Multilevel Hierarchical Associations Between Entities in a Knowledge System

• US 20100017427A1
• Filed: 07/15/2008
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Grant Douglas, Johnson, Sandra K., Ward, David, Mitchell, Joan LaVerne
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees

Abstract

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for managing multilevel hierarchical structured information in disparate knowledge repositories. An association data structure is created for an entity as metadata in a metadata repository. The association data structure is populated with association information about the entity. A process data structure is created for the entity as metadata in the metadata repository. The process data structure is populated with process information about the entity. Information about a multi-phased process is then collected by extracting process information from each entity of the multi-phased process across the disparate knowledge repositories. The collected information comprising information about the multi-phased process is then stored in the process data structure in the metadata repository.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing multilevel hierarchical structured information in disparate knowledge repositories, the computer implemented method comprising:

creating an association data structure for an entity as metadata in a metadata repository;

populating the association data structure with association information about the entity;

creating a process data structure for the entity as metadata in the metadata repository;

populating the process data structure with process information about the entity;

collecting information about a multi-phased process by extracting process information from each entity of the multi-phased process across the disparate knowledge repositories; and

storing the collected information comprising information about the multi-phased process in the process data structure in the metadata repository.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the association information includes links comprising pointers to at least one of specific information about the entity, data structures comprising support history of the entity, or fixes applied to other entities related to the entity.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the association data structure is populated by a user.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the association data structure is populated as part of an entity support or test process, and wherein tools in the entity support or test process are used to extract the association information for populating the association data structure.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the process information comprises at least one of definitions of entity ownership, access and modification timestamps of the entity, parent or children related to the entity in a process hierarchy, or links to related entity support history.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein populating the process data structure with process information about the entity further comprises:

responsive to a determination that a phase in the multi-phased process has been initiated, locating a repository that comprises identity information about the phase;

searching the repository to collect process information about the phase;

populating the metadata repository with the process information; and

repeating the locating, searching, and populating steps for each phase in the multi-phased process.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the phase is a unit test in one phase of a software test process.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein locating a repository that comprises identity information about the task or phase further comprises:

responsive to a determination that there is no repository that comprises identity information about the phase, sending a request to an owner of the phase to create a repository for the phase and populate the repository with the process information about the phase or to return the process information about the task or phase.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the process information collected about the phase includes at least one of information about an owner of the phase, time the phase was entered, time the phase was exited.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein extracting process information from each entity of the multi-phased process further comprises:

collecting process information from a first phase of the multi-phased process;

storing the collected process information for the first phase in a location in the metadata repository; and

repeating the collecting and storing steps for each phase in the multi-phased process to store the collected process information at the location.

11. A data processing system for managing multilevel hierarchical structured information in disparate knowledge repositories, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;

at least one managed device connected to the bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to create an association data structure for an entity as metadata in a metadata repository;

populate the association data structure with association information about the entity;

create a process data structure for the entity as metadata in the metadata repository;

populate the process data structure with process information about the entity;

collect information about a multi-phased process by extracting process information from each entity of the multi-phased process across the disparate knowledge repositories; and

store the collected information comprising information about the multi-phased process in the process data structure in the metadata repository.

12. A computer program product for managing multilevel hierarchical structured information in disparate knowledge repositories, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code for creating an association data structure for an entity as metadata in a metadata repository;

computer usable program code for populating the association data structure with association information about the entity;

computer usable program code for creating a process data structure for the entity as metadata in the metadata repository;

computer usable program code for populating the process data structure with process information about the entity;

computer usable program code for collecting information about a multi-phased process by extracting process information from each entity of the multi-phased process across the disparate knowledge repositories; and

computer usable program code for storing the collected information comprising information about the multi-phased process in the process data structure in the metadata repository.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the association information includes links comprising pointers to at least one of specific information about the entity, data structures comprising support history of the entity, or fixes applied to other entities related to the entity.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the association data structure is populated as part of an entity support or test process, and wherein tools in the entity support or test process are used to extract the association information for populating the association data structure.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the process information comprises at least one of definitions of entity ownership, access and modification timestamps of the entity, parent or children related to the entity in a process hierarchy, or links to related entity support history.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code for populating the process data structure with process information about the entity further comprises:

computer usable program code for locating, in response to a determination that a phase in the multi-phased process has been initiated, a repository that comprises identity information about the phase;

computer usable program code for searching the repository to collect process information about the phase;

computer usable program code for populating the metadata repository with the process information; and

computer usable program code for repeating the locating, searching, and populating steps for each phase in the multi-phased process.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the phase is a unit test in one phase of a software test process.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer usable program code for locating a repository that comprises identity information about the task or phase further comprises:

computer usable program code for sending, in response to a determination that there is no repository that comprises identity information about the phase, a request to an owner of the phase to create a repository for the phase and populate the repository with the process information about the phase or to return the process information about the task or phase.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the process information collected about the phase includes at least one of information about an owner of the phase, time the phase was entered, or time the phase was exited.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code for extracting process information from each entity of the multi-phased process further comprises:

computer usable program code for collecting process information from a first phase of the multi-phased process;

computer usable program code for storing the collected process information for the first phase in a location in the metadata repository; and

computer usable program code for repeating the collecting and storing steps for each phase in the multi-phased process to store the collected process information at the location.