Patent Application
20180025023
One or more aspects of the present invention relate to dynamically synchronizing elements in files in varying technical environments.
Consistency of elements in files and objects accessed in a computer environment assists administrators in maintaining the efficiency and functionality of the environment. For example, if an administrator installs a new version of server software that utilizes different file conventions, and the administrator who installs the software neglects to implement the new file conventions across the files accessed by the server, the system can experience inefficiencies, such as errors.
In one embodiment, there is provided a method dynamically synchronizing elements in a technical environment. The method includes obtaining, by the processor, a change to a first file and data identifying a second file. The method further includes determining, by the processor, if the change is supported by a data library specified in a pre-defined list of data sources. The method further includes analyzing, by the processor, the data library to determine a type of the change. The method further includes applying, by the processor, the type of the change to the second file.
In another embodiment, there is provided a computer program product for dynamically synchronizing elements in a technical environment. The computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium and program code stored on the computer readable storage medium. The program code is executable by a processing circuit to perform a method including obtaining, by the processing circuit, a change to a first file and data identifying a second file. The method further includes determining, by the processing circuit, if the change is supported by a data library specified in a pre-defined list of data sources. The method further includes analyzing, by the processing circuit, the data library to determine a type of the change. The method further includes applying, by the processing circuit, the type of the change to the second file.
Computer systems and methods relating to one or more aspects of the present invention are also described and may be claimed herein. Further, services relating to one or more aspects of the present invention are also described and may be claimed herein.
Additional features and are realized through other embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention.
One or more aspects of the present invention are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and objects, features, and advantages of one or more aspects of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, further illustrate the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
The server 120 and the additional resources within the computer system 110 each execute different software to enable a range of functionality to users connected to one or many of the resources. The computer logic, the code, that comprises the different software resides on memory resources (not pictured) internal and external to the server 120 and/or the various resources of the computer system 110. This computer logic includes, but is not limited to, the dynamic synchronization software 40. A client computing device (not pictured) connects to the server 120 and utilizes the different software implemented on the server 120 and on the computer system 110.
Computer system 110 and the server 120 access one or more data libraries 130. In
The data libraries 130 house library data that define and support the changes in files in the computer system 110 and support the functionalities provided by the resources in the computer system 110. These files include, but are not limited to, a predefined list of data sources within the computing environment 100, and files containing computer code for execution by the processors of the resources in the computer system 110. In an embodiment of the present invention, the data libraries 130 are tracked in a pre-defined list saved on a computer system 110 resource.
Because the resources in the computing environment 100 are interconnected, if a user or a process makes a change on one resource, that change may inadvertently impact the operation of one or more additional resources. For example, a systems administrator and/or administrative process can upgrade an application on the server 120 with a new version that is not compatible with one or more files that worked with an older version of the application. In this example, the administrator and/or process upgrades an application on the server 120 in part by updating local files on the server 120, but does not update files utilizing this application on other resources in the computing environment 100. After this upgrade, a resource of the computer system 110 may attempt to access the server 120 utilizing a file compatible only with the old version of the application, thereby causing a system error. Although the changes (in this example, the updates to the local files on the server 120) have an impact on one or more resources of the computing environment 100 in addition to the server 120, the administrator and/or process only implemented the changes on one physical machine, the server 120. The administrator and/or process caused inconsistencies which impact the efficiency of the computing environment 100.
Accordingly, as set forth herein, when a change is made to a file, the software 40 obtains the change to the file. This change is the difference in the file between an existing item in the file and a new item. In an embodiment of the present invention, after a systems administrator and/or administrative process makes a change to a file on a resource in the computing environment 100, such as the server 120, the software 40 obtains the change. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, a user utilizes a computing device (not pictured) with a communications connection to the server 120 to view and edit a file either residing on the server 120 and/or accessible to the server 120, termed a source file, for clarity. The user changes a certain element in the source file. The software 40 compares the original element in the source file to the changed element in the source file.
