System configuration comparison to identify process variation

• US 8,135,659 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Gaffga, Joachim, Sattler, Juergen, Markert, Frank, Viehmann, Robert, Wolf, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US12/243,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

The present subject mater relates computer system configuration and, more particularly, to system configuration comparison to identify process variation. Various embodiments described herein include one or more of systems, methods, software, and data structures to retrieve configuration information from a first system and a second system, apply a set of rules to the configuration information to identify process variants implemented in each of the first and second systems, and output a representation of process variant implementation differences between the first and second systems.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

extracting configuration information from a first system;

extracting configuration information from a second system;

applying an adaptation catalog to the configuration information extracted from both the first and second systems to identify configuration packages implemented on the first and second systems;

comparing the identified configuration packages implemented on the first and second systems to identify differences; and

generating and providing an output representative of the identified differences from the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes data representative of scoping information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the configuration information further includes data representative of fine-tuning of configuration packages and configuration settings; and

the comparing further includes comparing the data representative of the fine-tuning of the configuration packages and configuration settings between the first and second systems to identify differences.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing of configuration packages identifies process variations between the first and second systems.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second systems are separate instances of a single computer application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer application is an enterprise resource planning computer application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second systems are different computer applications.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein applying an adaptation catalog to the configuration information extracted from both the first and second systems includes applying one or more adaptation catalogs specific to the computer applications of the respective systems.

9. A computer-readable medium, with instructions thereon, which when processed, cause a computer to:

retrieve configuration information from a first system and a second system;

apply a set of rules to the configuration information to identify process variants implemented in each of the first and second systems; and

output a representation of process variant implementation differences between the first and second systems.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the configuration information includes data representative of one or more of scoping information, fine-tuning information, and configuration settings.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the applying the set of rules to the configuration information to identify process variants includes applying rules defined in one or more adaptation catalogs.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first and second systems are separate instances of the same computer application.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first and second systems are different computer applications.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein applying the set of rules to the configuration information to identify process variants implemented in each of the first and second systems includes applying one or more adaptation catalogs specific to the computer applications of the respective systems.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein the first and second systems are different computer applications.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein applying the set of rules to the configuration information to identify process variants implemented in each of the first and second systems includes applying one or more adaptation catalogs specific to the computer applications of the respective systems.

15. A system comprising:

a network interface;

a processor;

a memory device including instructions stored thereon that are operable on the processor to cause the system to;

retrieve, over the network interface, configuration information from a first system and a second system;

apply a set of rules to the configuration information to identify process variants implemented in each of the first and second systems; and

output a representation of process variant implementation differences between the first and second systems.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the configuration information includes data representative of one or more of scoping information, fine-tuning information, and configuration settings.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the applying the set of rules to the configuration information to identify process variants includes applying rules defined in one or more adaptation catalogs.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the output representation is stored in the memory device and is displayable on a monitor coupled to the system.