Software Connectivity Mapping via Embedded Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for tracking interactions between software applications lack visibility into actual connections, making it difficult to trace connection issues and validate interconnections in production environments.
Innovation Solution
Encoding connectivity between applications and data sources into source code as metadata, allowing for automated generation of connectivity maps and detection of discrepancies that could indicate errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If connectivity information is manually documented in requirements documents and test plans, then the documentation process is simple and quick, but the visibility of actual connections is lost and connection issues cannot be traced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically generating connectivity maps during the software development lifecycle before deployment. Code analysis tools scan source code to extract connectivity information and generate maps that reflect actual intended connections, ensuring visibility is established upfront rather than lost afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously comparing actual runtime connectivity against the generated connectivity maps. When discrepancies are detected between expected and actual connections, the system alerts developers to potential coding errors or unintended operations, enabling traceability of connection issues.
2Ease of manufacture
If manual documentation methods are used to track application interactions, then the implementation process is straightforward, but the ability to validate interconnections in production is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical documentation processes with automated code analysis and runtime monitoring systems. These electronic systems continuously scan code, track actual connections, and validate interconnections against expected behavior, providing reliable validation capability that manual methods cannot achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the software itself to document its own connectivity through embedded metadata and automated code analysis. The application's own code structure is scanned to extract connectivity information, eliminating the need for separate manual documentation processes.
3Ease of manufacture
If connectivity maps are manually created based on requirements documents, then the creation process is simple, but the maps may not accurately reflect actual operating characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates accurate copies of actual connectivity by scanning source code and extracting real connection information directly from the codebase. Rather than copying information from potentially inaccurate manual documents, the system generates connectivity maps that are direct representations of the actual code structure and intended connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary code analysis to generate connectivity maps before deployment, ensuring that the maps reflect the actual intended connections as written in the code. This preliminary extraction of connectivity information from source code ensures accuracy is established before any runtime deviations can occur.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for and a method of regulating the data interconnections between applications running on an infrastructure are provided. The system/method records access permission data into metadata embedded in the source code of each such application that regulates the data that can be received or transmitted by that application. In addition to regulating the receipt or transmission of data, the metadata can serve to provide instruction to firewalls and other regulating systems in order to configure those systems to allow the applications to receive and transmit data for which permissions have been recorded.