Extensible configuration engine system and method

• US 7,457,790 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Gokhale, Parag, Prahlad, Anand, Kottomtharayil, Rajiv, Klose, Michael F., Kochunni, Jaidev O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl; Joseph P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Jr.; Nathan H
• Application Number:
  US11/313,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45, 707/1
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for facilitating decision making through an improved recommendation system. The data used in the system, such as the questions and business logic for navigating between questions, is stored in relational database tables that are easy to access and edit by users. A backend application program reads the data and processes the navigation logic depending upon answers received from users to automatically generate a decision tree. Users are allowed to select questions earlier in the tree, and the application can regenerate a tree from the point of the selected question and on. The application program stores the questions to be presented in a structured document which is handed off to a user interface generation program.

Claims

1. A method performed by a recommendation system for facilitating decision making with respect to software systems by presenting questions to and receiving answers from a user, the method comprising:

storing in a computer readable medium of the recommendation system one or more user-editable question tables containing a plurality of questions and navigation logic data for navigating between questions;

maintaining one or more dynamic tables containing question history data identifying which of the questions have been presented in a decision making session and answer data identifying answers received from the user;

at a given point in a decision making session, determining which one or more questions to present based on the question history data and the navigation logic data;

generating a structured document containing the one or more questions determined to be presented;

generating a user interface using the structured document for presenting the one or more questions and receiving the answers; and

providing to the user or other users for display via a display device the generated user interface;

wherein storing one or more user-editable question tables comprises storing a first table containing the plurality of questions and a second table containing the navigation logic data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the first table comprises storing profile link data identifying groups of entities to which questions relate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a third table containing expression data including a plurality of expression data components and one or more expression operators linking the expression data components, the expression data evaluating an expression as true or false based on any of the answers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein storing one or more user-editable question tables comprises storing, in the navigation logic data, jump question data identifying one or more jump questions to be presented after a given question and call question data identifying one or more questions to be presented before the given question.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing a recommendation based on the received answers, wherein the questions relate to a configuration of a network and wherein computing the recommendation comprises computing a recommended installation of one or more software programs to be installed on the network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the one or more dynamic tables during a decision making session by updating the question history data based on questions presented and answers received during the session.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein maintaining one or more dynamic tables comprises maintaining separate question history data for different groups of entities based on the profile link data.

8. A computer readable medium storing program code which when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for facilitating decision making by presenting questions to and receiving answers from a user, the method comprising:

storing one or more user-editable question tables containing a plurality of questions and navigation logic data for navigating between questions;

maintaining one or more dynamic tables containing question history data identifying which of the questions have been presented in a decision making session and answer data identifying answers received from the user;

at a given point in a decision making session, determining which one or more questions to present based on the question history data and the navigation logic data;

generating a structured document containing the one or more questions determined to be presented; and

generating a user interface using the structured document for presenting the one or more questions and receiving the answers,

wherein storing one or more user-editable question tables comprises storing a first table containing the plurality of questions and a second table containing the navigation logic data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein storing the first table comprises storing profile link data identifying groups of entities to which questions relate.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing a third table containing expression data including a plurality of expression data components and one or more expression operators linking the expression data components, the expression data evaluating an expression as true or false based on any of the answers.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein storing one or more user-editable question tables comprises storing, in the navigation logic data, jump question data identifying one or more jump questions to be presented after a given question and call question data identifying one or more questions to be presented before the given question.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising computing a recommendation based on the received answers, wherein the questions relate to a configuration of a network and wherein computing the recommendation comprises computing a recommended installation of one or more software programs to be installed on the network.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising maintaining the one or more dynamic tables during a decision making session by updating the question history data based on questions presented and answers received during the session.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein maintaining one or more dynamic tables comprises maintaining separate question history data for different groups of entities based on the profile link data.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein storing the second table comprises storing a link in the second table to an expression data entry in the third table, and wherein determining which one or more questions to present comprises determining whether the expression corresponding to the linked expression data entry evaluated to true or false.

16. A recommendation system for facilitating decision making, the system comprising:

a computer-readable medium storing a database, wherein the database contains;

two or more user-editable question tables that contain a plurality of questions and navigation logic data for navigating between questions, wherein a first table contains the plurality of questions and a second table containing the navigation logic data;

one or more dynamic tables that contain question history data identifying which of the questions have been presented in a decision making session and answer data identifying answers received from the user;

a determination component, wherein the determination component is configured to determine one or more questions to present based on the question history data and the navigation logic data;

a document generation component, wherein the document generation component is configured to generate a structured document containing the one or more questions determined to be presented; and

an interface generation component, wherein the interface generation component is configured to generate a user interface using the structured document for presenting the one or more questions and receiving the answers.

17. The recommendation system of claim 16, wherein the first table comprises profile link data identifying groups of entities to which questions relate.

18. A recommendation system for facilitating decision making, the system comprising:

a means for storing one or more user-editable question tables containing a plurality of questions and navigation logic data for navigating behween questions;

a means for maintaining one or more dynamic tables containing question history data identifying which of the questions have been presented in a decision making session and answer data identifying answers received from the user;

a means for determining which one or more questions to present based on the question history data and the navigation logic data;

a means for generating a structured document containing the one or more questions determined to be presented; and

a means for generating a user interface using the structured document for presenting the one or more questions and receiving the answers, wherein storing one or more user-editable question tables comprises storing a first table containing the plurality of questions and a second table containing the navigation logic data.

19. The recommendation system of claim 18, further comprising a means for maintaining the one or more dynamic tables during a decision making session by updating the question history data based on questions presented and answers received during the session.