Script Change Detection for Software Instance Customization

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In multi-instance environments, identifying and managing customization changes across software instances is challenging, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs for customer support, as well as potential security flaws due to untracked customizations and lack of adherence to security best practices.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that compares baseline scripts to custom scripts to identify changes, generates a graphical user interface showing the changes, and provides recommendations for security improvements, allowing customers to interactively manage and track customizations, thereby reducing support burdens and enhancing security.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If customers customize software instances with custom scripts, then adaptability and functionality are improved, but device complexity and difficulty of managing changes increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoidinstance management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies automated comparison algorithms that rapidly analyze and identify differences between baseline and customized instances, effectively 'accelerating' the change detection process. The system automatically compares custom scripts against baseline versions, generating detailed change reports that highlight modifications, additions, and deletions, thereby resolving the complexity of managing customizations at scale.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #38Strong oxidants (Accelerated oxidation)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates and maintains copies of baseline instance configurations to compare against customized instances. By storing baseline scripts and systematically comparing them with custom scripts, the system enables efficient tracking of changes without requiring manual analysis, thus reducing management complexity while preserving full customization capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If comprehensive tracking of customization changes is implemented, then measurement precision and security monitoring are improved, but loss of time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechange detection accuracyVSAvoidanalysis time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions by establishing baseline configurations before customization occurs and automatically comparing custom scripts against these baselines. The system proactively identifies changes by comparing custom scripts with their baseline counterparts, generating change reports that precisely document modifications, additions, and deletions without requiring manual intervention, thus achieving high measurement precision with minimal time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If manual analysis of custom scripts is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity and ease of operation deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechange identification accuracyVSAvoidchange management efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically compare custom scripts against baseline configurations and generate comprehensive change reports without human intervention. The automated comparison process identifies all modifications, additions, and deletions, providing precise change detection while eliminating manual analysis time, thus simultaneously improving both measurement precision and productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3467646B1Identifying customization changes between instances
Publication Date: 2022.11.23 SERVICENOW INC
  • EP3467646B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3467646B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3467646B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system, method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for identifying customization changes have been disclosed. The system comprises a processor and a memory that includes instructions executable by the processor to cause the system to identify a baseline script of a plurality of baseline scripts from a baseline instance that corresponds to a custom script of a plurality of custom scripts from a customized instance. The customized instance is a customized version of the baseline instance. The instructions are executable to cause the system to compare the baseline script to the custom script to identify one or more changes between the baseline script and the custom script, to determine an amount of change using the one or more identified changes, and to generate a graphical user interface that includes an identifier of the baseline script, an identifier of the custom script, and a graphical indication of the amount of change.