In addition to obtaining the change to the source file, the software 40 also obtains data identifying a second file within the computing environment 100. This second file, also referred to as a “target file” and is described in more detail in reference to the embodiment of
After the software 40 obtains the change to the source file and the data identifying the target file, the software 40 determines if this change is supported by one or more of the data libraries 130. The software 40 checks the change, i.e., a changed element now in this source file and determines if one or more of the data libraries 130 support the change. A supported change is one that is consistent with the data in one or more of the data libraries 130, i.e., a known change. In response to the software 40 recognizing that the change to the source file is a known change, i.e., supported by one or more of the data libraries 130, the software 40 can apply the same type of change in making a similar change to the target file within the computing environment 100.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, in making the similar change to the target file, the software 40 may analyze data in one or more of the data libraries 130 to formulate a new item to apply to the target file. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 and may insert the new item into the target file, and may overwrite an existing item in the target file with this new item. The software 40 implements changes using one or more of the data libraries 130 that represent changes to file content and elements. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 makes changes to the target file that are not always identical to the changes the systems administrator and/or administrative process made to the source file. Rather, the software 40 makes changes of the same type, as recognized by the software 40 by accessing one or more of the data libraries 130 and comparing a change in a source file to the data stored in one or more of the data libraries 130.
The new item that the software 40 gleans from analyzing one or more of the data libraries 130 is not necessarily identical to the changed item in the source file. Although the data in the target file may be different from the data in the source file, i.e. the target file can contain different text, the software 40 makes the same type of change to the target file that was made to the source file. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, a user and/or process edits a source file to change language used to define a variable. Specifically, the user and/or process replaces the variable name in the source file with an abbreviation and a reference to a database table. The software 40 detects this change in the source file and then checks the change against one or more of the data libraries 130, to see if this change is defined in one or more of the data libraries 130. After the software 40 determines that the change is supported by one or more of the data libraries 130, the software 40 retains the change and makes the same type of change to the target file.
Because the data in the target file is not always identical to the data in the source file, after the software 40 makes the same type of change to the target file based on a change the software 40 obtained in the source file, neither original content of the source file and the target file nor the changed content of the source file and the target file may match. The software 40 analyzes one or more of the data libraries 130 and based on the data in one or more of the data libraries 130, the software 40 determines the type of change that was made to the source file and formulates how to apply this type of change to the target file. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, the target file can contain old variable definition language and a different variable than the source file, but the software 40 will apply make the same type of change to the target file as was made to the source file.
The software 40 makes the same type of change to the target file as was made to the source file. However, because the original variable in the target file is different than the original variable in the source file, the software 40 replaces the variable in the target file with a different variable abbreviation, i.e., a second new item, from the abbreviation the user and/or process applied in the source file, i.e., the first new item. The software 40 accesses one or more of the data libraries 130 both to define the change a user and/or process made to the source file and to support the subsequent change(s) that the software 40 makes to target files in order to maintain consistency across one or more computer systems. The data libraries 130 can store a large variety of data for the software 40 to access including regular expressions, symbols that represent words, foreign language dictionaries, program commands and prompts, etc.
In an embodiment of the present invention, software 40 retains the change and/or the type of change made to a source file, provided that the change and/or type of change is one that is defined in one or more of the data libraries 130, and provided that the same type of change can be applied by the software 40 to one or more target files. In this embodiment, software 40 retains the change and/or type of change in a local or network profile, associated with a user, and automatically applies the same type of change to additional files that the software 40 recognizes as target files. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 stores in one or more of the data libraries 130 one or more changes and/or one or more types of changes between a source file and all relevant target files, i.e., files that contain data to which the software 40 determines that a change and/or type of change should be implemented to maintain consistency across one or more computer systems. Thus, after a user and/or process implements one or more changes and/or one or more types of changes (recognized and supported by one or more of the data libraries 130) to a source file, the software 40 automatically implements the same type of change in the target files relevant to this source file. In order to identify the target files to change, in an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 consults a predefined list of data sources stored on a system resource, such as in one or more of the data libraries 130.
