Software Release Validation via Rule Engine Dependency Checks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large companies face complexity in managing software development projects and releases across multiple platforms, regions, and stakeholders, leading to challenges in dependency management and last-minute changes that can result in delays or risks to operations.
Innovation Solution
A system that provides a plan of record with entity information for software applications and planning information for releases, along with a set of rules expressing date dependencies, which is validated against detected events using a rule engine to ensure compliance and synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If managers and planners set up and schedule parallel releases for multiple platforms, then software deployment coverage is improved, but dependency management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex release management system into distinct components: release definitions, dependency specifications, event definitions, and validation rules. Each component handles a specific aspect of release coordination, making the overall system manageable despite handling multiple parallel releases across platforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary validation mechanism that acts as a mediator between release plans and dependency requirements. This validation system checks compliance with dependency rules before releases proceed, preventing conflicts without requiring manual coordination of all dependencies.
2Adaptability or versatility
If planners make last-minute changes to release schedules, then operational flexibility is improved, but reliability of release timing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes release plans, dependency relationships, and validation rules in advance before releases execute. By pre-defining all constraints and requirements, the system can automatically validate changes against these predefined criteria, maintaining reliability even when flexibility is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The validation mechanism provides immediate feedback when proposed changes would violate dependency rules. This feedback loop allows planners to understand the impact of changes before implementing them, maintaining both flexibility and reliability by preventing invalid schedule modifications.
3Manufacturing precision
If the system validates release plans against dependency rules, then release coordination accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies validation selectively to release plans that involve dependency relationships. Not all releases require full validation - only those with defined dependencies need to be checked against rules. This partial application of validation reduces overall processing time while maintaining accuracy where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Software release validation is disclosed. A plan of record is provided, having entity information for a software application associated with a plurality of platforms, and planning information for a plurality of releases of the software application. A set of rules is provided having at least a first object representing an instance of an entity type, a second object, and an operator for expressing a date dependency between the first object and the second object. An event is detected, and the plan of record is validated against the set of rules responsively to the event.