Update installer with process impact analysis

• US 9,703,543 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Thomas, Satish, Nachimuthu, Arunpriyaa, Srinivasan, Sri, Basu, Arijit, Gorn, Dmitry, Premo, Nathan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US14/152,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/78 Methods to solve the "Year 2000" [Y2K] problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

An update installer generates an update display for a user that displays available updates. The user can select updates, and the update installer accesses the business processes corresponding to the user'"'"'s project and displays an impact analysis indicating the impact that the selected updates will have on the processes in the system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating a representation of an update selection user interface display that identifies a plurality of updates and includes an update selection user input mechanism;

receiving process impact information that indicates a degree to which the plurality of updates affects one or more processes of an application in a computer system; and

prior to applying any of the updates to the application,

receiving a first indication of a user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism;

based on the first indication of user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism, selecting a first update, from the plurality of updates, to apply to an application in a computer system;

using a computer processor to generate a representation of a process impact display including a first visual impact indicator indicating a degree to which the first update affects the one or more processes in the application;

receiving a second indication of user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism;

based on the second indication of user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism, selecting a set of updates, from the plurality of updates, to apply to the application in a computer system; and

using the computer processor to modify the representation of the process impact display to include a second visual impact indicator indicating a degree to which the set of updates affects the one or more processes in the application, wherein the second visual impact indicator comprises a plurality of process identifiers, each process identifier corresponding to a particular process in the application, wherein each process identifier is displayed in a hierarchical display having a parent node that identifies the corresponding process and one or more child nodes that identify which of the selected updates affect the process identified by the parent node.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting a first update comprises selecting a first set of the updates, and the set of updates selected based on the second indication of user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism comprises a second set of updates that is different than the first set of updates, and wherein the first visual impact indicator indicates a degree to which the first set of updates affects the one or more processes in the application;

and

wherein the second visual impact indicator indicates a degree to which the second set of updates affects the one or more processes in the application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, and further comprising:

generating a representation of an update application user input mechanism;

receiving an indication of user actuation of the update application user input mechanism; and

based on the user actuation of the update application user input mechanism, applying the second set of updates to the application in the computer system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, and further comprising:

generating a representation of a relative impact indicator visually associated with each of the process identifiers, each relative impact indicator indicating an impact that the second set of updates will have on the process corresponding to the associated process identifier, relative to an impact the second set of updates will have on other of the plurality of different processes.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein each relative impact indicator comprises a color coded indicator indicating whether the corresponding process identifier identities a process that will be affected by the second set updates to a high degree, a medium degree, or a low degree, relative to the other plurality of processes in the computer system.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein each relative impact indicator is adjacent the associated process identifier.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second visual impact indicator comprises a details display that displays detailed information indicative of how the set of updates will affect the particular process.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, and further comprising:

generating a representation of a filter user input mechanism;

receiving an indication of user actuation of the filter user input mechanism;

based on the indication of user actuation of the filter user input mechanism, defining a filter criterion;

identifying a filtered set of updates by applying the filter criterion to filter the plurality of updates by process; and

modifying the representation of the update selection user interface display to display the filtered set of updates.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein each relative impact indicator indicates a number of the updates that will be applied to the process corresponding to the associated process identifier.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

instructing a display device to display an update selection user interface display update selection user input mechanism;

receiving an indication of user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism;

based on the indication of user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism, selecting a plurality of updates to apply to a computer system; and

prior to application of the selected updates to the computer system, instructing the display device to display a process impact display that includes;

a plurality of process identifiers, each process identifier corresponding to a particular process in the computer system, wherein each process identifier s displayed in a hierarchical display having a parent node that identifies the corresponding process and one or more child nodes that identify which of the selected updates affect the process identified by the parent node; and

a relative impact indicator corresponding to each process identifier that indicates a number of the selected updates that will have an impact on the particular process corresponding to the process identifier, relative to a number of the selected updates that will have an impact on another process in the computer system.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 wherein the relative impact indicator comprises a heat map that includes a color-coded indicator corresponding to each of a plurality of different processes in the computer system, each color coded indicator indicating a number of the selected updates that will affect the corresponding process.

12. A computing system, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, configure the computing system to;

generate a representation of an update selection user interface display that identifies a plurality of updates and includes an update selection user input mechanism;

receive an indication of user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism;

based on the indication of user actuation of the update selection user input mechanism, select a plurality of the updates to apply to an application in the computing system;

receive process impact information that indicates a degree to which the selected updates affect a plurality of processes in the application; and

prior to applying the selected updates to the application, generate a representation of a process impact display that includes;

a plurality of process identifiers, each process identifier corresponding to a process in the application, wherein each process identifier is displayed in a hierarchical display having a parent node that identifies the corresponding process and one or more child nodes that identify which of the selected updates affect the process identified by the parent node; and

a visual impact indicator corresponding to each process and indicating the degree to which the selected set of updates affects the corresponding process in the application, the visual impact indicator comprises a numerical indicator that identifies a number of the updates, in the selected set of updates, that will have an impact on the corresponding process relative to a number of updates, in the selected set of updates, that will have an impact on another process in the application.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the process impact display comprises a heat map that includes a color-coded indicator corresponding to each process, of the plurality of processes.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein each color-coded indicator indicating whether the corresponding process will be affected by the selected set of updates to a high degree, a medium degree, or a low degree, relative to the other processes in the computing system.

15. The computing system of claim 13, wherein each color-coded indicator indicating a number of updates, in the selected set of updates, that will affect the corresponding process.