The computing environment 100 of
Referring to
Referring to
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a processor executing the software 40 obtains the changes the user and/or process made to the source file (S230). In an embodiment of the present invention, the processor executing the software 40 obtains the changes by tracking the changes through an audit trail while the changes are being made. During and/or after the user and/or process makes one or more changes to the source file, the processor executing the software 40 retains these changes on a memory resource in or accessible to the computer system 110.
The processor executing the software 40 then determines if the obtained changes are supported by one or more of the data libraries 130 on a pre-defined list of data sources (S240). In an embodiment of the present invention, to make this determination, the software 40 analyzes the changes utilizing the one or more data libraries 130 to establish whether the changes are supported by one or more of the data libraries 130. In embodiments where the processor executing the software obtains the changes by tracking the changes through an audit trail while the changes are being made, the software 40 determines whether the tracked changes are changes that are supported by one or more of the data libraries 130. The changed source file may contain one or more changes that are supported by one or more different data libraries 130.
Changes that are supported by data libraries 130 include, but are not limited to, editorial changes, translation of text into a different language, re-sizing of graphics, changes in color, format, font, and/or style. These changes can exist both within the content of a file but can also be comprised of file properties. For example, in an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a user and/or process changes the permissions required to edit a given file. By utilizing one or more data libraries 130, the software 40 identifies target files in the computing environment 100 with similar permission schemes to the edited file and gives the user the opportunity to implement the change across the environment 100.
After the software 40 obtains one or more changes made to a source file and determined that the changes are supported in one or more of the data libraries 130, the software 40 retains the one or more changes and/or one or more types of changes (S250) on a resource in the computing environment 100. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 retains the determined one or more supported changes and/or one or more types of changes in a profile stored on a resource in the computing environment 100.
The software 40 obtains data identifying files to which the same type of change should be applied (S260). Data the software 40 uses to identify these files includes, but is not limited, to data identifying a machine, file type, development environment, QA environment, production environment, application, and/or computer system. By obtaining the data, the software 40 identifies these files (referred to now as target files) as containing elements that should be changed based upon the initial change the user and/or process made to the source file in order to maintain consistency across a given computing environment 100. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 obtains the data identifying the files by consulting a predefined list of data sources.
After the software 40 has determined that a change is supported by one or more of the data libraries 130 and obtained data identifying additional files to which the software 40 can apply the same type of change, the software 40 applies the same type of change(s) to the target files (S280). In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 applies the same type of change(s) to the target files by overwriting existing items in the target files with the new items from one or more of the data libraries 130. In an embodiment of the present invention, after the software 40 has determined that a change is supported by a data library, the software 40 obtains the content of the changes that it will apply to the additional files from a data source, including but not limited to, a data library, a data source in the computing environment 100, and/or a data source accessible to a resource in the computing environment 100. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 provides a preview of and/or reports the change before applying the same type of change(s) to a target file.
In the embodiment of
A brief overview of each of the modules in
As aforementioned, the software 40 determines if a change to a source file is supported by one or more data libraries 130. Referring to
In this embodiment, a user may access Administrative Console 320 through a user interface on a computing device in a computing environment. The Administrative Console 320 of the software 40 allows a user with proper security privileges to edit the stored data in the Central Repository 310, including editing data in one or more data libraries 130.
In this embodiment, the User Behavior Analysis Module 330 obtains the change to the source file. The User Behavior Analysis Module 330 of the software 40 enables the software to observe and analyze the changes a user and/or process makes to the source file. In addition to logging the actual changes made in the Central Repository 310, for example, as an audit trail, the User Behavior Analysis Module 330 also contains code that allows the software 40 to log the type of changes made, predict additional changes, and even suggest changes to the user.
In this embodiment, the Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 determines whether the change made to the source file is supported by one or more of the data libraries 130 in a pre-defined list of data sources (in the Central Repository 310). Program code in the Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 of the software 40 analyzes the changes a user and/or process makes in the source file and matches those changes to changes supported by one or more of the data libraries 130 in the Central Repository 310.
