System and method for resource reconciliation in an enterprise management system

• US 9,137,115 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Mayfield, Richard, Mueller, Douglas, Kumar, Narayan
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US11/204,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,683 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 707 1- 10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/14 Merging, i.e. combining at least two sets of record carriers each arranged in the same ordered sequence to produce a single set having the same ordered sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/16 Combined merging and sorting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/20 Comparing separate sets of record carriers arranged in the same sequence to determine whether at least some of the data in one set is identical with that in the other set or sets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/32 Merging, i.e. combining data contained in ordered sequence on at least two record carriers to produce a single carrier or set of carriers having all the original data in the ordered sequence merging methods in generalG06F7/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/36 Combined merging and sorting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method to reconcile multiple instances of a single computer resource identified by resource discovery operations includes: (1) accessing information describing one or more resources; (2) identifying, via the accessed information, at least one resource that has been detected or discovered by at least two of the discovery operations; and (3) merging attributes associated with the identified resource from each of the at least two discovery operations into a single, reconciled resource object. Illustrative “resources” include, but are not limited to, computer systems, components of computer systems, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, software applications (e.g., accounting and database applications), operating systems and business services (e.g., order entry or change management and tracking services).

Claims

1. A method for resource reconciliation, the method being performed by at least one processor, the method comprising:

selecting a first resource object from one of a plurality of datasets including a first dataset and a second dataset, each of the first dataset and the second dataset storing un-reconciled resource objects;

matching the first resource object with a second resource object stored in one of the plurality of datasets or a reconciled dataset storing reconciled resource objects according to at least one identification rule, wherein when the first dataset includes more resource objects than the second dataset and the reconciled dataset, the at least one identification rule indicates to search the first dataset for a match before searching the second dataset and the reconciled dataset;

merging the first resource object and the second resource object into a reconciled resource object; and

storing the reconciled resource object in the reconciled dataset,

wherein the merging including assigning a weight value to each attribute of the first resource object and each attribute of the second resource object, selecting an attribute among the attributes of the first resource object and the second resource object based on the weight values, and assigning an attribute value of the selected attribute to the reconciled resource object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first resource object and the second resource object correspond to a hardware device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first resource object and the second resource object correspond to a software entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching further includes assigning a reconciliation identifier to the first resource object that is equivalent to the second resource object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one identification rule specifies which attribute or attributes are considered when determining a match.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one identification rule includes a first identification rule providing matching criteria associated with a first class of resource objects and a second identification rule providing matching criteria associated with a second class of resource objects that is different than the matching criteria of the first identification rule, wherein the first resource object is matched with the second resource object according to the matching criteria of the first identification rule when the first resource object corresponds to the first class of resource objects, and the first resource object is matched with the second resource object according to the matching criteria of the second identification rule when the first resource object corresponds to the second class of resource objects.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the merging includes merging resource objects having same reconciliation identifiers such that the attributes of the first resource object are merged with the attributes of the second resource object according to an attribute merge operation, wherein the merging merges the attributes of the first resource object and the attributes of the second resource object into a single reconciled resource object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting includes selecting the attribute having a highest weight value.

9. A resource management computer system comprising:

a database configured to store a plurality of datasets including a first dataset and a second dataset, the first and second datasets storing un-reconciled resource objects, the database configured to store a reconciled dataset storing reconciled resource objects; and

a reconciliation engine configured to select a first resource object from the first dataset, match the first resource object with a second resource object stored in the first dataset, the second dataset, or the reconciled dataset according to at least one identification rule, wherein when the first dataset includes more resource objects than the second dataset and the reconciled dataset, the at least one identification rule indicates to search the first dataset for a match before searching the second dataset and the reconciled dataset,

the reconciliation engine configured to merge the first resource object and the second resource object within a reconciled resource object,

wherein the reconciliation engine is configured to assign a weight value to each attribute of the first resource object and each attribute of the second resource object, select an attribute among the attributes of the first resource object and the second resource object based on the weight values, and assign an attribute value of the selected attribute to the reconciled resource object.

10. The resource management computer system of claim 9, wherein the first resource object and the second resource object correspond to a software entity.

11. The resource management computer system of claim 9, wherein the reconciliation engine is configured to assign a reconciliation identifier to the first resource object that is equivalent to the second resource object.

12. The resource management computer system of claim 9, wherein the at least one identification rule specifies which attribute or attributes are considered when determining a match.

13. The resource management computer system of claim 9, wherein the at least one identification rule includes a first identification rule providing matching criteria associated with a first class of resource objects and a second identification rule providing matching criteria associated with a second class of resource objects that is different than the matching criteria of the first identification rule, wherein the first resource object is matched with the second resource object according to the matching criteria of the first identification rule when the first resource object corresponds to the first class of resource objects, and the first resource object is matched with the second resource object according to the matching criteria of the second identification rule when the first resource object corresponds to the second class of resource objects.

14. The resource management computer system of claim 9, wherein the reconciliation engine is configured to select the attribute having a highest weight value.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause the at least one processor to:

select a first resource object from one of a plurality of datasets including a first dataset and a second dataset, each of the first dataset and the second dataset storing un-reconciled resource objects;

match the first resource object with a second resource object stored in one of the plurality of datasets or a reconciled dataset storing reconciled resource objects according to at least one identification rule, wherein when the first dataset includes more resource objects than the second dataset and the reconciled dataset, the at least one identification rule indicates to search the first dataset for a match before searching the second dataset and the reconciled dataset;

merge the first resource object and the second resource object into a reconciled resource object, the first resource object and the second resource object being different instances of a common resource object; and

store the reconciled resource object in the reconciled dataset,

wherein the instructions are configured to assign a weight value to each attribute of the first resource object and each attribute of the second resource object, select an attribute among the attributes of the first resource object and the second resource object based on the weight values, and assign an attribute value of the selected attribute to the reconciled resource object.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first resource object and the second resource object correspond to a software entity.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions are configured to assign a reconciliation identifier to the first resource object that is equivalent to the second resource object.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the at least one identification rule specifies which attribute or attributes are considered when determining a match.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the at least one identification rule includes a first identification rule providing matching criteria associated with a first class of resource objects and a second identification rule providing matching criteria associated with a second class of resource objects that is different than the matching criteria of the first identification rule, wherein the first resource object is matched with the second resource object according to the matching criteria of the first identification rule when the first resource object corresponds to the first class of resource objects, and the first resource object is matched with the second resource object according to the matching criteria of the second identification rule when the first resource object corresponds to the second class of resource objects.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions are configured to select the attribute having a highest weight value.