System and method for planning or monitoring system transformations

• US 8,027,956 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Troux Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Troux Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Miller, Clint, Van Riper, James E., Williams, David K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stace; Brent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman; Sabana
• Application Number:
  US11/929,157
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 712/227, 717/125, 704/1, 707/810, 707/649
• US Class Current: 707/649
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Embodiments provide systems and methods for planning or monitoring system transformations. One embodiment of a method for planning or monitoring the transformation of a system includes developing one or more states, each state representing a system and associated with data structures representing entities comprising the system, wherein the states are ordered in a succession of states to form a scenario modeling the transformation of the system. States can be populated by reflecting one or more data structures or properties of data structures across one or more states. The method can further include collecting data associated with the system at intervals and reflecting the collected data across states. Data structures may be contained in a repository and collected data may be used to update the repository and data structures contained in the repository. A modeling tool may be utilized to display data structures in the repository according to different representations.

Claims

1. A method for modeling a transformation of a system, comprising:

receiving, by an apparatus having a transformation engine associated with a data repository and one or more user interfaces, a plurality of desired states for a transformation of a system;

developing, by the transformation engine, a plurality of state data structures, wherein each state data structure represents the system at a time corresponding to a desired state based on the transformation, wherein each state data structure comprises a first set of data structures, wherein each of the first set of data structures associated with a desired state represents an entity or relationship of the system at the corresponding time;

storing the plurality of state data structures in the data repository;

forming a transformation scenario to represent the transformation of the system, wherein the transformation scenario is a data structure comprising the plurality of state data structures, by;

associating the plurality of state data structures;

ordering the plurality of state data structures based on the times corresponding to each of the plurality of state data structures; and

associating a first data structure in the first set of data structures of a first state data structure of the plurality of state data structures with a second data structure in the first set of data structures of a second state data structure of the plurality of state data structures using a correlating identity (CID), where the first state data structure represents the system at a first corresponding time, the second state data structure represents the system at a second corresponding time, the first state data structure represents a first entity or relationship of the system at the first corresponding time and the second state data structure represents the first entity or relationship of the system at the second corresponding time; and

storing the transformation scenario in the data repository, wherein the plurality of state data structures includes a data structure representing the system in a desired final configuration, wherein the transformation of the system is based on the scenario.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reflecting a property of the first data structure and the second data structure across the first state data structure and the second state data structure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the property of the first data structure and the second data structure is associated with a reflect flag that determines the reflection of the property across the first state data structure and the second state data structure.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting data associated with the system at intervals.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein all the data structures are contained in the data repository and collected data is utilized to update one or more data structures in the data repository.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a graphical representation of one or more of the states utilizing a modeling tool.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of computer instructions, the computer instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a plurality of desired states for a transformation of a system;

developing a plurality of state data structures, wherein each state data structure represents the system at a time corresponding to a desired state based on the transformation, wherein each state data structure comprises a first set of data structures, wherein each of the first set of data structures associated with a desired state represents an entity or relationship of the system at the corresponding time;

storing the plurality of state data structures in a data repository;

forming a transformation scenario to represent the transformation of the system, wherein the transformation scenario is a data structure comprising the plurality of state data structures, by;

associating the plurality of state data structures;

ordering the plurality of state data structures based on the times corresponding to each of the plurality of state data structures; and

associating a first data structure in the first set of data structures of a first state data structure of the plurality of state data structures with a second data structure in the first set of data structures of a second state data structure of the plurality of state data structures using a correlating identity (CID), where the first state data structure represents the system at a first corresponding time, the second state data structure represents the system at a second corresponding time, the first state data structure represents a first entity or relationship of the system at the first corresponding time and the second state data structure represents the first entity or relationship of the system at the second corresponding time; and

storing the transformation scenario in the data repository, wherein the plurality of state data structures includes a data structure representing the system in a desired final configuration, wherein the transformation of the system is based on the scenario.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, the instructions further for reflecting a property of the first data structure and the second data structure across the first state data structure and the second state data structure.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the property of the first data structure and the second data structure is associated with a reflect flag that determines the reflection of the property across the first state data structure and the second state data structure.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, the instructions further for obtaining data associated with the system collected at intervals.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein all the data structures are contained in the data repository and collected data is utilized to update one or more data structures in the data repository.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising a set of instructions for displaying a graphical representation of one or more of the state data structures utilizing a modeling tool.

13. A computing system for monitoring transformations of a system, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable memory, comprising instructions for;

receiving a plurality of desired states for a transformation of a system;

developing a plurality of state data structures, wherein each state data structure represents the system at a time corresponding to a desired state based on the transformation, wherein each state data structure comprises a first set of data structures, wherein each of the first set of data structures associated with a desired state represents an entity or relationship of the system at the corresponding time;

storing the plurality of state data structures in a data repository;

forming a transformation scenario to represent the transformation of the system, wherein the transformation scenario is a data structure comprising the plurality of state data structures, by;

associating the plurality of state data structures;

ordering the plurality of state data structures based on the times corresponding to each of the plurality of state data structures; and

associating a first data structure in the first set of data structures of a first state data structure of the plurality of state data structures with a second data structure in the first set of data structures of a second state data structure of the plurality of state data structures using a correlating identity (CID), where the first state data structure represents the system at a first corresponding time, the second state data structure represents the system at a second corresponding time, the first state data structure represents a first entity or relationship of the system at the first corresponding time and the second state data structure represents the first entity or relationship of the system at the second corresponding time; and

storing the transformation scenario in the data repository, wherein the plurality of state data structures includes a data structure representing the system in a desired final configuration, wherein the transformation of the system is based on the scenario.

14. The system of claim 13, the instructions further for reflecting a property of the first data structure and the second data structure across the first state data structure and the second state data structure.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the property of the first data structure and the second data structure is associated with a reflect flag that determines the reflection of the property across the first state data structure and the second state data structure.

16. The system of claim 13, the instructions further for obtaining data associated with the system collected at intervals.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein all the data structures are contained in the data repository and collected data is utilized to update one or more data structures in the data repository.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising a set of instructions for displaying a graphical representation of one or more of the state data structures utilizing a modeling tool.