In this embodiment, the Recommendation Module 350 analyzes one or more of the data libraries 130 that support the change, and the Recommendation Module 350 formulates the changes to the target files. The Recommendation Module 350 receives the changes observed by the User Behavior Analysis Module 330 and the one or more of the data libraries 130 in the Central Repository 310 that the Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 matched to the changes and recommends changes to target files based on this data. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 displays the recommendations to a user before implementing the recommended change(s) to one or more of the target files.
The Confirmation Module 360 tracks whether a user confirms the changes to target files recommended by the Recommendation Module 350. The software 40 displays the recommended changes to a user utilizing the Simulation and Preview Module 370. Thus, the Confirmation Module 360 and the Simulation and Preview Module 370 may work together to display recommended changes to target files to a user and to receive a response from the user for each recommended change.
In this embodiment, after Confirmation Module 360 receives a response from a user, the software 40 applies changes to the target files. In embodiments of the present invention, applying changes include, but is not limited to, overwriting existing text in the target files with new text the Recommendation Module 350 formulated, and/or changing the permissions of target files.
Referring to
In an embodiment of the present invention, by interacting with a computer system though an interface that is part of the Administrative Console 320 of the software 40, a user, who meets security requirements, can edit the stored data in the Central Repository 310. A user with proper security credentials can utilize the interface to perform activities that include, but are not limited to, the following: change the permissions of users who utilize certain profiles, apply profiles to target files, update changes in established profiles, change the criteria the software 40 will use to identify target files, and/or change the permissions required for a user and/or process to access a given data library.
In embodiments of the present invention, the Central Repository 310 can reside on one of many physical machines and/or on an external memory resource. In an embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the modules depicted in
Returning to
The User Behavior Analysis Module 330 of the software 40 obtains the changes to the file by detecting when an original element of the source file is converted to a new element of the source file, for example, when an item in the source file is changed, such as text, formatting, and/or permissions. The User Behavior Analysis Module 330 of the software detects elements that include, but are not limited to, the number of occurrences of the change to the source file, the type of change, any trend in changes made to the source file by the user and/or process, the frequency of the changes, and/or the priority, if any, of the changes. In an embodiment of the present invention, the User Behavior Analysis Module 330 can recognize that the changes a user made to the source file correlate with an existing change profile in the Central Repository 310. The User Behavior and Analysis Module 330 supplies the obtained change to the Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 to assist the Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 in the software 40 in determining whether these changes are supported by one or more data libraries 130 in the Central Repository 310.
Additionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the User Behavior and Analysis Module 330 assists users in catching erroneous changes made to source files. The User Behavior and Analysis Module 330 alerts users to possible problems with changes by assigning accuracy/confidence ratings to these changes. For example, if a user and/or process makes a change to a source file that caused errors 90% of the time when the software 40 implemented the change to target files in the past, the User Behavior and Analysis Module 330 logs and saves this information and assigns this change a low confidence score. Thus, when a user seeks to implement this change across target files in the computer system, the Recommendation Module 350 accesses the low confidence score assigned by the User Behavior and Analysis Module 330 of the software 40 and alerts the user, for example in a message in a GUI, that this change has a low confidence/accuracy rating and could cause system issues.
The Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 determines if the change or changes made to a source file are supported by one or more data libraries 130 in the Central Repository 310. The Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 of the software 40 utilizes data stored in the Central Repository 310 and analyzes the one or more changes made to the source file and determines whether any of the one or more changes is supported by data in one or more of the data libraries 130 in the Central Repository 310 (S430). In a further embodiment of the present invention, if the software 40 cannot locate one or more data libraries 130 in the Central Repository 310 to support a change made to a source file, the software 40 searches accessible resources, including publicly available resources on the Internet, to locate a data source to support the change. For example, if a user and/or process updates a zip code in a source file, the Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 of the software 40 recognizes this change as a zip code update in a source file. However, if there is no zip code resource in one or more of the data libraries 130, the software 40 in the Data Analysis and Correlation Module 340 searches the web for a zip code repository it can reference to update all zip codes in system files. In a further embodiment of the present invention, after the software 40 locates this repository, the software 40 copies the repository and saves it in the Central Repository 310 for use in subsequent updates.
