Interaction-Based User Batching for Low-Disruption Tenant Migration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems for migrating users between tenant computing systems, such as during mergers or acquisitions, often result in inefficient and disruptive processes due to administrators lacking knowledge of day-to-day user relationships, leading to split migrations that require users to maintain multiple identities and consume excessive network bandwidth.

Innovation Solution

A batching system that analyzes user interaction data to identify and weight relationships between users and resources, automatically generating groups for migration based on these relationships, enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of the migration process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If users are migrated in batches without analyzing relationships, then migration can be performed, but users with strong relationships are split across batches requiring them to maintain multiple identities and increasing network bandwidth consumption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration efficiencyVSAvoiduser experience

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of user interaction data before migration to identify relationship strengths. By calculating interaction frequencies and determining relationship weights in advance, the system can pre-determine optimal batch assignments that keep strongly related users together, avoiding the need for them to maintain multiple identities during migration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses user interaction data as feedback to inform migration batch creation. By continuously analyzing interaction patterns and using this information to optimize batch assignments, the system learns which users should be grouped together to maintain workflow continuity and minimize user experience disruption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If administrators manually determine migration batches, then they can control the process, but administrators lack knowledge of day-to-day user relationships leading to suboptimal batch assignments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadministrative controlVSAvoidrelationship analysis accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by automatically analyzing user interaction data and determining optimal migration batches without requiring administrator knowledge of user relationships. The system extracts interaction frequencies from logs, calculates relationship weights, and autonomously creates batch assignments, freeing administrators from this complex analytical task while improving accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces the mechanical process of manual administrator decision-making with an automated computational system. Instead of administrators relying on limited knowledge to make batch assignments, the system uses algorithmic analysis of comprehensive interaction data to objectively determine optimal groupings, substituting human judgment with data-driven automation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Loss of time

If all users are migrated simultaneously, then migration is completed quickly, but the process is highly disruptive and requires excessive network bandwidth

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration durationVSAvoidmigration disruption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the migration process into multiple batches based on relationship analysis. By dividing users into groups where each batch contains users with similar interaction patterns and relationship strengths, the system enables phased migration that reduces disruption. Users in the same batch can be migrated together while maintaining access to necessary resources and colleagues, minimizing the harmful effects of migration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces dynamics into the migration process by allowing flexible batch scheduling and sizing. Rather than rigid simultaneous migration, the system can adjust batch compositions and timing based on organizational needs, resource availability, and relationship analysis results. This dynamic approach optimizes the balance between migration speed and disruption minimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12386795B2Extracting user interactions to generate batches for migration between tenants

Publication Date: 2025.08.12 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A batching system accesses user interaction data to identify relationships between users and between users and resources. The relationships are weighted and users are grouped for migration based upon the weighted relationships. The groups are displayed for administrator interaction and are provided to a migration system for migration of the users between two tenants. This enhances migration efficiency and accuracy and makes migration much less disruptive to the end users.