CMDB Graph Condensation for Faster Indirect Relationship Queries

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current CMDB frameworks face challenges in efficiently processing complex queries and managing large datasets, particularly when dealing with indirect relationships between configuration items, leading to time-consuming and resource-intensive operations.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for processing CMDB data by identifying indirectly connected nodes and establishing direct condensed edges between them, allowing for a hierarchical network data structure that enables more efficient interrogation and query processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If CMDB data is stored in a detailed network graph format with all indirect relationships, then query completeness and accuracy are improved, but query traversal time and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequery completenessVSAvoidquery traversal time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-computes and stores condensed edges that represent indirect relationships between configuration items before queries are executed. This preliminary action creates a condensed graph structure that captures transitive relationships, allowing queries to traverse direct edges rather than following multi-hop indirect paths, thereby reducing query traversal time while maintaining complete relationship information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a condensed copy of the original network graph by generating condensed edges that represent indirect relationships. This condensed graph is a simplified representation that preserves the essential connectivity information while reducing the number of edges that need to be traversed during queries, thus improving query performance without losing relationship completeness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If CMDB data is stored in a condensed format with direct edges only, then query speed is improved, but ability to detect indirect relationships deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequery speedVSAvoidindirect relationship detection

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-computes condensed edges that encode indirect relationship information before queries are executed. This preliminary computation captures transitive relationships and stores them as direct edges with appropriate metadata, enabling both fast query execution and accurate detection of indirect relationships through the pre-stored condensed representation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If all indirect relationships are explicitly stored in the CMDB, then relationship analysis accuracy is improved, but data structure complexity and storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverelationship analysis accuracyVSAvoiddata structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a condensed copy of the relationship data by generating condensed edges that represent indirect relationships. This condensed structure maintains relationship analysis accuracy by preserving the essential connectivity information in a more compact form, reducing data structure complexity while keeping the condensed graph as an auxiliary representation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Loss of information

If CMDB queries traverse multiple nodes to find indirect relationships, then relationship discovery completeness is improved, but resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverelationship discovery completenessVSAvoidcomputational resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-computes condensed edges that represent indirect relationships between configuration items before queries are executed. This preliminary action creates a condensed graph structure that captures transitive relationships, allowing queries to traverse direct edges rather than following multi-hop indirect paths, thereby reducing computational resource consumption while maintaining complete relationship discovery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS12481681B2Methods and systems for processing configuration management database data

Publication Date: 2025.11.25 BARCLAYS EXECUTION SERVICES LTD

AI summary

A computer-implemented method for processing configuration management database data is disclosed. The method comprises acquiring first network data, the first network data representing a configuration management database. The first network data is structured with data comprising: a plurality of nodes, each node representing a configuration item of a plurality of configuration items in the configuration management database, and a plurality of edges connecting the plurality of nodes, each edge representing a relationship between two configuration items represented by the nodes connected by the respective edge. The method further comprises identifying a first node and a second node that are connected indirectly via one or more additional nodes and edges associated with the one or more additional nodes, and establishing, in the first network data, a first condensed edge between the first and second nodes, the first condensed edge connecting directly the first node and the second node.