The software 40 obtains data identifying target files. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 obtains this data from the Central Repository 310. The software 40 accesses the Central Repository 310 to obtain data that software 40 uses to identify target files, including to aggregate files and/or portions of target files for analysis and editing (S440). For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 obtains a reference list from the Central Repository 310. This reference list correlates the changes supported by a given data library of data libraries 130 with the files in a computer environment that contain elements where the same type of change should be implemented if the change is made to a source file. Thus, in this embodiment, the reference list itself designates the target files.
Returning to
In this embodiment of the present invention, rather than automatically apply changes to identified target files, the Recommendation Module 350 of the software 40 analyzes the data libraries 130 and/or any relevant resources and creates recommendations for changes to target files based on changes the software 40 identified as being supported by one or more data libraries (S450). The software 40 displays the changes to a user with the Simulation and Preview Module 370 (S460) and records a user's acceptance and/or rejection of each displayed change with the Confirmation Module 360 (S470). Then, the software 40 applies the changes that the user accepted to the target files (S480).
As aforementioned, the Recommendation Module 350 can provide information to a user that assists the user in deciding whether the same type of change the user made to a source file should be implemented across target files in the computer system. In addition to providing a user with a confidence/accuracy rating, in embodiments of the present invention, the Recommendation Module 350 can also track the status of changes while they are being implemented to various target files, allowing the user to instruct the software 40 to stop or roll back the changes. The Recommendation Module 350 can be pre-configured in some embodiments of the present invention so that while the software 40 implements certain changes to certain files automatically, user approval is required for certain changes and/or certain files. The Recommendation Module 350 in some embodiments can be configured to automatically cancel application to a target file of a same type of a change made to a source file if the confidence/accuracy rating of the change does not meet a certain threshold. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the Recommendation Module 350 forms recommendations analyzing resources that include, but are not limited to, the data libraries 130, key words found in a source file, relevance, and/or historical data.
In the embodiment of
The Simulation and Preview Module 370 can change the change, type of change and/or the contents of a profile based upon the responses from a user to the previews and simulations. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, as a user selects and rejects different changes and/or types of changes in a given profile, Simulation and Preview Module 370 updates the saved profile in the Central Repository 310 to reflect these new preferences. Thus, should a user select this profile at a later time, the changes and/or types of changes the software 40 applies to target files will reflect the preferences of the earlier user.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the Simulation and Preview Module 370 checks the efficacy of a change to a source file before the software 40 applies the recommended changes to target files. For example, for a given change to a source file in a given embodiment, the Simulation and Preview Module 370 verifies that the target files exist, verifies that the paths to the target files are correct, checks whether the data library of data libraries 130 utilized contains useable data, and/or checks whether the identified target files contain elements to which the software 40 can apply the same type of change made to the source file.
In an embodiment of the present invention, after applying the same type of change to target files, the software 40 retains the change and/or type of change made to source file and then the target files by saving the change and/or type of change on a resource in or accessible to the Central Repository 310 (S490). In embodiments of the present invention, not only does the Confirmation Module 360 in
In an embodiment of the present invention, the changes that the software 40 applied to one or more of the target files may only reflect some of the changes that a user desires to make to files within the system. In this case, after the software 40 applies the change and/or profile, the user can continue to make changes to a displayed file. The software 40 can track these additional changes and add the changes and/or the types of changes to a profile the software 40 retained on a system resource.
The software 40 can save the change and/or the type of change as part of a profile (S495). In an embodiment of the present invention, subsequent users and/or processes can access the saved changes and/or profiles in the Central Repository 310 and use the software 40 to apply them to additional files.
