Employing job code attributes in provisioning

• US 7,840,658 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sinn, Richard P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza; Faruk
• Application Number:
  US10/145,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20030217127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,114 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709225-226, 709/203, 709/223, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

The present invention is directed to technology for enabling an Identity System to interact with provisioning systems. An Identity System sets a job code attribute for an entity that it manages. The job code attribute corresponds to a set of external resources associated with the entity. The resources may be supported by different provisioning systems. In response to the entity'"'"'s job code attribute, a Provisioning Bridge Server provisions tasks required to make the external resources available to the entity. The tasks may be provisioned across multiple provisioning systems.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatically provisioning tasks, said method comprising:

setting a job code attribute for an entity stored in a database, wherein said job code attribute identifies a set of external resources for said entity, wherein said setting of said job code attribute comprises adding a job code to said job code attribute, wherein said job code corresponds to said at least one external resource and wherein based on said adding, said at least one task, associated with managing said entity'"'"'s access to said at least one external resource, is associated with creating for said entity an account on said at least one external resource; and

in response to said setting;

determining at least one task required to be performed based on said setting of job code attribute,

wherein said at least one task corresponds to at least one external resource in said set of external resources identified by said job code attribute and,

wherein said at least one task is associated with managing said entity'"'"'s access to said at least one external resource;

determining a provisioning system that supports performing said at least one task; and

assigning said at least one task to said provisioning system for completing the assigned said at least one task.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether said job code attribute can be set for said entity.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether said entity can have said setting of said job code attribute.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said set of external resources includes multiple resources.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein said set of external resources comprises a first external resource and a second external resource and said at least one task comprises a first task and a second task wherein each of said first task and said second task is associated with managing said entity'"'"'s access to each of said first external resource and said second external resource respectively, and wherein performance of said first task and said second task is supported respectively by a first provisioning system and a second provisioning system in a plurality of provisioning systems.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5 wherein said first task is assigned to said first provisioning system and said second task is assigned to said second provisioning system.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said setting of said job code attribute comprises:

changing a job code in said job code attribute.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said setting of said job code attribute comprises:

removing a job code from said job code attribute.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said job code attribute includes a plurality of nested job codes.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said set of external resources includes a plurality of computer systems.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said setting of said job code attribute is performed as part of a workflow.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said setting of said job code attribute is performed as part of a cross application workflow.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said setting of said job code attribute is performed as part of a subflow.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein said at least one task determined based on said setting of said job code attribute comprises creating an account for a first application for said entity said first application executing on said at least one external resource.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising receiving from said provisioning system an indication of completion of said at least one task.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein said managing said entity'"'"'s access to said at least one external resource comprises creating or eliminating said entity'"'"'s access to said at least one external resource.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein said creating for said entity an account on said at least one external resource, creates for said entity an account for an application executing on said at least one external resource.

18. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, wherein execution of said processor readable code by a processor, causes said processor to automatically provision tasks by:

setting a job code attribute for an entity stored in a database, wherein said job code attribute identifies a set of external resources for said entity, wherein said setting of said job code attribute comprises adding a job code to said job code attribute, wherein said job code corresponds to said at least one external resource and wherein based on said adding, said at least one task, associated with managing said entity'"'"'s access to said at least one external resource, is associated with creating for said entity an account on said at least one external resource; and

in response to said setting;

determining at least one task required to be performed based on said setting of job code attribute,

wherein said at least one task corresponds to at least one external resource in said set of external resources identified by said job code attribute and,

wherein said at least one task is associated with managing said entity'"'"'s access to said at least one external resource;

determining a provisioning system that supports performing said at least one task; and

assigning said at least one task to said provisioning system for completing the assigned said at least one task.

19. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein execution of said processor readable code by said processor further causes said processor to:

determine whether said job code attribute can be set for said entity.

20. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein execution of said processor readable code by said processor further causes said processor to:

determine whether said entity can have said setting of said job code attribute.

21. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein said set of external resources includes multiple resources.

22. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 21, wherein said set of external resources comprises a first external resource and a second external resource and said at least one task comprises a first task and a second task wherein each of said first task and said second task is associated with managing said entity'"'"'s access to each of said first external resource and said second external resource respectively, and wherein performance of said first task and said second task is supported respectively by a first provisioning system and a second provisioning system in a plurality of provisioning systems.

23. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein said setting said job code attribute comprises:

adding a job code to said job code attribute.

24. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein said setting said job code attribute comprises:

removing a job code from said job code attribute.

25. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein said job code attribute includes a plurality of nested job codes.

26. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein said setting said job code attribute comprises setting said job code attribute as part of a workflow.

27. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, wherein execution of said processor readable code by a processor cause said processor to provision tasks by:

setting a job code attribute for an entity stored in a database, wherein said job code attribute identifies a set of external resources for said entity, wherein said setting of said job code attribute comprises adding a job code to said job code attribute, wherein said job code corresponds to said at least one external resource and wherein based on said adding, said at least one task, associated with managing said entity'"'"'s access to said at least one external resource, is associated with creating for said entity an account on said at least one external resource; and

in response to said setting;

determining a set of tasks required to be performed based on said setting of job code attribute wherein said set of tasks comprises a first task and a second task;

determining a first external resource and a second external resource in said set of external resources,

wherein each of said first task and said second task is associated with managing said entity'"'"'s access to each of said first external resource and said second external resource respectively;

determining a set of provisioning systems corresponding to said job code attribute said set of provisioning systems comprising a first provisioning system and a second provisioning system wherein said first provisioning system supports performing said first task and said second provisioning system supports performing said second task;

assigning said first task to said first provisioning system and assigning said second task to said second provisioning system; and

receiving an indication of completion of said first task and said second task respectively.