External system integration into automated attribute discovery
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatus to transform attribute data about assets in a source system data model into attribute data about the same assets in a target system data model. The first step is to extract the necessary attribute data from attribute data collected about inventory assets of a business entity needed to populate the attributes in objects representing those inventory assets in a target system data model. Transformation rules are written which are designed to make all conversions necessary in semantics, units of measure, etc. to transform the source system attribute data into attribute data for the target system which has the proper data format. These transformation rules are executed on a computer on the extracted attribute data and the transformed attribute data is stored in an ER model. In the preferred embodiment, the transformation rules are object-oriented in that transformation rules for subtypes can be inherited from their parent types or classes. An export adapter which is capable of invoking the application programmatic interface of the target system CMDB is then used to export the transformed attribute data stored in the ER model to the target system CMDB.
1. A method for transforming attribute data in a first format associated with a source system to a second format associated with a target system, the method comprising:
identifying one or more attributes associated with a plurality of subtypes of objects in a target system data model, wherein the identified one or more objects are common to all subtypes and are attributes of a parent object in the target system data model;
identifying one or more of the subtype attributes of each subtype object in the target system data model that are unique to the respective subtype object;
identifying one or more attributes of a parent object in a source system data model that has a plurality of subtype objects corresponding to the identified attributes in the target system data model that are common to all the subtype objects in the target system data model;
identifying one or more attributes of each subtype object in the source system data model that correspond to the attributes of a corresponding subtype object in the target system data model;
writing a first set of transformation rules that convert a format of the attributes of the parent object in the source system data model into a format of the attributes of the parent object in the target system data model;
writing a second set of transformation rules that convert a format of the attributes of each subtype object in the source system data model into a format of the attributes of the subtype object in the target system data model; and
converting the format of the attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the source system data model to the format of the attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the target system data model via execution of the first and second set of transformation rules.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
identifying the attribute data that is needed to complete population of the attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the target system data model corresponding to the same type assets represented by the parent and the subtype objects in the source system data model, wherein the identification uses the attribute data collected about assets in inventory of an entity, the attribute data stored in the source system data model;
writing one or more query language report programs which, when executed by a computer, will cause extraction of the identified attribute data; and
extracting and storing the attribute data via execution of the one or more query language report programs.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
writing an output adapter program that invokes the application programmatic interface of a target system database;
supplying arguments for each function call of the output adapter program using data from an entity-relationship (ER) model; and
exporting data from the ER model to the target system database via execution of the output adapter program.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein executing the first and second set of transformation rules on a computer to convert attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the source system data model to attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the target system data model includes:
executing the first and second set of transformation rules in the computer to operate on the extracted inventory attribute data; and
storing the transformed attribute data output by the transformation rules in an entity-relationship (ER) model.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data format of the attributes of each object includes one or more of units, data types, and semantics.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising mapping the first and second set of transformation rules between extracted attribute information of objects in the source system and the data model associated with the target system.
7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the extracted inventory attribute data is stored in a special schema that allows for inserting or appending new data with respect to the extracted inventory attribute data but is not suitable for querying the extracted inventory attribute data.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the extracted inventory attribute data stored in the special schema are provided via reports that reflect the information being extracted, the reports being stored in a table and used when writing the first and second set of transformation rules that convert the attributes of the source system into the data format of target system.
9. A system for transforming attribute data in a first format associated with a source system to a second format associated with a target system, the system comprising:
memory that stores extracted attribute data obtained from source systems; and
a computing device that includes a processor that executes instructions stored on the computing device to:
identify one or more attributes associated with a plurality of subtypes of objects in a target system data model, wherein the identified one or more objects are common to all subtypes and are attributes of a parent object in the target system data model,
identify one or more of the sub-type attributes of each subtype object in the target system data model that are unique to the respective subtype object,
identify one or more attributes of a parent object in a source system data model that has a plurality of subtype objects corresponding to the identified attributes in the target system data model that are common to all the subtype objects in the target system data model,
identify one or more attributes of each subtype object in the source system data model that correspond to the attributes of a corresponding subtype object in the target system data model,
write a first set of transformation rules that convert a format of the attributes of the parent object in the source system data model into a format of the attributes of the parent object in the target system data model,
write a second set of transformation rules that convert a format of the attributes of each subtype object in the source system data model into a format of the attributes of the subtype object in the target system data model, and
convert the format of the attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the source system data model to the format of the attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the target system data model via execution of the first and second set of transformation rules.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor further executes instructions to:
identify the attribute data that is needed to complete population of the attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the target system data model corresponding to the same type assets represented by the parent and the subtype objects in the source system data model, wherein the identification uses the attribute data collected about assets in inventory of an entity, the attribute data stored in the source system data model;
write one or more query language report programs which, when executed by a computer, will cause extraction of the identified attribute data; and
extract and store the attribute data via execution of the one or more query language report programs.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor further executes instructions to:
write an output adapter program that invokes the application programmatic interface of a target system database,
supply arguments for each function call of the output adapter program using data from an entity-relationship (ER) model,
export data from the ER model to the target system database via execution of the output adapter program.
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein executing the first and second set of transformation rules on the computing device to convert attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the source system data model to attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the target system data model includes:
executing the first and second set of transformation rules in the computer to operate on the extracted inventory attribute data; and
storing the transformed attribute data output by the transformation rules in an entity-relationship (ER) model.
13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the data format of the attributes of each object includes one or more of units, data types, and semantics.
14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor further executes instructions to map the first and second set of transformation rules between extracted attribute information of objects in the source system and the data model associated with the target system.
15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the extracted inventory attribute data is stored in a special schema that allows for inserting or appending new data with respect to the extracted inventory attribute data but is not suitable for querying the extracted inventory attribute data.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the extracted inventory attribute data stored in the special schema are provided via reports that reflect the information being extracted, the reports being stored in a table and used when writing the first and second set of transformation rules that convert the attributes of the source system into the data format of target system.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for transforming attribute data in a first format associated with a source system to a second format associated with a target system, the method comprising:
identifying one or more attributes associated with a plurality of subtypes of objects in a target system data model, wherein the identified one or more objects are common to all subtypes and are attributes of a parent object in the target system data model;
identifying one or more of the subtype attributes of each subtype object in the target system data model that are unique to the respective subtype object;
identifying one or more attributes of a parent object in a source system data model that has a plurality of subtype objects corresponding to the identified attributes in the target system data model that are common to all the subtype objects in the target system data model;
identifying one or more attributes of each subtype object in the source system data model that correspond to the attributes of a corresponding subtype object in the target system data model;
writing a first set of transformation rules that convert a format of the attributes of the parent object in the source system data model into a format of the attributes of the parent object in the target system data model;
writing a second set of transformation rules that convert a format of the attributes of each subtype object in the source system data model into a format of the attributes of the subtype object in the target system data model; and
converting the format of the attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the source system data model to the format of the attribute data of the parent and the subtype objects in the target system data model via execution of the first and second set of transformation rules.