In an embodiment of the present invention, whether or not the software 40 propagates a same type of change, made by a user in a source file, to one or more target files can depend upon the security clearance of the user. In the embodiment of
Accordingly, as set forth herein, the software 40 obtains security credentials from a client, i.e., the user and/or process, who implemented the change to the source file. Thus, when a user accesses the software 40, the software 40 determines whether the user can access a data library 130 and/or whether the user can make changes to target files. Therefore, even if a user has a made a change to a source file that is supported in a data library of data libraries 130, the software 40 will not make the same type of change to a target file if the user does not have sufficient permissions to access the data library of data libraries 130 that supports the change and/or if the user does not have sufficient permissions to edit the target file.
Returning to
A specific example can be understood by referring to the workflow of
The software 40 obtains the changes being made to the source file in part by logging the changes as audit data in the Central Repository 310 (S420). The software 40 determines that each of the changes (the language change, the airport display change, and the currency change) is supported by a separate data library of data libraries 130 in the Central Repository 310 (S430). In this example, one data library contains an English/French language index, a second contains a list of international airport codes and full names, and a third contains a conversion rate for use in converting dollars to Euros. In this example, the data libraries 130 in the Central Repository 310 contain data the software 40 utilizes to formulate changes to target files. However, in further embodiments of the invention, although the software 40 uses data in the data libraries 130 to determine if a change is supported, the software 40 accesses internal and/or external data sources to formulate the actual changes to the target files.
The software obtains data identifying at least one target file. By referencing data in the Central Repository 310, the software 40 obtains data identifying files in the computer environment contain elements to which the same types of changes made to the source file should be applied in order to keep the various code executed by one or more processors to provide users to an application to book airline travel synchronized (S440). For the first change, the software 40 obtains data identifying target files that contain the certain type of variable that the user translated in the source file. For the last change, the software 40 obtains data identifying target files that contain full airport names. For the last change, the software 40 obtains data identifying target files that contain US currency designations.
After the software 40 obtains data identifying the target files, the software 40 applies the same type changes made to the source file to the target files by utilizing the appropriate data libraries of data libraries 130, after analyzing the data libraries to formulate recommendations of the changes to apply to each target file (S450), displaying these recommendations to the user (S460) and receiving feedback to confirm and/or reject the recommended changes (S470), and then applying the accepted changes (S480). In further embodiments of the present invention, the software 40 analyzes one or more data libraries of data libraries 130, formulates changes to apply to the target files, and applies the changes automatically.
As aforementioned, the data in the target files is not necessarily identical to the data in the source file. Rather, the changes made in the source file are types that are supported by one or more of data libraries 130. For example, a target file may have a different English word in the same variable type as the user changed in the source file. However, because the user changed the word to a French word, the software 40 applies the variable in the target file to a different French word, analyzing the English to French index in a data library of data libraries 130 that the software 40 determined supported this change.
In this embodiment, the software 40 saves the group of changes made to the source file and then supported by the three data libraries in the Central Repository 310 (S490) and can save the change and/or type of change as part of a profile (S495). Users and processes in the computer environments with appropriate permissions can access this profile in order to re-apply the profile to target files or apply the profile to new groups of files.
A user may also configure a review process for a type of change or profile or set permissions for a type of change or profile, including setting notifications for approvals, and notifications to stakeholders. The user may also rank the type of change and/or profile according to importance so that if the capacity of the system is an issue, the software 40 will applies the types of changes and/or profiles with higher ranks, e.g., VIP requests, before it implements lower ranked changes and/or profiles.
Returning to
The software 40 obtains the declarations made by the user and retains them on either a remotely accessible or local resource. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 can obtain a user's declaration for a given selected file, a declaration of the entire file, a line number(s), a section(s), and/or a range for which a given change and/or profile is applicable. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 can obtain identification information from a user including, but not limited to, file properties, pattern matching, locale, timestamp(s), size(s), modified by, and/or type/extension.
