Automated Cross-Application Dependency Mapping for IT Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Enterprise IT environments face challenges in managing legacy business applications due to a lack of subject matter expertise, inaccessible documentation, and the complexity of integrating legacy and modern applications, leading to hesitation in making changes and resulting in ineffective IT solutions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for automating cross-application dependency mapping in enterprise IT environments, which involves receiving a source file, parsing it to obtain parsed information, analyzing the call hierarchy of service operations, and generating a call hierarchy report to identify dependencies and assess the impact of changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual cross-tier analysis is performed to identify cross dependencies among applications, then the analysis can be completed, but the process is time-consuming and prone to error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical analysis processes with automated computer-based systems that use software agents to traverse application code, parse source files, and generate dependency maps automatically, eliminating human effort while maintaining or improving accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces software agents as intermediaries between the application code and the analysis process. These agents automatically traverse the codebase, identify dependencies, and generate reports, serving as a mediator that automates the previously manual analysis task
2Adaptability or versatility
If infrastructure-centric agent-based techniques are used to probe server activities, then server-level dependencies can be detected, but cross-tier analysis across legacy and modern applications cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal analysis system that can handle both legacy and modern applications through a single platform. The system uses configuration files to adapt to different application types and employs agents that can traverse various code structures, making the system versatile across diverse technology stacks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the analysis system into independent agents that can be deployed across different application tiers. Each agent handles specific analysis tasks, and the system divides the enterprise architecture into manageable segments (legacy applications, integration layer, modern applications) that can be analyzed separately and integrated into a comprehensive dependency map
3Reliability
If cross-dependency maps are generated manually to analyze impact of programming changes, then the impact analysis can be performed, but the process is expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary automated analysis to generate cross-dependency maps before any programming changes are made. This pre-computed dependency information is stored and can be quickly queried during impact analysis, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual re-analysis when changes are proposed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the automated system continuously monitors and updates dependency maps as changes are made to the application code. This real-time feedback loop maintains accurate dependency information, enabling rapid impact assessment without compromising reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for automatically generating cross-application dependency maps for enterprise IT environments is described. Automated code parsing techniques are used to identify dependencies between and among different business applications within the IT environment, including for both legacy and modern business applications. A thorough analysis of the enterprise-wide impact of a programming change, such as, for example, a change to the code of a legacy business application, can be conducted. There is the ability to perform canonical and customized searches of dependent elements between components of the IT environment and generate impact reports that can show how desired changes to particular applications may affect the environment. The impact of changes in a code repository, which can include documents in different programming languages that reside in a separate code environment, can be identified and analyzed.