Term Lineage Diagram for Business Term Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Identifying and managing business terms across multiple software applications is challenging due to differing data representations, which hinders data exchange, audit processes, and software modernization efforts, as the same data is often identified using different names in various applications.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for identifying term lineage by extracting data from source code, mapping business terms to software artifacts, and generating a term lineage diagram to visualize the flow of business terms between software applications, ensuring consistent data representation and communication across different software applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If data is stored and exchanged across multiple software applications using different field names (e.g., ProdID vs ProductIdentifier), then each application can maintain its own data representation flexibility, but data identification and matching between applications becomes highly problematic and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a term lineage diagram as an intermediary visualization tool that maps business terms across multiple software applications. This diagram serves as a mediator between different data representations by showing the relationships and mappings between fields like ProdID and ProductIdentifier, enabling analysts to quickly identify equivalent data across applications without manual searching or comparison.
2Quantity of substance
If data is collected from multiple different software applications into a consolidated system (e.g., general ledger), then comprehensive data aggregation is achieved, but data completeness cannot be verified without knowing the origin and flow of each data element
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing term lineage mappings before data aggregation occurs. The term lineage diagram pre-identifies and documents the relationships between data elements across applications, so when data is consolidated into systems like general ledgers, the origin and flow of each data element is already known and can be verified for completeness.
3Reliability
If a software application is modernized or replaced, then technical obsolescence is resolved and new functionality is introduced, but data feeds and integration links with other applications may be broken without prior knowledge of data flow
Solution Approach 1:
The term lineage diagram provides preliminary knowledge of data flow and integration points before modernization begins. By visualizing how business terms move between applications and identifying all data feeds and links, the diagram enables planners to anticipate integration requirements and ensure that modernized applications maintain proper data connectivity with surrounding systems.
4Measurement precision
If analysts manually audit data flow between applications to verify data collection accuracy, then thorough verification is possible, but the process is highly inefficient and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a visual copy or representation of the actual data flow through term lineage diagrams. Instead of manually tracing data through complex application interfaces and transformations, analysts can examine the diagrammatic copy that accurately represents data origins, transformations, and destinations, enabling rapid verification of data collection accuracy without manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for determining the flow of one or more business terms between a plurality of software applications. The system includes extracting data from the source code data which includes a plurality of technical artifacts. An application model unit generates an application model that includes a representation of selected data components of the extracted data and generates application model data that includes data representative of a plurality of business terms and a plurality of technical artifacts. A term identification identifies the business terms and a mapping unit maps together the plurality of business terms and the plurality of technical artifacts from the application model data to form map data. A term lineage determination unit determines an inter-application lineage of the business terms based on the map data. The inter-application lineage is representative of data paths associated with the business term flowing between the software applications.