In addition to obtaining data identifying files directly from a client, the declaration component 510 of the software 40, in certain embodiments of the present invention, can recommend unselected files for inclusion as target files. For example, if a user instructs the software 40 to apply a type of change, e.g., translating a file from Spanish to English, to files with “SP” in their file name, embodiments of the present in invention can recommend additional files that fit this criterion, for application of this change. As discussed in reference to
In an embodiment of the present invention, the file validation component 520 of the software 40 performs data quality checks prior to applying types of changes and/or profiles to target files. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 validates the data in target files and/or the file designations. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 receives a definition and/or list of acceptable values associated with a given change. For example, acceptable values for a given change can include accepted extensions, such as txt, xls, csv, etc. In this example, if an identified target file does not have an accepted file extension, the file validation component 510 will designate the file as invalid and the software 40 will not apply the type of change to this file. The validation activities carried out by the file validation component 520 can include, but are not limited to, validating standard file/permission, including checking whether the given directory/file identified in the target file list input by the user exists, validating user permission to work with the target files, and/or validating permissions for creating a backup. In order to validate the target files, the software 40 can auto generate a script that will be run as part of applying types of changes and/or a profile to a target file to determine the correct path for an improperly identified target file. In an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 logs any errors from the validation. The software 40 can display these errors to the user who designated the files, which will enable the user to make corrections.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the file execution component 530 applies the changes to the defined target file(s), after the file(s) have passed file validation.
Referring to the components in the embodiment of
In an embodiment of the present invention, to deploy at a different geography, the user inputs file identification data into a client and the declaration component 510 of the software 40 obtains the data identifying the target files. The user makes editorial changes to a source file, which the software 40 obtains and determines are supported by one or more data library of data libraries 130. For example, in this given source file, the user can change the ISM account, the naming convention of the airport (e.g., full name to abbreviation), the name of the country (e.g., full name to abbreviation), the language in which the file is written (e.g., English to Chinese), the format of the date, and/or the time zone.
The software 40 determines that one or more data libraries of data libraries 130 support these changes and saves the supported changes and/or the types of changes to a system resource. The software 40 can retain the changes, potentially in profiles. The software 40 analyzes the identified data libraries and formulates the new items that will be applied to the target files to implement the type of change from the source file. In this embodiment, the software 40 can apply the type of change either automatically or at a later time that the user schedules using the software 40. However, in the embodiment of
In an embodiment of the present invention, referring to
In some situations, two profiles applicable to the same target file can be mutually exclusive. In this case, in an embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 applies the profiles in a pre-defined or calculated order of priority. For example, a user could have a profile for deleting currency information pertaining to motor vehicles and another for converting all currency to Euros. On a target file containing car prices, if the car information profile carries a higher priority than the currency profile, the software 40 deletes the prices, but if the currency profile carries a higher priority, the software 40 converts the car prices to Euros. In another embodiment of the present invention, the software 40 utilizes priorities associated with different changes within different profiles, or within the same profile to determine the order in which the changes are applied.
In the examples above, only a single change was associated with each profile, however, these examples are offered merely for clarity. One of skill in the art will recognize that an unlimited number of changes as well as an unlimited number of data libraries can be associated with a given profile and/or group of changes, in various embodiments of the present invention. For example, a single profile can contain instructions to convert all currency to Japanese Yen, change all airport names to airport codes, and convert table tags to section tags in code. In one example, to apply this profile to a target file, the software 40 consults a data library with entries of conversions rates of various world currency to Japanese Yen, a data library that matches airport codes to full names, and a data library with formatting instructions.
It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type of computing environment now known or later developed.
Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four deployment models.
Characteristics are as follows:
On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with the service's provider.
Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).
Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).
Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time.
Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.
Service Models are as follows:
Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
Deployment Models are as follows:
Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services.
Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds).
A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes.
Referring now to
In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, which is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are not limited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context of computer system executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.
As shown in
Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.
Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computer system readable media. Such media may be any available media that is accessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.
System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cache memory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storage media. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided for reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided. In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more data media interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below, memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out the functions of embodiments of the invention.
