System and method for reviewing role definitions

• US 9,047,323 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2011
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ducharme, James, Zehme, Dan Uwe, Miller, Michael Sean, Taneja, Deepak
• Primary Examiner(s): PENG, HUAWEN A
• Application Number:
  US13/323,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 707/694
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases

Abstract

A system for reviewing the ownership of data resources includes a database that stores a plurality of data resource identifiers. Each of the plurality of data resource identifiers has an associated owner field. The system also includes a second database that stores data resource review definitions. The review definitions define a review processes for the plurality of data resources. The system further includes a processor that is in communication with the data resource database and the review definition database. The processor executes the data resource ownership review processes defined by the review definitions at the appropriate times.

Claims

1. A method for reviewing data resource ownership, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of data resource identifiers in a first database, each of the plurality of data resource identifiers identifying one of a plurality of data resources and having an associated owner field, the owner field for indicating a person responsible for the respective data resource;

storing a review definition in a second database, the review definition defining a review process for at least one of the plurality of data resources for reviewing whether the owner field of each at least one of the plurality of data resources stores correct information in the first database; and

executing by a processor the review process defined by the review definition,

wherein executing the review process includes, in response to the owner field for one of the plurality of resource identifiers failing to identify an owner of the respective data resource, (i) displaying a list of suggested owners of the data resource to a user, (ii) accepting a selection from the user of the owner of the data resource from the list of suggested owners, and (iii) assigning the owner field for said one of the plurality of resource identifiers to identify the owner that the user has selected from the list of suggested owners.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing a plurality of review definitions in the second database, each of the plurality of review definitions defining a review process for one of the plurality of data resources.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the review definition defines the review process to include a first subset of the plurality of data resources.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the processor creating the review definition.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of creating the review definition comprises the processor receiving a selection from predetermined review options.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of creating the review definition comprises the processor receiving a selection of at least one of the plurality of data resources for the review.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the selection may be selected from the group consisting of:

data resource name, data resource state, data resource type, data resource set, data resource attribute, and data resource set attribute and data resource owner.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of creating the review definition further comprises the processor receiving a schedule for the review.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of creating the review definition further comprises the processor receiving a selection of at least one reviewer to perform the review.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of creating the review definition further comprises the processor receiving a plurality of reviewers among which to distribute the review.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one reviewer is an associated data resource owner.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein step of creating the review definition further comprises the processor receiving a selection of suggested owners to perform the review.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the processor selects a subset of the suggested owners to perform the review.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of the processor receiving an owner for the associated owner field from at least one of the reviewers.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

the processor receiving an “

owner unknown”

response for the associated owner field from at least one of the reviewers; and

the processor removing the at least one of the reviewers from a list of potential owners.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of the processor receiving an additional reviewer from the at least one of the reviewers.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of executing the review process further comprises creating a first instance of the review process.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of executing the review a plurality of times, wherein an instance of the review process is created by the processor for each execution.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of executing the review process further comprises notifying selected reviewers of the review.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving, by the processor, an instruction to from a user regarding ownership of the at least one of the plurality of data resources.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the instruction is to modify ownership of the at least one of the plurality of data resources.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein user identifies that the at least one of the plurality of data resources is a valid data resource and the instruction is to maintain the at least one of the plurality of data resources.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein user identifies that the at least one of the plurality of data resources is an invalid data resource and the instruction is to revoke the at least one of the plurality of data resources.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the review definitions provide processes for reviewing accuracy of information stored in the owner field of each of the plurality of data resource identifiers.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

displaying a screen to a user, the screen presenting options to allow a user to select a particular review type from among multiple review types, the multiple review types including a user access review type and a data resource ownership review type;

accepting a selection from the user of the data resource ownership review type; and

in response to accepting the selection, displaying at least one additional screen to the user for defining aspects of the data resource ownership review type.

26. A system for reviewing data resource ownership, comprising:

a first database storing a plurality of data resources, each of the plurality of data resources having an associated owner, the owner indicating a person responsible for the respective data resource;

a second database storing a review definition, the review definition defining a review process for at least one of the plurality of data resources, the review process constructed and arranged to determine whether the owner of each data resource identifier of each at least one of the plurality of data resources stores correct information in the first database; and

a processor in communication with the first and second databases, the processor constructed and arranged to execute the review process defined by the review definition,

wherein the processor is further constructed and arranged, in response to the owner field for one of the plurality of resource identifiers failing to identify an owner of the respective data resource, to (i) display a list of suggested owners of the data resource to a user, (ii) accept a selection from the user of the owner of the data resource from the list of suggested owners, and (iii) assign the owner field for said one of the plurality of resource identifiers to identify the owner that the user has selected from the list of suggested owners.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the second database stores a plurality of review definitions, each of the plurality of review definitions defining a review process for a corresponding one of the plurality of data resources.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein the processor creates the review definition by receiving information from a user.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the processor utilizes user selections from predetermined review options to create the review definition.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the processor utilizes a user selection of at least one of the plurality of data resources for the review to create the review definition.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the user selection may be selected from the group consisting of:

data resource name, data resource state, data resource type, data resource set, data resource attribute, and data resource set attribute and data resource owner.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the processor utilizes a user selection of a schedule for the review to create the review definition.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the processor utilizes a user selection of at least one reviewer to perform the review create the review definition.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the processor utilizes a user selection of a plurality of reviewers among which to distribute the review to create the review definition.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein the at least one reviewer is an associated data resource owner.

36. The system of claim 33 wherein the associated owner field is to be assigned.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein step of creating the review definition further comprises the processor receiving a selection of suggested owners to perform the review.

38. The system of claim 36, further comprising the step of the processor receiving an owner for the associated owner field from at least one of the reviewers.

39. The system of claim 36 further comprising the steps of:

the processor receiving an unknown response for the associated owner field from at least one of the reviewers; and

the processor removing the at least one of the reviewers from a list of potential owners.

40. The system of claim 39 further comprising the step of the processor receiving an additional reviewer from the at least one of the reviewers.

41. The system of claim 33 wherein the step of creating the review definition further comprises the processor receiving a selection of at least one user type to determine reviewers to perform the review.

42. A computer program product including at least one non-transitory, computer-readable medium including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of reviewing data resource ownership, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of data resource identifiers in a first database, each of the plurality of data resource identifiers identifying one of a plurality of data resources and having an associated owner field, the owner field for indicating a person responsible for the respective data resource;

storing a review definition in a second database, the review definition defining a review process for at least one of the plurality of data resources for reviewing whether the owner field of each at least one of the plurality of data resources stores correct information in the first database; and

executing by a processor the review process defined by the review definition,

wherein executing the review process includes, in response to the owner field for one of the plurality of resource identifiers failing to identify an owner of the respective data resource, (i) displaying a list of suggested owners of the data resource to a user, (ii) accepting a selection from the user of the owner of the data resource from the list of suggested owners and (iii) assigning the owner field for said one of the plurality of resource identifiers to identify the owner that the user has selected from the list of suggested owners.

43. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the processor is caused to create a first instance of the review process while executing the review process.

44. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the processor is caused to create an instance of the review process each time the processor executes the review process.

45. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the processor is caused to notify selected reviewers of the review.

46. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the processor is caused to modify ownership of the at least one of the plurality of data resources in response to receiving a user instruction to modify the at least one of the plurality of data resources.

47. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the processor is caused to maintain the at least one of the plurality of data resources in response to receiving a user instruction that the at least one of the plurality of data resources is a valid data resource.

48. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the processor is caused to revoke the at least one of the plurality of data resources in response to receiving a user instruction that the at least one of the plurality of data resources is an invalid data resource.