Programmatic conversion of support documentation into executable programs

• US 9,141,342 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Baumann, Warren J., Bouz, Firas, Stevens, Wesley, Waller, Glen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cortes, Howard
• Application Number:
  US12/956,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20120137212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 715/239, 717/123
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/20 Natural language analysis semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach to automatically convert existing support materials (support manuals, troubleshooting guides, content, help files, etc.) into machine-executable programs so as to obviate for manual execution of the steps described in the support materials. That is, the embodiments of the invention will (among other things): create support-based programs that automate the execution of previously manual steps; create an inventory of said programs; parse existing support documentation; map sections of each support document into existing program automation; construct a sequence of program automations that resemble the flow of each support document; and/or associate a constructed sequence of automation with a support document that could be executed automatically.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for converting support documents into programs, comprising:

locating a set of technical steps written in natural language form in a set of support documents for a system;

parsing, for keywords in the technical steps, in the set of support documents;

responsive to the parsing, identifying a set of actions based on the keywords;

determining whether any pre-existing programs are available in a database for executing any of the identified set of actions;

generating a set of programs to automate each action of the set of identified actions for which it is determined that no pre-exiting programs are available;

mapping a set of pre-existing and generated programs to each action of the set of identified actions;

creating a set of support programs comprising the mapping of the generated set of programs and the any pre-existing programs; and

storing the set of support programs in the database, wherein the database comprises an inventory of support programs.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the set of support documents into a predefined language prior to the parsing.

3. The method of claim 1, the inventory associating support programs with corresponding identification codes.

4. The method of claim 1, the set of support programs being a computer-executable set of support programs.

5. The method of claim 1, the support documents relating to addressing an issue with a system, the system being selected from a group consisting of computer hardware, computer software, or a combination of computer hardware and computer software.

6. The method of claim 1, the set of programs implementing a flow of the set of actions within the set of support documents.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising mapping sections of the set of support documents to the set of programs.

8. A system for converting support documents into programs, comprising:

a bus;

a processor coupled to the bus; and

a memory medium coupled to the bus, the memory medium comprising instructions to;

locate a set of technical steps written in natural language form in a set of support documents for a system;

parse, for keywords in the technical steps, in the set of support documents;

responsive to the parsing, identifying a set of actions based on the keywords;

determine whether any pre-existing programs are available in a database for executing any of the identified set of actions;

generate a set of programs to automate each action of the set of identified actions for which it is determined that no pre-exiting programs are available;

map a set of pre-existing and generated programs to each action of the set of identified actions;

create a set of support programs comprising the mapping of the generated set of programs and the any pre-existing programs; and

store the set of support programs in the database, wherein the database comprises an inventory of support programs.

9. The system of claim 8, the memory medium further comprising instructions to convert the set of support documents into a predefined language prior to the parsing.

10. The system of claim 8, the inventory associating support programs with corresponding identification codes.

11. The system of claim 8, the set of support programs being a computer-executable set of support programs.

12. The system of claim 8, the system being selected from a group consisting of computer hardware, computer software, or a combination of computer hardware and computer software.

13. The system of claim 8, the set of programs implementing a flow of the set of actions within the set of support documents.

14. The system of claim 8, the memory medium further comprising instructions to map sections of the set of support documents to the set of programs.

15. A computer program product for converting support documents into programs, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media, to:

locate a set of technical steps written in natural language form in a set of support documents for a system;

parse, for keywords in the technical steps, in the set of support documents;

responsive to the parsing, identifying a set of actions based on the keywords;

determine whether any pre-existing programs are available in a database for executing any of the identified set of actions;

generate a set of programs to automate each action of the set of identified actions for which it is determined that no pre-exiting programs are available;

map a set of pre-existing and generated programs to each action of the set of identified actions;

create a set of support programs comprising the mapping of the generated set of programs and the any pre-existing programs; and

store the set of support programs in the database, wherein the database comprises an inventory of support programs.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, the memory medium further comprising instructions to convert the set of support documents into a predefined language prior to the parsing.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, the inventory associating support programs with corresponding identification codes.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, the set of support programs being a computer-executable set of support programs.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, the set of support documents addressing an issue of a system, the system being selected from a group consisting of computer hardware, computer software, or a combination of computer hardware and computer software.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, the set of programs implementing a flow of the set of actions within the set of support documents.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, the memory medium further comprising instructions to map sections of the set of support documents to the set of programs.

22. A method for deploying a system for converting support documents into programs, comprising:

deploying a computer infrastructure being operable to;

locate a set of technical steps written in natural language form in a set of support documents for a system;

parse, for keywords in the technical steps, in the set of support documents;

responsive to the parsing, identifying a set of actions based on the keywords;

determine whether any pre-existing programs are available in a database for executing any of the identified set of actions;

generate a set of programs to automate each action of the set of identified actions for which it is determined that no pre-exiting programs are available;

map a set of pre-existing and generated programs to each action of the set of identified actions;

create a set of support programs comprising the mapping of the generated set of programs and the any pre-existing programs; and

store the set of support programs in the database, wherein the database comprises an inventory of support programs.