Statistical identification of instances during reconciliation process

• US 9,323,801 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Morozov, Vitaly, Humphery, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US14/204,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 707/694
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2462 Approximate or statistical queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions

Abstract

A system for reconciling object for a configuration management databases employs statistical rules to reduce the amount of manual identification required by conventional reconciliation techniques. As users manually identify matches between source and target datasets, statistical rules are developed based on the criteria used for matching. Those statistical rules are then used for future matching. A threshold value is adjusted as the statistical rules are used, incrementing the threshold value when the rule successfully matches source and target objects. If the threshold value exceeds a predetermined acceptance value, the system may automatically accept a match made by a statistical rule. Otherwise, suggestions of possibly applicable rules may be presented to a user, who may use the suggested rules to match objects, causing adjustment of the threshold value associated with the suggested rules used.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting a first configuration item from a source dataset;

determining whether the first configuration item matches a second configuration item of a target dataset of a configuration management database based on application of a statistical rule; and

responsive to a successful match based on the application of the statistical rule;

determining whether a threshold value associated with the statistical rule meets a predetermined acceptance value associated with the statistical rule, the threshold value and the predetermined acceptance value being independent of the first configuration item and the second configuration item,

responsive to determining that the threshold value meets the predetermined acceptance value, marking the first configuration item as identified with the second configuration item, and

adjusting the threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

marking the first configuration item for manual identification responsive to an unsuccessful match based on the application of the statistical rule or to determining that the threshold value does not meet the predetermined acceptance value for the statistical rule;

displaying information about the statistical rule for a user performing manual identification of the first configuration item;

receiving a manual identification from the user; and

adjusting the threshold value responsive to receiving the manual identification.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the threshold value responsive to receiving the manual identification includes:

incrementing the threshold value if the user uses the statistical rule to match the first configuration item with the second configuration item in the target dataset.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the threshold value responsive to receiving the manual identification includes:

decrementing the threshold value if the user does not use the statistical rule to match the first configuration item with a configuration item in the configuration management database.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying information about the statistical rule includes displaying a plurality of rules for the user in an order determined by respective associated threshold values for the plurality of rules.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the threshold value includes incrementing the threshold value.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

decrementing the threshold value associated with the statistical rule responsive to an unsuccessful match based on the application of the statistical rule.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein using the statistical rule comprises:

selecting a ruleset for a class of the first configuration item;

determining that the ruleset is not empty; and

selecting the rule from the ruleset.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first configuration item has previously been marked as identified with a configuration item in the target dataset; and

performing the marking when the first configuration item has not previously been marked as identified.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

failing to identify the first configuration item with configuration items in the target dataset using identification rules; and

marking the first configuration item for statistical identification, the statistical identification using statistical rules.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to an unsuccessful match:

determining criteria used by a user to manually identify the first configuration item with a third configuration item of the target dataset;

generating a new statistical rule from the criteria used by the user; and

associating a predetermined default value for the threshold value associated with the new rule, the predetermined default value not exceeding the predetermined acceptance value.

12. A configuration management database system, comprising:

at least one processor;

a configuration management database; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

match a plurality of configuration items provided to the configuration management database system from a plurality of source datasets with configuration items contained in the configuration management database using identification rules,

responsive to failure to match a first configuration item in a source dataset, apply a statistical rule to match the first configuration item with a second configuration item in the configuration management database, the statistical rule having been generated by a previous manual identification of a third configuration item having a same class as the first configuration item, and

match the first configuration item with the second configuration item when a threshold value associated with the statistical rule meets a predetermined acceptance value.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

mark the first configuration item for manual reconciliation when a statistical rule for the class of the first configuration item does not exist.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

responsive to determining that the threshold value fails to meet the predetermined acceptance value, mark the first configuration item for manual reconciliation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

suggest the second configuration item using the statistical rule during a manual reconciliation process.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

determine that a user selected the second configuration item as a match for the first configuration item; and

increase the threshold value for the statistical rule.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

displaying information for a plurality of statistical rules as part of a manual reconciliation process, the information being ordered by respective associated threshold values for the plurality of statistical rules.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

receive a third configuration item from a user during the manual reconciliation process, the third configuration item being suggested as a match by a first statistical rule of the plurality of statistical rules;

determine that a second statistical rule of the plurality of statistical rules suggests the third configuration item; and

increase the threshold value for the first statistical rule and for the second statistical rule.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

receive a third configuration item from the configuration management database that a user matches to the first configuration item during a manual reconciliation process; and

generate a new statistical rule based on criteria used by the user to identify the third configuration item as a match.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

set a threshold value for the new statistical rule to a value less than the predetermined acceptance value.