Item Relationship Graphs for Rule Enforcement and Provenance Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems face difficulties in tracking and enforcing relationships between items such as datasets, applications, folders, and resources, leading to errors and labor-intensive policy enforcement due to complex data dependencies and violations in provenance.
Innovation Solution
A relationship management system that provides a graphical interface for users to define and visualize links between items, establish rules, and enforce compliance through rule-based enforcement mechanisms, preventing violations and surfacing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional approaches are used to track relationships between items, then the system can store and process data, but tracking and visualizing relationships becomes increasingly difficult and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relationship management system that acts as an intermediary layer between users and the complex network of data relationships. This system automatically discovers, tracks, and visualizes relationships between items using relationship graphs and predefined link types, eliminating the need for manual relationship tracking and reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with automated computational systems. The relationship management system uses algorithms to automatically discover relationships, generate visualizations, and enforce policies, substituting labor-intensive manual processes with efficient automated mechanisms.
2Productivity
If manual enforcement of policies based on data provenance is performed, then policies can be applied, but the process becomes time-consuming and labor intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The relationship management system enables self-service policy enforcement by automatically monitoring relationships between items and detecting violations without human intervention. The system autonomously identifies when relationships change or when policies are breached, notifying relevant users and enabling automatic remediation actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops by monitoring relationship changes in real-time and automatically enforcing policies. When violations are detected, the system provides immediate feedback through notifications and alerts, enabling rapid response and correction without manual intervention.
3Quantity of substance
If systems grow and more data is added, then the system becomes more comprehensive, but relationships between data become increasingly difficult to track
Solution Approach 1:
The relationship management system provides universal relationship tracking capabilities that work across all types of items and relationships. The system uses a unified framework with predefined link types that can represent various relationship categories, enabling consistent tracking regardless of the quantity or diversity of data in the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual relationship detection with automated computational algorithms that can efficiently process and analyze large volumes of data. The system uses relationship graph technology and automated discovery mechanisms to track relationships at scale, making the difficulty of tracking independent of system size.
4Ease of operation
If visual relationship interface is implemented, then users can easily define and visualize relationships, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The relationship management system uses parameter changes to simplify the user interface. By allowing users to select from predefined link types with associated parameters, the system provides an intuitive way to define relationships without exposing underlying complexity. Users interact with simple parameters like relationship type and description rather than complex relationship structures.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for tracking and enforcing relationships between items. A relationship interface may be provided that conveys the relationship (or link) between items, and through which a user may define the link between two or more items. Identifying a link between two items may establish a set of one or more rules to be enforced with respect to the use of one or both of the items (e.g., when the items are stored, when the items are used to create other items, when other items are associated with the items). In various embodiments, violations of one or more rules may be identified and provided via the user interface. In some embodiments, new items that conflict with one or more rules may be prevented from being committed.