Software 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42, may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, as well as an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data or some combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networking environment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.
Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more external devices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computer system/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output (I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 can communicate with one or more networks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20 communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 via bus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardware and/or software components could be used in conjunction with computer system/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and software components. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in one example IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBM xSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networks and networking components. Examples of software components include network application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere® application server software; and database software, in one example IBM DB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter, WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide).
Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers; virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks; virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.
In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions described below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may comprise application software licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers and system administrators. Service level management provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA.
Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping and navigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtual classroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transaction processing; retention and application of library data in accordance with user profiles, which may also be stored at this layer.
Based on the foregoing, a computer system, method, and program product have been disclosed for dynamically synchronizing files in a defined computer environment. However, numerous modifications and substitutions can be made without deviating from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention has been disclosed by way of example and not limitation.
Using the processing resources of a resource to execute software, computer-readable code or instructions, does not limit where this code is can be stored. Referring to
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system”. Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.
Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device.
A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using an appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.
Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language, such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language, assembler or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
In addition to the above, one or more aspects of the present invention may be provided, offered, deployed, managed, serviced, etc. by a service provider who offers management of customer environments. For instance, the service provider can create, maintain, support, etc. computer code and/or a computer infrastructure that performs one or more aspects of the present invention for one or more customers. In return, the service provider may receive payment from the customer under a subscription and/or fee agreement, as examples. Additionally or alternatively, the service provider may receive payment from the sale of advertising content to one or more third parties.
In one aspect of the present invention, an application may be deployed for performing one or more aspects of the present invention. As one example, the deploying of an application comprises providing computer infrastructure operable to perform one or more aspects of the present invention.
As a further aspect of the present invention, a computing infrastructure may be deployed comprising integrating computer readable code into a computing system, in which the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing one or more aspects of the present invention.
As yet a further aspect of the present invention, a process for integrating computing infrastructure comprising integrating computer readable code into a computer system may be provided. The computer system comprises a computer readable medium, in which the computer medium comprises one or more aspects of the present invention. The code in combination with the computer system is capable of performing one or more aspects of the present invention.
Further, other types of computing environments can benefit from one or more aspects of the present invention. As an example, an environment may include an emulator (e.g., software or other emulation mechanisms), in which a particular architecture (including, for instance, instruction execution, architected functions, such as address translation, and architected registers) or a subset thereof is emulated (e.g., on a native computer system having a processor and memory). In such an environment, one or more emulation functions of the emulator can implement one or more aspects of the present invention, even though a computer executing the emulator may have a different architecture than the capabilities being emulated. As one example, in emulation mode, the specific instruction or operation being emulated is decoded, and an appropriate emulation function is built to implement the individual instruction or operation.
In an emulation environment, a host computer includes, for instance, a memory to store instructions and data; an instruction fetch unit to fetch instructions from memory and to optionally, provide local buffering for the fetched instruction; an instruction decode unit to receive the fetched instructions and to determine the type of instructions that have been fetched; and an instruction execution unit to execute the instructions. Execution may include loading data into a register from memory; storing data back to memory from a register; or performing some type of arithmetic or logical operation, as determined by the decode unit. In one example, each unit is implemented in software. For instance, the operations being performed by the units are implemented as one or more subroutines within emulator software.
Further, a data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code is usable that includes at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements include, for instance, local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memory which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution.
Input/Output or I/O devices (including, but not limited to, keyboards, displays, pointing devices, DASD, tape, CDs, DVDs, thumb drives and other memory media, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the available types of network adapters.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below, if any, are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/928,653 filed Oct. 30, 2015, entitled, “Dynamically Synching Elements in File,” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/852,571 filed Mar. 28, 2013, entitled “Dynamically Synching Elements in File,” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14928653 | Oct 2015 | US |
| Child | 15721066 | US | |
| Parent | 13852571 | Mar 2013 | US |
| Child | 14928653 | US |
