Methods and systems to manage data objects in a cloud computing environment
The present disclosure relates to managing activity taken with respect to cloud-based software services. A platform manages data objects processed by software services and/or those entities that initiate processing events. The platform uses identifiers such as, for example, a persistent identifier (PID) to track processing events. The platform implements rules and/or permissions related to the managed data objects and/or managed entities to determine whether processing events are in compliance. The platform may update database records, send alerts, send data graphs, or provide a real-time stream related to the managed data objects and/or managed entities. In addition, embodiments involve determining whether a PID-associated managed data object has been modified during processing to generate an additional version of the PID-associated managed data object and, if an object version is present, processing the additional version of the PID-associated managed data object to generate an integrated first PID-associated managed data object.
1. A method of managing data objects in a cloud computing environment comprising the steps of:
a. processing, by a computing system, a first managed data object in a plurality of Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, wherein:
i. the first managed data object is associated with one or more managed entities, and each managed entity has an entity identification;
ii. at least two of the plurality of SaaS applications are heterogeneous;
iii. the first managed data object or managed entities are each independently associated with one or more permissions, wherein the permissions are associated with one or more rules defined for either or both of:
1. the first managed data object or the identified managed entity; and
2. one or more processing events performable on the first managed data object by one or more actors, and
iv. at least some of the processing of the first managed data object comprises one or more of accessing, creating, viewing, merging, altering, sharing, sending, copying, printing, deleting, or modifying of the first managed data object;
b. determining, by the computing system, whether the first managed data object is, independently, associated with a persistent identifier (PID) and, if the first managed data object is not associated with a PID, generating a PID for the first non-PID-associated managed data object, thereby generating a first PID-associated managed data object; wherein the first PID-associated managed data object is processed in at least one of the SaaS applications, and wherein at least some of the processing comprises one or more of accessing, creating, viewing, merging, altering, sharing, sending, copying, printing, deleting, or modifying of the first PID-associated managed data object;
c. receiving, by the computing system, information about the one or more processing events for the first PID-associated managed data object; and
d. determining, by the computing system, whether the first PID-associated managed data object has been modified during the processing in at least one of the SaaS applications to generate one or more additional versions of the first PID-associated managed data object and, if more than one object versions is present, processing each of the additional versions of the first PID-associated managed data object to generate an integrated first PID-associated managed data object.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein more than one first PID-associated managed data object versions is present, and the processing in at least one of the SaaS applications to generate the integrated first PID-associated managed data object is conducted by an extract, transform, and load process.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the integrated first PID-associated managed data object is derived from metadata comprising one or more of:
a. the first PID-associated managed data object;
b. SaaS applications operational in the cloud computing environment; and
c. a plurality of additional managed data objects operational in the cloud computing environment.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
a. generating, by the computing system, an information set identifying each of the one or more processing events performed on the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object, thereby providing status information associated with processing events performed by the one or more actors on the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
a. comparing, by the computing system, each of the processing events performed by the one or more actors on the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object with the one or more rules; and
b. generating, by the computing system, information about whether the one or more processing events performed on the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object is out of compliance with an associated rule.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein an entity identification is derived for the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object, and wherein the derived entity identification is the same or different from the entity identification for the identified managed entity.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the derived entity identification is generated from processing of one or more of metadata from:
a. the first managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object;
b. SaaS applications operational in the cloud computing environment; and
c. a plurality of additional managed data objects operational in the cloud computing environment.
8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of generating a global identity for the first managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object from the derived entity identification.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a record of non-compliance in response to determining that the one or more processing events is out of compliance with one or more of the defined rules.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a notification of non-compliance to one or more of the identified managed entity, the actor, the system administrator, or a database record in response to determining that the one or more processing events is out of compliance with one or more of the defined rules.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the rules are selectively defined for each identified managed entity, actor, first PID-associated managed data object, or integrated first PID-associated managed data object, thereby providing a plurality of notification types for each processing event performed on each of the first PID-associated managed data object or integrated first PID-associated managed data object operational in the cloud computing environment.
12. A method of managing data objects in a cloud computing environment comprising the steps of:
a. providing, by a computing system, a first managed data object associated with a persistent identifier (PID); wherein the first PID-associated managed data object is processed in a plurality of Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, wherein at least one of the applications is heterogenous, and wherein at least some of the processing of the first PID-associated managed data object comprises one or more of accessing, creating, viewing, merging, altering, sharing, sending, copying, printing, deleting, or modifying the first managed data object having a PID;
b. receiving, by the computing system, information about the one or more processing events for the first PID-associated managed data object;
c. determining, by the computing system, whether the first PID-associated managed data object has been modified during the processing to generate one or more additional versions of the first PID-associated managed data object; and
d. processing, by the computing system, each of the one or more additional versions of the first PID-associated managed data object by an extract, transform, and load process to generate an integrated first PID-associated managed data object, thereby providing a single version of the first PID-associated managed data object.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the integrated first PID-associated managed data object is generated from information derived from metadata from one or more of:
a. the first PID-associated managed data object;
b. SaaS applications operational in the cloud computing environment; and
c. a plurality of additional managed data objects operational in the cloud computing environment.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
a. generating, by the computing system, an information set identifying each of the one or more processing events performed on the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object, thereby providing status information for the state of the processing events performed by one or more actors on the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
a. comparing, by the computing system, each of the processing events performed by the one or more actors on the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object with one or more rules associated with the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object; and
b. generating, by the computing system, information about whether the one or more processing events performed on the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object is out of compliance with an associated rule.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein an entity identification is derived for the first PID-associated managed data object or the integrated first PID-associated managed data object, and wherein the derived entity identification is the same or different from the entity identification for the identified managed entity.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the derived entity identification is generated from processing of one or more of metadata from:
a. the first PID-associated managed data object;
b. SaaS applications operational in the cloud computing environment; and
c. a plurality of additional managed data objects operational in the cloud computing environment.
18. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of generating a global identity for the first PID-associated managed data object or the first PID-associated integrated data object from the derived entity identification.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more rules are selectively defined for each of an identified managed entity, an actor, a PID-associated managed data object, and a first PID-associated integrated managed data object, thereby providing a plurality of notification types for each processing event performed on each of the first PID-associated managed data objects and the first PID-associated integrated managed data objects.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising generating a record of non-compliance in response to determining that the one or more processing events is out of compliance with one or more of the defined rules and, optionally, sending a notification of non-compliance to one or more of the identified managed entity, the actor, the system administrator, or a database record.