Automated Data Transfer Guide for Secure Production Data Subset Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Information Systems face challenges in maintaining data quality across component systems due to the large size, high cost, and security concerns of copying production data, as well as the complexity of ensuring referential integrity during data transfer between systems.

Innovation Solution

An automated data transfer guide is generated by observing application code execution in a virtual environment, documenting data entity relationships and using a flexible data masking system to protect confidential data, allowing for a minimally required subset of production data to be copied with full integrity between systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If production data is copied between systems, then data quality in component systems is improved, but copying time and disruption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata qualityVSAvoidcopying time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary data entities and relationships required for component systems to function, rather than copying entire production datasets. The data transfer guide identifies and extracts minimal required data subsets, reducing copying time while maintaining data quality for testing, training, and development purposes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the data transfer process into distinct phases: generating the data transfer guide from production system metadata, identifying required data entities and relationships, and transferring only those specific data subsets. This segmentation enables selective data copying rather than bulk transfers, reducing overall copying time and disruption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If production data is copied between systems, then data quality in component systems is improved, but transfer cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata qualityVSAvoidtransfer cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential data entities and relationships needed for component system operations, eliminating unnecessary data transfer. The data transfer guide enables selective extraction of minimal required data subsets, reducing transfer costs while preserving data quality for operational needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If production data is copied between systems, then data quality in component systems is improved, but security risks increase due to confidential data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata qualityVSAvoidsecurity risks

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only non-confidential or necessary data entities for component system operations, excluding sensitive confidential information from the data transfer guide. This selective extraction maintains data quality for operational purposes while eliminating security risks associated with copying confidential production data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Reliability

If production data is copied between systems, then data quality in component systems is improved, but device complexity increases due to integrity constraints

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata qualityVSAvoidintegrity constraint complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions by generating the data transfer guide in advance, which pre-identifies all required data entities and relationships before data transfer occurs. This preliminary documentation simplifies the actual transfer process by providing a ready-made blueprint, reducing complexity during execution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The data transfer guide serves as an intermediary artifact between the production system and component systems. It mediates the data transfer process by documenting entities and relationships, enabling automated transfer tooling to handle integrity constraints without manual intervention, thus reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

5Measurement precision

If a data transfer guide is generated by observing application code execution, then data entity relationships are accurately documented, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverelationship documentation accuracyVSAvoidguide generation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically generating the data transfer guide through observing its own application code execution. The data transfer guide documents the actual data entities and relationships used by the application, ensuring accuracy while eliminating manual documentation efforts. The automation reduces processing time compared to manual analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9870241B2Data transfer guide

Publication Date: 2018.01.16 TRICENTIS AMERICAS INC

AI summary

Techniques to create and use a data transfer guide are disclosed. In various embodiments, at least a portion of application code comprising an application is executed in a virtual machine execution environment. An interaction between the application code executing in the virtual machine execution environment with a data entity included in a set of production data is observed programmatically. A data that represents the data entity is included in a data transfer guide at least in part programmatically.