Real-time monitoring of service performance through the use of relational database calculation clusters

1. A method for monitoring service performance, the method comprising:

collecting service information from one or more sources in a telecommunications network;

converting the service information into values of primary parameters of a service model;

processing a hierarchy of the service model to determine at least one cluster, the cluster comprising one or more service components having at least one parameter that is shared among the service components of the cluster;

determining the clusters from the service model, wherein the determining includes: dividing a hierarchy of service components so as to separate service components related by 1 -to-n and n-to- 1 relationships; and

calculating values of secondary parameters of the service model from the primary parameter values, wherein the calculating is performed by operations on tables in a relational database, and wherein the tables are structured to represent clusters of service components in the service model, the at least one parameter being indicative of a quality of a service being provided by the telecommunications network and the one or more service components being associated with the service being provided.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each cluster is represented by a set of tables further comprises a collection table, wherein the collection table stores values of primary and secondary parameters associated with the service components belonging to the cluster.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the calculating values of secondary parameters further comprises:

updating parameter values in the collection table, thereby triggering action procedures defined on columns of the collection table.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the set of tables further comprises an output table that stores a history of calculated and input parameter values for service components belonging to the cluster.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

comparing secondary parameter values with service parameter objectives having associated thresholds and actions; and

initiating an associated action if a calculated parameter value crosses an associated threshold of a service parameter objective.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the associated action further comprises reconfiguring a component of the telecommunications network so as to return the calculated parameter value to a desired range.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the service parameter objectives are set in accordance with a service level agreement.

8. A telecommunications network management system comprising:

a service database that stores a service model, wherein the service model comprises a hierarchy of service components, each service component having one or more parameters, wherein at least some of the parameters are primary parameters having values collected from sources in the network, and at least some of the parameters are secondary parameters having values calculated from other parameters;

a service repository manager that provides access to the service database and tracks deployed instances of each service component;

a data collector component that receives service information from one or more sources in a telecommunications network, and that converts the service information into values of primary parameters of a service model; and

a performance data manager that receives the service component parameters from the service repository manager, wherein the performance data manager obtains and processes the service model hierarchy to determine multiple clusters, each cluster comprising one or more service components having at least one parameter that is shared among the service components of the cluster, the at least one parameter being indicative of a quality of a service being provided by the telecommunications network and the one or more service components being associated with the service being provided, wherein the performance data manager divides the service model hierarchy to determine service component clusters by separating components related by 1 -to-n n-to- 1 relationships.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the performance data manager further receives the primary parameter values from the data collector component, and calculates values of secondary parameters of the service component instances, wherein the calculations are performed by operations on tables in relational database, and wherein each cluster is represented by a corresponding set of tables.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the shared parameter is shared among the service components of the cluster without duplicate computations.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the set of tables for each cluster further comprises a collection table that stores values of primary and secondary parameters associated with the service components belonging to the cluster.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein calculations of parameter values are performed by action procedures defined on columns of the collection table, and wherein the action procedures are triggered by updates of parameter values in the table.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the set of tables further comprises an output table that stores a history of calculated and input parameter values for service components belonging to the cluster.

14. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:

a service level objective (SLO) monitor that receives calculated parameter values from the performance data manager and that compares the calculated parameter values to service parameter objectives having associated thresholds and actions, wherein the SLO monitor initiates an associated action if a calculated parameter value crosses an associated threshold of a service parameter objective.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the associated action further comprises reconfiguring a component of the telecommunications network so as to return the calculated parameter value to a desired range.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the service parameter objectives are set in accordance with a service level agreement.