Selective computation using analytic functions

• US 9,369,346 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2012
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pikovsky, Alexander, Pennell, David Joel Sr., Hylands, Jon, Pair, Stephen, Kamath, Monty
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US13/413,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods

Abstract

A method for selective computation using analytic functions is provided in the illustrative embodiments. An object graph and information about a change therein is received. The object graph includes several objects representing several resources in an environment as well as a set of analytic function instances in relation to the objects. A set of analytic function dependencies is determined. A first analytic function instance in the set of analytic function instances that has to be re-executed based on the change is identified. A re-computation graph is computed using the analytic function instance and presented. The change may be an addition, a deletion, a modification, or a combination thereof. The change may be a change in an object, in a relationship between two objects, in a relationship between an object in and an analytic function instance in the set of analytic function instances, or in an analytic function instance.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for selective re-computation using analytic functions, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving an object graph, the object graph including a plurality of objects representing a plurality of resources in an environment, a resource in the plurality of resources comprising a physical component of the environment, an object in the plurality of objects comprising a logical construct corresponding to the physical component, the object graph further including a set of analytic function instances in relation to the plurality of objects, wherein an analytic function instance is an instance of an analytic function described by an analytic function specification, the instance executing in a data processing environment, and wherein the analytic function performs an analytical computation when the instance executes in the data processing environment;

determining a set of analytic function dependencies;

receiving an information about a change in the object graph;

identifying a first analytic function instance in the set of analytic function instances that has to be re-executed based on the change;

computing a re-computation graph using the analytic function instance, wherein the re-computation graph is a portion of the object graph such that the first analytic function instance located in the portion have to be re-executed responsive to the change; and

presenting the re-computation graph.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the change is one of an addition, a deletion, and a modification.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the change is a change in an object in the plurality of objects.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the change is a change in a relationship between a first object and a second object in the plurality of objects.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the change is a change in a relationship between an object in the plurality of objects and an analytic function instance in the set of analytic function instances.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the change is a change in an analytic function instance in the set of analytic function instances, wherein the change in the analytic function instance is one of (i) a change in an input bindings, (ii) a change in an analysis procedure, and (iii) a change in a temporal semantics used in the analytic function instance.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first analytic function instance that has to be re-executed further comprises:

determining whether the first analytic function instance receives an input time series from one of (i) an object that has changed, (ii) an object whose relationship has changed, and (iii) an object with which the relationship of the analytic function instance has changed, wherein the input time series comprises data produced by the physical component corresponding to the object;

determining whether the first analytic function instance receives the input time series that is changed as a result of (i) an object that has changed, (ii) an object whose relationship has changed, and (iii) a second analytic function instance whose relationship has changed; and

determining whether one of (i) the first analytic function instance, (ii) a third analytic function instance directly related to the first analytic function instance, and (iii) a fourth analytic function instance indirectly related to the first analytic function instance has changed.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the re-computation graph includes a plurality of analytic function instances from the set of analytic function instances, the plurality of analytic function instances including less than all analytic function instances in the set of analytic function instances, and wherein each analytic function instance in the plurality of analytic function instances is re-executed as a result of the change.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computing the re-computation graph performs an iterative graph tracing of the object graph.