Enterprise concept definition management

• US 9,075,791 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Marian, Radu, Barbir, Abdulkader, Frick, Cynthia A., Kling, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Charlotte M
• Application Number:
  US13/801,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 704/9, 704/E17.058, 704/E15.018, 704/10, 706/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries

Abstract

A system for managing an enterprise concept dictionary may include an electronic master dictionary and electronic local dictionaries. The master dictionary may include concept entries respectively associated with concept identifiers and with one or more concept definitions. The local dictionaries may include one or more of the concept identifiers of the master dictionary. A dictionary management module may be in signal communication with the master dictionary and the local dictionaries. The dictionary management module may be configured to query the master dictionary for a concept entry that corresponds to a concept associated with a modeling component. If a concept entry is found, the concept identifier may be provided. If a concept entry is not found, a new concept entry may be added to the master dictionary. A notification module may be in signal communication with the master dictionary and automatically provide notification when a concept entry is added or updated.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

maintaining an electronic master dictionary that corresponds to an electronic enterprise concept dictionary and includes one or more concept entries, one or more concept identifiers respectively associated with the one or more concept entries, and one or more concept definitions respectively associated with the one or more concept entries;

maintaining an electronic local dictionary wherein the local dictionary includes one or more of the concept identifiers included in the master dictionary;

determining whether the local dictionary includes a concept identifier corresponding to a concept associated with a modeling component;

associating the modeling component with the concept identifier in response to a determination that the local dictionary includes the concept identifier;

determining whether the master dictionary includes the concept identifier in response to a determination that the local dictionary does not include the concept identifier;

including the concept identifier in the local dictionary and associating the modeling component with the concept identifier in response to a determination that the master dictionary includes the concept identifier; and

creating a new concept entry for the concept in the master dictionary to obtain a new concept identifier, including the new concept identifier in the local dictionary, and associating the modeling component with the new concept identifier in response to a determination that the master dictionary does not include the concept identifier.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the master dictionary includes a status associated with the new concept entry and further comprising:

setting the status to indicate that approval of the new concept entry is pending; and

automatically providing notification that indicates the new concept entry has been created in the master dictionary.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining that the new concept entry has not been approved;

updating the status associated with the new concept entry to indicate that the new concept entry has not been approved; and

automatically providing notification that indicates the new concept entry has not been approved.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:

creating a new issue ticket in an issue tracking system wherein the issue ticket indicates one or more reasons that the new concept entry was not approved;

associating the issue ticket with the new concept entry; and

associating the issue ticket with an individual responsible for updating the new concept entry.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

initiating a search query for the concept associated with the new concept entry at a public dictionary;

determining whether the public dictionary includes one or more public definitions for the concept associated with the new concept entry; and

including one or more of the public definitions for the concept in the master dictionary such that the one or more public definitions are associated with the new concept entry.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the master dictionary includes a concept definition associated with the new concept entry and further comprising:

receiving user input corresponding to a selection of one of the public definitions associated with the new concept entry; and

setting the concept definition for the new concept entry to the public definition selected.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating concept information associated with one of the concept entries included in the master dictionary; and

automatically providing notification that the concept entry has been updated.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein automatically providing notification that one of the concept entries in the master dictionary has been updated includes publishing update information associated with the concept entry to a web feed associated with the concept entry such that one or more subscribers to the web feed receive the update information.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the master dictionary includes a list of one or more subscribers that subscribe to the concept entry and automatically providing notification that one of the concept entries in the master database has been updated includes:

creating an issue ticket in an issue tracking system wherein the issue ticket includes the concept information that has been updated; and

associating the issue ticket with one or more of the subscribers that subscribe to the concept entry.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein:

the local dictionary includes metadata respectively associated with one or more of the concept identifiers included in the local dictionary; and

the metadata includes at least one of a concept name, a concept type, a concept category, and combinations thereof.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a data store storing

i) an electronic master dictionary that corresponds to an enterprise concept dictionary and includes one or more concept entries, one or more concept identifiers respectively associated with the one or more concept entries, and one or more concept definitions respectively associated with the one or more concept entries, and

ii) an electronic local dictionary wherein the local dictionary includes one or more of the concept identifiers included in the master dictionary; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by one or more of the processors, cause the system to

query the master dictionary for a concept entry that corresponds to a concept associated with a modeling component,

provide a concept identifier for the concept entry when the master dictionary includes the concept entry for the concept,

add a new concept entry to the master dictionary and provide a new concept identifier associated with the new concept entry when the master dictionary does not include the concept entry for the concept, and

automatically provide notification when the new concept entry is added to the master dictionary and when one of the concept entries in the master dictionary is updated.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more of the processors, further cause the system to:

automatically initiate a search for the concept associated with the new concept entry at a public dictionary;

retrieve one or more public definitions for the concept included in the public dictionary; and

include the one or more public definitions for the concept in the master dictionary such that the one or more public definitions are associated with the new concept entry.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the master dictionary includes concept entries for a plurality of enterprise domains;

the electronic local dictionary is one of a plurality of electronic local dictionaries; and

individual local dictionaries of the plurality of local dictionaries respectively correspond to one of the enterprise domains of the plurality of enterprise domains.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more of the processors, further cause the system to:

provide a web feed; and

wherein the notification module publish updates to concept information associated with one of the concept entries included in the master dictionary via the web feed.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

an issue tracker; and

wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to

create an issue ticket at the issue tracker,

associate one of the concept entries included in the master dictionary with the issue ticket,

indicate in the issue ticket a task relating to the concept entry, and

associate the issue ticket with an individual responsible for completing the task.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

determining whether a local dictionary database includes a concept identifier corresponding to a concept associated with a modeling component;

associating the modeling component with the concept identifier in response to a determination that the local dictionary database the concept identifier;

determining whether a master dictionary database includes the concept identifier in response to a determination that the local dictionary database does not include the concept identifier;

creating a new local concept record for the concept identifier in the local dictionary database and associating the modeling component with the concept identifier in response to a determination that the master dictionary database includes the concept identifier; and

creating a new master concept record for the concept in the master dictionary database to obtain a new concept identifier, a new local concept record for the new concept identifier in the local dictionary database, and associating the modeling component with the new concept identifier in response to a determination that the master dictionary database does not include the concept identifier.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the concept is associated with a concept type and wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps further comprising:

determine whether one or more data quality specifications are associated with the concept type associated with the concept;

in response to a determination that one or more data quality requirements are associated with the concept type, determine whether the new master concept record for the concept satisfies one or more of the data quality specifications; and

in response to a determination that the new master concept record does not satisfy at least one of the data quality specifications, set a status associated with the new master concept record to indicate that the new master concept record is incomplete.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps further comprising automatically providing notification that the new master concept record is incomplete in response to the determination that the new master concept record does not satisfy at least one of the data quality specifications.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein providing notification that the new master concept record is incomplete includes:

automatically creating an issue ticket in an issue tracking system wherein the issue ticket indicates one or more of the data quality specifications the new master concept record does not satisfy;

automatically associating the issue ticket with the new master concept record; and

automatically associating the issue ticket with an individual responsible for updating the new master concept record.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps further comprising:

determining that the new master concept record has been updated; and

automatically providing notification indicating that the new master concept record has been updated to an individual responsible for reviewing the new master concept record.