Managing information assets using feedback re-enforced search and navigation

• US 9,646,110 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Byrne, Brian P., Oberhofer, Martin A., Pandit, Sushain, Wolfson, Charles D.
• Primary Examiner(s): PARK, GRACE A
• Application Number:
  US13/036,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20120221556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,262 Days
• Field of Search: 707723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/367 Ontology
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide an approach for creating, evolving and using a weighted semantic graph to manage and potentially identify certain information assets within an enterprise. The semantic graph may be generated by monitoring users navigating through search results which provide a set of information assets responsive to a search query. By recording the navigation path taken by many users, relationships between information assets may be identified. Further, once generated, the semantic graph may be used to present users with in indication of related information assets as part of the search results. Further still, the semantic graph may also be used to identify information assert “hubs” as well as information assets that may provide low utility to individuals within the enterprise.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable to perform an operation to govern information assets managed by an enterprise, the operation comprising:

identifying, by an enterprise information asset management application executing on a computing system having at least a processor and a memory, a set of search results responsive to a query requesting a subset of information assets within the enterprise;

providing the set of search results;

receiving a selection of a first information asset presented in the set of search results;

identifying at least a second information asset presented in the set of search results, wherein the first information asset and the second information asset are related to one another by an edge in a semantic graph that represents relationships between the plurality of information assets, wherein the semantic graph associates the plurality of information assets with nodes of the semantic graph, wherein the relationships between nodes in the semantic graph are generated and updated by monitoring user behavior in accessing the plurality of information assets with the set of search results and without requiring user input explicitly specifying to update the relationships, wherein the semantic graph is updated based on a domain ontology;

parsing the semantic graph in order to identify at least one information asset selected from;

(i) an informal information asset whose relationships satisfy an overuse criterion and (ii) an underused information asset whose relationships satisfy an underuse criterion; and

designating the at least one information asset as being overused or underused, whereafter the at least one information asset is formally commissioned or decommissioned.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein each node represents one of the plurality of information assets, and wherein the semantic graph further includes a plurality of weighted edges, each connecting two nodes among the plurality of nodes and indicating a relationship strength between two respective information assets represented by the two nodes.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the plurality of information assets include at least one of a database system, a web service, and a server application.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operation further comprises:

monitoring one of a plurality of users selecting a third information asset presented in the set of search results, and subsequently a fourth information asset presented in the set of search results; and

storing an indication of a relationship between the third information asset and the fourth information asset in the semantic graph.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the operation further comprises:

assigning a weight to the relationship between the third information asset and the fourth information asset, wherein the assigned weight is increased each time one of the plurality of users navigates from the third information asset to the fourth information asset; and

upon determining that the assigned weight exceeds a specified threshold, updating the semantic graph with an edge connecting respective nodes in the semantic graph corresponding to the third information asset and the fourth information asset.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operation further comprises receiving an annotation characterizing a relationship between the first information asset and the second information asset represented by the edge in the semantic graph.

7. A system of governing information assets managed by an enterprise, the system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a memory storing an enterprise information asset management application which, when executed on the computer processor, performs an operation comprising;

identifying, by an enterprise information asset management application executed on a computing system having at least a processor and a memory, a set of search results responsive to a query requesting a subset of information assets within the enterprise;

providing the set of search results;

receiving a selection of a first information asset presented in the set of search results;

identifying at least a second information asset presented in the set of search results, wherein the first information asset and the second information asset are related to one another by an edge in a semantic graph that represents relationships between the plurality of information assets, wherein the semantic graph associates the plurality of information assets with nodes of the semantic graph, wherein the relationships between nodes in the semantic graph are generated and updated by monitoring user behavior in accessing the plurality of information assets with the set of search results and without requiring user input explicitly specifying to update the relationships, wherein the semantic graph is updated based on a domain ontology;

parsing the semantic graph in order to identify at least one information asset selected from;

