Feature Availability Control via Client Rank Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network-based software services face challenges in managing the availability of new features, as deploying them to a large user base simultaneously can lead to evaluation difficulties and increased risk of failures, necessitating controlled access to assess functionality and safety.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a configuration setting that determines a proportion of eligible clients for feature access, using client and feature identifications to generate client ranks, allowing incremental feature availability adjustments without explicit client identification, enabling seamless transition of feature access without service interruptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If features are deployed to a large user base simultaneously, then feature availability and productivity are improved, but system reliability and risk of failures increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user base into multiple cohorts based on client identifiers (such as user IDs, device IDs, or random assignments). Instead of deploying features to all users simultaneously, the system divides the audience into distinct groups and rolls out features to segments progressively. This segmentation allows controlled experimentation and phased adoption, reducing the risk of widespread failures while maintaining productivity gains for participating users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic feature availability control where the proportion of clients eligible for a feature can be adjusted over time. The system transitions from static all-or-nothing feature deployment to dynamic phased rollouts. Configuration settings allow the service provider to modify the eligibility proportion dynamically, enabling features to be introduced gradually and adjusted based on performance metrics, thereby balancing productivity and reliability.
2Reliability
If features are rolled out incrementally to evaluate functionality, then system reliability is improved, but feature availability and user access are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by making features available to only a portion of the client base rather than all clients. The system calculates a proportion of clients eligible for a feature based on configuration settings and client identifiers. This partial rollout enables functional evaluation and risk assessment while maintaining feature access for the selected subset of users, balancing evaluation needs with productivity considerations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by adjusting the eligibility proportion as a configurable parameter. Instead of fixed feature availability, the system allows dynamic modification of the proportion of clients who can access features. This parameter can be changed based on evaluation results, performance metrics, or operational needs, enabling the system to optimize between reliability during evaluation and productivity during full deployment.
3Measurement precision
If explicit client identification is used for feature access control, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs copying by using client identifiers that can be derived from various sources (user IDs, device IDs, session information, or even hashed random values). Instead of requiring complex authentication mechanisms, the system creates simplified copies of client identification data that can be processed efficiently. These identifier copies enable precise eligibility determination while minimizing the complexity of the identification mechanism itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical identification systems with simpler computational approaches. Instead of requiring detailed client profiling or complex authentication protocols, the system uses straightforward identifier comparison and proportion-based eligibility calculation. This substitution of complex mechanical systems with simpler computational logic reduces device complexity while maintaining measurement precision for client eligibility determination.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described to incrementally change the availability of a feature of a software service to clients over a network based on a configuration setting indicating the proportion of the clients that is eligible to receive the feature. In an implementation, a client rank is generated for a client on the network based on a client identification that identifies the client and a feature identification that identifies the feature. The feature may then be made available to the clients via the network if a comparison of the client rank with the configuration setting indicates that the client is eligible to access the feature.