but never consumed.

16. For a portion of an enterprise network having at least two applications tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium executing on a computer and a shared database, coupled to said at least two applications, a tool for validating said portion of said enterprise network by modeling the interface of the call structures between said at least two applications and said shared database and analyzing the usage of data attributes of the modeled call structures, comprising:

means for determining a call type for each modeled call between said at least two applications and said shared database;

means for identifying each data attribute contained in at least one of said modeled calls between said at least two applications and said shared database;

means for determining whether each identified attribute is contained in at least one call of a first call type and at least one call of a second call type, wherein the first and the second call types are interrelated;

means for detecting a first type of exception whenever an identified attribute is contained in at least one call of said first call type but is not contained in at least one call of said second call type; and

means for updating the model of the interface of the call structures between said at least two applications and said shared database;

wherein said portion of said enterprise network is validated if each identified attribute is contained in at least one call of a first call type and at least one call of a second call type.

17. The tool of claim 16, and further comprising means for detecting a second type of exception whenever an identified attribute is contained in at least one call of said second call type but is not contained in at least one call of said first call type.

18. The tool of claim 17, wherein said first call type is data producing calls and said second call type is data consuming calls.

19. The tool of claim 16, wherein said first call type is data producing calls, said second call type is data consuming calls and further comprising means for detecting the first type of exception whenever an identified attribute is contained in at least one call of said data consuming call type but is not contained in at least one call of said data producing call type.

20. The tool of claim 19, and further comprising means for generating a producer exception report, said producer exception report identifying each detected exception of the first type.

21. The tool of claim 20, and further comprising means for detecting a second type of exception whenever an identified attribute is contained in at least one call of said data producing call type but is not contained in at least one call of said data consuming call type.

22. The tool of claim 21, and further comprising means for generating a consumer exception report, said consumer exception report identifying each detected exception of the second type.

23. The tool of claim 22, wherein said data producing type calls include all calls which perform CREATE operations and said data consuming type calls include all calls which perform RETRIEVE, UPDATE and DELETE operations.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the first interrelated call type includes calls which update, produce, or consume attributes and the second interrelated call type includes calls which create, consume, or produce attributes, respectively.