Object Templates for IT Management Data Integrity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
IT management applications lack flexibility and integration, making it difficult for organizations to define and manage complex IT objects and their relationships, leading to inefficiencies in process optimization and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
An object template system that allows administrators to define templates for pre-populating IT objects with common values based on business logic, ensuring structural integrity and allowing for the creation and modification of both simple and complex management objects, while maintaining referential integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional IT management technologies are used, then system stability is maintained, but flexibility and adaptability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the object definition process into templates and instances. Templates define the structure and relationships once, while instances can be created rapidly by referencing these templates. This segmentation allows flexibility in creating customized instances without increasing overall system complexity, as the complex relationship definitions are isolated in the template layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining object templates with all necessary relationships, constraints, and business logic before actual object creation. This preliminary structuring enables users to quickly instantiate objects without repeatedly defining complex relationships, thereby improving flexibility while maintaining manageable complexity through reuse.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users are given unrestricted ability to create new objects, then adaptability increases, but data integrity and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces templates as an intermediary between users and the object creation process. Users interact with predefined templates that enforce organizational relationships and constraints, rather than creating objects directly. This intermediary layer maintains data integrity by ensuring all objects conform to established templates, while still allowing customization through template selection and instance-specific modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback mechanisms that validate object creation against template definitions. When users attempt to create or modify objects, the system checks consistency with the underlying templates and relationships, providing validation feedback that prevents integrity violations. This feedback loop maintains reliability while permitting flexible object creation within defined boundaries.
3Adaptability or versatility
If custom code is developed to carry out business logic, then functionality is improved, but implementation cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables copying of business logic through template reuse. Once a template with embedded business logic and relationships is created, it can be copied and instantiated multiple times without requiring additional custom code development. This copying mechanism reduces implementation costs while maintaining full business logic functionality across multiple objects and scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal templates that can serve multiple functions and scenarios. A single template definition can be applied across different object instances and contexts, eliminating the need for separate custom code for each business scenario. This multi-functionality approach reduces overall implementation cost while preserving adaptability through template parameterization and customization options.
4Manufacturing precision
If management objects are defined as complex hierarchal structures, then modeling precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments complex hierarchical object structures into template definitions and object instances. The complex relationships and hierarchies are encapsulated in templates, which users define once with high modeling precision. When creating objects, users reference these templates rather than defining complex hierarchies manually, significantly reducing user effort while maintaining precise modeling through the template structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An object template system is described herein that allows an administrator of an IT management application to define templates that provide a streamlined mechanism for pre-populating IT objects with common values based on business logic and processes. The object template system addresses manipulation of objects both as part of a user interactive session as well as in programmatic workflows, while also allowing for referencing of existing objects to assume integrity of data. A metadata-driven schema allows for portable definitions of simple and complex extensible objects. The system validates these definitions against the extensible types that define the objects to ensure structural integrity. Users can then apply these definitions at runtime to both create and/or update simple and complex management objects. Thus, the object template system allows an administrator to define controlled processes for creating and modifying management objects within a flexible IT management application.