Aiding report construction based on inference of implicit application level relationships

• US 8,782,090 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2010
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Guy, Nili, Kallner, Samuel, Rubin, Yoav, Shachor, Gal, Barnea, Maya
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US12/941,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,346 Days
• Field of Search: 707/792, 717/127, 717/151
• US Class Current: 707/792
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method of aiding report construction based on inference of implicit application level relationships is provided herein. The method may include the following steps: analyzing a model of a software application to yield data elements associated with base objects of the software application and relationships between the data elements; generating a list of reportable objects comprising the base objects and objects associated with the data elements and their relationships; ordering the reportable objects based on at least one of: content and usage of the reportable objects, to yield an ordered list; and presenting the ordered list in a form usable for building a report on the software application, wherein at least one of: the analyzing, the generating, the ordering, and the presenting, is carried out by at least one processor.

Claims

1. A method of aiding report construction by users of a software application by inferring implicit application level relationships, the method comprising:

analyzing a data model of the software application to yield data elements associated with base objects of the software application;

inferring, in response to analyzing the data model, implicit application level relationships between the data elements by applying a semantic analysis to the data model;

generating, based on the inferred implicit application level relationships, a list of reportable objects comprising the base objects and objects associated with the data elements and their relationships;

ordering the reportable objects based on at least one of;

content and usage of the reportable objects, to yield an ordered list; and

presenting, to the users, the ordered list in a form usable for building a report on the software application,

wherein the analyzing, the inferring, the generating, the ordering, and the presenting, are carried out by at least one processor;

wherein said semantic analysis allows deriving said implicit application level relationships and logical proximity between the data elements which cannot be derived from pure data or a schema of the data model or the software application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the analyzing is carried out by applying a semantic analysis to the model to deduce the relationships between the data elements.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the ordering, higher preference is given to reportable objects associated with at least one of:

a higher level of data and a higher level of usage.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising ordering of attributes associated with the reportable objects, wherein the ordering of the attributes is based on at least one of:

availability of the data and usage of the data.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the presenting, the reportable objects are visually shown in a manner that resembles beyond a specified level, a run-time appearance of the data elements associated with the reportable objects.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising inputting the ordered reportable objects in view of their respective ordered attributes, into a reporting tool to yield a report on the software application.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein values of the inputted reportable objects are associated with at least one of:

usability and security relevant to end users of the software application, such that the report manifests semantic relationships between data elements of the software application.

8. A system for aiding report construction by users of a software application by inferring implicit application level relationships, the system comprising:

an analyzer configured to analyze a data model of the software application to yield data elements associated with base objects of the software application and to infer, in response to analyzing the data model, implicit application level relationships between the data elements by applying a semantic analysis to the data model;

a reportable objects generator configured to generate, based on the inferred implicit application level relationships, a list of reportable objects comprising the base objects and objects associated with the data elements and their relationships;

an ordering unit configured to order the reportable objects based on at least one of;

content and usage of the reportable objects, to yield an ordered list; and

a user interface configured to present, to the users, the ordered list in a form usable for building a report on the software application,

wherein the analyzer, the reportable objects generator, the ordering unit, and the user interface, are in operative association with at least one processor,

wherein said semantic analysis allows deriving said implicit application level relationships and logical proximity between the data elements which cannot be derived from pure data or a schema of the data model or the software application.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the analyzer further applies a semantic analysis to the model to deduce the relationships between the data elements.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the ordering unit is further configured to give higher preference to reportable objects associated with at least one of:

a higher level of data and a higher level of usage.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the ordering unit is further configured to order attributes associated with the reportable objects, based on at least one of:

availability of the data and usage of the data.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the user interface is further configured to visually present the reportable objects in a manner that resembles beyond a specified level, a run-time appearance of the data elements associated with the reportable objects.

13. The system according to claim 11, further comprising a reporting tool, to which the ordered reportable objects are inputted in view of their respective ordered attributes, yielding a report on the software application.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein values of the inputted reportable objects are associated with at least one of:

usability and security relevant to end users of the software application, such that the report manifests semantic relationships between data elements of the software application.

15. A computer program product for aiding report construction by users of a software application by inferring implicit application level relationships, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program embodied therewith, the computer readable program comprising;

computer readable program configured to analyze a data model of the software application to yield data elements associated with base objects of the software application;

computer readable program configured to infer, in response to analyzing the data model, implicit application level relationships between the data elements by applying a semantic analysis to the data model;

computer readable program configured to generate, based on the inferred implicit application level relationships, a list of reportable objects comprising the base objects and objects associated with the data elements and their relationships;

computer readable program configured to order the reportable objects based on at least one of;

content and usage of the reportable objects, to yield an ordered list; and

computer readable program configured to present, to the users, the ordered list in a form usable for building a report on the software application;

wherein said semantic analysis allows deriving said implicit application level relationships and logical proximity between the data elements which cannot be derived from pure data or a schema of the data model or the software application.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to apply a semantic analysis to the model to deduce the relationships between the data elements.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to give higher preference to reportable objects associated with at least one of:

a higher level of data and a higher level of usage.

18. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to order attributes associated with the reportable objects, based on at least one of:

availability of the data and usage of the data.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the ordered list are presented by a user interface which is further configured to visually present the reportable objects in a manner that resembles beyond a specified level, a run-time appearance of the data elements associated with the reportable objects.

20. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer readable program configured to input the ordered reportable objects in view of their respective ordered attributes, yielding a report on the software application.

21. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein values of the inputted reportable objects are associated with at least one of:

usability and security relevant to end users of the software application, such that the report manifests semantic relationships between data elements of the software application.