(i) an informal information asset whose relationships satisfy an overuse criterion and (ii) an underused information asset whose relationships satisfy an underuse criterion; and

designating the at least one information asset as being overused or underused, whereafter the at least one information asset is formally commissioned or decommissioned.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each node represents one of the plurality of information assets, and wherein the semantic graph further includes a plurality of weighted edges, each connecting two nodes among the plurality of nodes and indicating a relationship strength between two respective information assets represented by the two nodes.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of information assets include at least one of a database system, a web service, and a server application.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operation further comprises:

monitoring one of a plurality of users selecting a third information asset presented in the set of search results, and subsequently a fourth information asset presented in the set of search results; and

storing an indication of a relationship between the third information asset and the fourth information asset in the semantic graph.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operation further comprises:

assigning a weight to the relationship between the third information asset and the fourth information asset, wherein the assigned weight is increased each time one of the plurality of users navigates from the third information asset to the fourth information asset; and

upon determining the assigned weight exceeds a specified threshold, updating the semantic graph with an edge connecting respective nodes in the semantic graph corresponding to the third information asset and the fourth information asset.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the operation further comprises receiving an annotation characterizing a relationship between the first information asset and the second information asset represented by the edge in the semantic graph.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein each of:

(i) the informal information asset whose relationships satisfy the overuse criterion and (ii) the underused information asset whose relationships satisfy the underuse criterion are identified;

wherein the operation further comprises;

designating the informal information asset as being overused, whereafter the informal information asset is commissioned as a formal asset; and

designating the underused information asset as being underused, whereafter the underused information asset is decommissioned as an information asset.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein an indication that the informal information asset is designated as being overused is output, wherein an indication that the underused information asset is designated as being overused is output, wherein the enterprise information asset management application is configured to:

provide a graphical user interface for outputting the set of search results to a user;

remove one or more unrelated assets from the graphical user interface; and

present one or more annotations provided by other users and characterizing relationships between information assets.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the enterprise information asset management application has a plurality of components including a query tool, the graphical user interface, a monitoring component, and a semantic graph generator;

wherein the query tool is configured to identify the set of search results responsive to the query;

wherein the monitoring component is configured to monitor user behavior in accessing the plurality of information assets with the set of search results;

wherein the semantic graph generator is configured to generate the semantic graph.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein a representation of each information asset is stored in an information asset database, wherein the information asset database, the domain ontology, and the semantic graph are represented as separate data structures;

wherein the semantic graph is automatically evolved based on navigation of search results by a plurality of users over time and without any input from the plurality of users explicitly specifying to update the semantic graph, wherein the operation further comprises;

upon identifying, based on the semantic graph, an information asset that does not have any relationships to other information assets, designating the information asset as an isolated information asset, whereafter an indication is output to instruct an administrative user to specify one or more desired relationships for the isolated information asset.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operation further comprises:

maintaining the information assets by adding, removing, and modifying nodes in the semantic graph based on the domain ontology;

wherein each node represents one of the plurality of information assets, wherein the semantic graph further includes a plurality of weighted edges, each connecting two nodes among the plurality of nodes and indicating a relationship strength between two respective information assets represented by the two nodes.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of information assets include each of:

(i) a database system;

(ii) a web service;

(iii) a server application;

(iv) a data model;

(v) a function;

(vi) a job;

(vii) a script;

(viii) an extract, transform, and load (ETL) tool;

(ix) a network service;

(x) a networking device; and

(xi) an appliance system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the operation further comprises:

monitoring one of the plurality of users;

(i) selecting a third information asset presented in the set of search results and (ii) subsequently selecting a fourth information asset presented in the set of search results;

upon determining that the third and fourth information assets were selected within a preconfigured time window of one another, increasing a relationship strength between the third and fourth information assets in the semantic graph; and

wherein upon determining that the third and fourth information assets were not selected within a preconfigured time window of one another, no relationship strength between the third and fourth information assets is increased in the semantic graph.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the operation further comprises:

assigning a weight to the relationship between the third and fourth information assets, wherein the assigned weight is increased each time one of the plurality of users navigates from the third information asset to the fourth information asset within the preconfigured time window; and

upon determining that the assigned weight exceeds a specified threshold, updating the semantic graph with an edge connecting respective nodes in the semantic graph corresponding to the third and fourth information assets.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the operation further comprises:

upon receiving user input characterizing a relationship between the first and second information assets represented by the edge in the semantic graph, generating an annotation based on the received user input, whereafter the generated annotation is assigned to at least one of the first and second information assets, wherein the generated annotation is output.