Inventory Services Layer for Portal Application Propagation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tools for propagating portal applications across different environments are unreliable and time-consuming due to difficulties in configuring and identifying relevant data storage locations, making it challenging to accurately transfer changes from a development or testing environment to a production environment.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize an inventory services layer to generate unique identifiers for data items in both source and destination environments, compare these identifiers to determine differences, and propagate changes using a propagation tool, abstracting data access and allowing for easy capture and transfer of changes across environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If traditional propagation tools are used to transfer portal applications between environments, then the propagation process can be automated, but the process becomes unreliable and time-consuming due to difficulties in configuring and identifying data storage locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an inventory service as an intermediary component that sits between the propagation tool and the data storage locations. This inventory service maintains a centralized registry of all data items, their locations, and dependencies, allowing the propagation tool to automatically query and identify relevant data without manual configuration. The intermediary abstracts the complexity of data location identification, making the propagation process both automated and reliable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the data storage structure through the inventory service, which maintains a standardized view of all data items across different environments. Instead of directly accessing complex distributed storage locations, the propagation tool works with this virtual copy, identifying data items through standardized interfaces. This copying approach eliminates the need to manually configure actual storage locations while ensuring accurate data identification and propagation.
2Measurement precision
If manual configuration of data storage locations is performed to ensure accurate propagation, then propagation accuracy can be improved, but the process becomes highly time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by having the inventory service pre-register and catalog all data items, their locations, and relationships before propagation is needed. This advance preparation creates a ready-to-query inventory that allows the propagation tool to instantly identify relevant data items without manual configuration during the actual propagation process. The time-consuming work of mapping data locations is done once in advance, not repeated for each propagation operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The inventory service enables self-service by automatically maintaining the data inventory and providing query interfaces that allow the propagation tool to independently identify and locate data items. The system serves itself by automatically tracking data locations and relationships, eliminating the need for manual configuration or intervention. This self-maintaining inventory provides accurate data identification instantaneously without human time investment.
3Reliability
If comprehensive data tracking is implemented to capture all changes accurately, then propagation completeness is improved, but the system complexity increases due to multiple data storage locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex data tracking function into two separate components: the inventory service that maintains the centralized registry of data items, and the propagation tool that uses this registry to identify and transfer data. This segmentation separates the complexity of tracking and locating data from the complexity of actual data propagation. The inventory service handles the complexity of knowing where everything is stored, while the propagation tool focuses on moving data, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining completeness.
4Ease of operation
If standardized interfaces are introduced to abstract data access, then ease of operation is improved, but implementation complexity increases initially
Solution Approach 1:
The inventory service provides a universal interface that works across all environments and data storage locations. This single standardized interface allows the propagation tool to operate uniformly regardless of the underlying data storage complexity. The universal inventory service handles environment-specific variations, allowing the propagation tool to remain simple and environment-agnostic. The initial implementation complexity is concentrated in the inventory service, which then provides simplified universal access for all propagation operations.
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for determining a select set of changes from a set of changes made to an application instance to propagate to one or more other application instances. These mechanisms and methods can enable embodiments to propagate changes from a first application instance in a first environment to a second application instance in a second environment. For example, an embodiment can enable changes to be made to a test version in a test environment, tested and then propagated to a production version of the application residing in a production environment. The ability of embodiments to propagate changes to other application instances across environments can enable easy capture and transferal of changes to an application.