AU2004202281B2

AU2004202281B2 - Method for Determining Differences between Two or More Models

Info

Publication number: AU2004202281B2
Application number: AU2004202281A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Thomas R Beerbower; Tad A Deffler; Mark A Russo
Original assignee: ASSOCIATE THINK Inc COMP; Computer Associates Think Inc
Current assignee: CA Inc
Priority date: 1998-10-16
Filing date: 2004-05-27
Publication date: 2008-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2019-10-15
Also published as: AU2004202281A1

Description

16/01 2008 WED 17:02 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA Q005/029 00 1 SMETHOD FOR DETERMINING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO OR MORE

MODELS

Cross-Reference To Related Applications The present application claims benefit of the US application 60/104,682 entitled MODELING TOOL SYSTEMS 00 AND METHODS, filed on October 16, 1998.

CR The present application is related to US 6,859,919 C( which is now entitled OBJECT MODELING TOOL WITH META 0 MODEL SEMANTIC REGISTRY (RULES) A META DATA MANAGER FOR C( 10 OBJECT(S) PROPERTIES AN OBJECT/PROPERTY INTERFACE FOR INSTANCE(S) OF OBJECTS/PROPERTIES RECEIVED VIA OBJECT/PROPERTY INTERFACE OF THE OBJECT FACTORY REGSITRY, being concurrently filed on the same day, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The present application is related to US 6,601,023 entitled METHOD FOR IMPACT ANALYSIS OF A MODEL, being concurrently filed on the same day, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The present application is related to US application No. 09/419,749 entitled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AN EXTENSIBLE MACRO LANGUAGE, being concurrently filed on the same day, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The present application is related to US application No. 09/418,751 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO A HIERARCHICAL DATA STORE THROUGH AN SQL INPUT, being concurrently filed on the same day, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 16/01 2098 WED 17:02 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA Q006/029 00 2 0 0 (N Field Of The Invention The present invention relates to determining differences between two or more models.

VO

Background Information Comparisons between items such as files are conventional. Products have been provided that compare 00 (N files such as word processing files and indicate

(N

o differences between each of the files. Such comparisons may

(N

be made since the problem domain is known and the semantic content of the files is understood. The differences between the two files provided by such comparisons are acceptable.

A need exist, however, to compare and obtain the difference between items such as models where the problem domain is unknown and the semantic content of the models is not understood. Accordingly, a comparison can be made between models without having to know the specific format of the data, nor what the data represents. As a result, a generic comparison tool and method may be created.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of arrangements herein described there is provided a method for comparing a first model and a second model, comprising: identifying metadata in the first model and in the second model, wherein a format of the first and second models is unknown; calculating a first set of signatures for objects of the metadata of the first model and a second set of signatures for objects of the metadata of the second model, wherein the objects of the first model and the objects of the second model corresponding with each other have the same signatures; determining which signatures of the first set of signatures match signatures of the second set of COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 16/01 2008 WED 17:02 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys 4- IP AUSTRALIA @007/029 00 3 C- determining for the matched signatures whether the Sobjects associated with the signatures of the first set 1 of signatures equal the objects associated with the

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signatures of the second set of signatures.

According to a second aspect of arrangements herein described there is provided an apparatus for comparing a 00 C-i first model and a second model, comprising: means for identifying metadata in the first model and in the second model, wherein a format of the first and second models is unknown; c-i means for calculating a first set of signatures for objects of the metadata of the first model and a second set of signatures for objects of the metadata of the second model, wherein it is a property of the signatures that the signature calculated for an object of the first model is the same as the signature calculated for a corresponding object of the second model; means for determining which signatures of the first set of signatures match signatures of the second set of signatures; and means for determining for the matched signatures whether the objects associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures equal the objects associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures.

Other aspects and preferred aspects are disclosed in the specification and/or are defined in the appended claims, forming a part of the description of the invention.

Further advantages and scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 16/01 2008 WED 17:03 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA Q008/029 00 4 while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, Sare given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of NO the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Brief Description Of The Drawings 00 FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of two models

C

including metadata and objects in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary C1 embodiment of a method of the present invention for determining differences between models.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of conditions of the present invention for determining equality of objects.

Detailed Description Of The Invention FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a pair of models 100, 150, Model One 100 and Model Two 150, such as the object/property model disclosed in US 6,859,919, filed on October 15, 1999, entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MODELING TOOLS, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, Model One 100 includes Metadata A and B 10, 20, respectively, and Objects A-E 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, respectively, and Model Two 150 includes Metadata A and C 30, 40, respectively, and Objects A-C, F, G 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, respectively, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Metadata A, B, A, C 20, 30, 40, respectively, is information about data; the data may be objects belonging to the metadata. For example, metadata may be a type "cars" and the data described by that metadata may be objects such as specific brands of cars, Ford

T

ChryslerM, etc.

COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 16/01 2008 WED 17:03 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA 0009/029 00 4a 0 4a

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C-q FIG. 1 illustrates Model One 100 and Model Two 150 Shaving common metadata, like metadata, Metadata A 10, 30. FIG. 1 also illustrates Model One 100 and Model

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Two 150 having uncommon metadata, for example, Metadata B 20 and Metadata C 40. For purely illustrative purposes, FIG. 1 shows objects grouped together according to like 00 CI metadata such as Metadata A 10 and Metadata A 30 in Model 0 One 100 and Model Two 150, c-i c-i COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 27 Ma 2004 11:31 Smoorenburg Rttornets +G13 9712 0153 p.8 respectively. Like metadata 10, 30, however, may be spread randomly in any given model.

FIG. 1 shows Model One 100 having Object A ii, Object B 12 and Object C 13 being described by Metadata A 10 in which Object A 11 owns Object B 12 and Object C 13, and Object B 12 owns Object C 13. An object own another object if the objects are in a hierarchical relationship and the owning object, owner, is at a higher level than the object being owned, ownee.

An ownee is an object that is aggregated into an owner, a constituent component of the owner.

Further, in Model One 100, Object C 13 and Object B 12 are the ownees of Object A 11 and Object C 13 is the ownee of Object B 12. In Model One 100, Object D 21 and Object E 22 are described by Metadata B 20. As a hierarchical relationship does not exist between Object D 21 and Object E 22, one is not an owner or ownee of the other.

:FIG. 1 Shows Model Two 150 having Object A 31, Object B 32, Object C 33, and Object F 34 being described by Metadata A 30 in which Object A 31 owns Object B 32 and Object C 33, Object F 34 and Object B 32 own Object C 33. Further, in Model Two 150, Object C 33 and Object B 32 are the ownees of Object A 31 and Object C 33 is the ownee of Object B 32 and Object F 34. In Model Two 150, Object G 41 is described by Metadata

C

As a hierarchical relationship does not exist with Object G 41 With respect to other objects, Object G 41 is not an owner or ownee.

Objects may include properties, for example, non; reference properties and reference properties.

A

reference property includes a pointer or address Chat points to, for example, another property or object,

A

non-reference property includes a value not a pointer.

COMS ID No: SBMI-00767865 Received by IP Australia: Time 10:36 Date 2004-05-27 27 Hayd 2004 11:31 Smoorenburg ttornems +613 9712 0159 p.9 6 If an object is deleted so are the objects and properties that it owns. Each of the objects not owned by the object being deleted, however, will still exist upon the object being deleted.

Pig. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention for comparing models to determine the differences, if any, between the models.

As shown in FIG. 2, in 201, metadata is identified in Model One 100 and Model Two 150. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, identifying the metadata may result in identifying common metadata, Metadata A 10, 30 in Model One 100 and Model Two 150, respectively.

In 202, signatures are calculated for objects of the metadata identified in step 201. The signatures calculated for respective objects in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 that correspond with each other will have the same signature. For example, in FIG. 1, Objects A 11, 31 of Model One 100 and Model Two 150, respectively, correspond with each other. Accordingly, Objects A 11, 31 in Model One 100 and Model Two 150, respectively, will have the same signature. Similarly, Objects B 12, 32 and C 13, 33 correspond with its respective objects in Model One 100 and Model Two 150, respectively. Thus, each of Objects B 12, 32 and each of Objects C 13, 33 will have the same signatures, respectively. Objects, however, that do not have corresponding objects, for example, Objects D 21, E 22, F 34 and G 41 will have a signature calculated that uniquely identifies each of the objects. Objects corresponding with each other are parallel objects. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the calculation of the signatures of the objects may be based on at least the metadata which describes the objects.

COMS ID No: SBMI-00767865 Received by IP Australia: Time 10:36 Date 2004-05-27 27 Mati 2004 11:31 Smoorenburg Rttornetss +G13 9712 0159 7 In 203, it is determined which signatures in Model One 100 and Model Two 150 match. Signatures match if they are the same. Accordingly, parallel objects have matching signatures. In 204, whether objects of Model One 100 and Model Two 150 having matching signatures are equal is determined.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, determining whether objects with matching signatures are equal may include whether or not a series of conditions such as whether any non-matching owners exist and whether any ownees, reference properties and non-reference properties are not equal are satisfied.

PIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method of the present invention for determining whether respective objects having matched signatures are equal.

If each of the conditions 301, 302, 303, 304 are not eatisftid, the respective objects having matching signatures are equal. If any one of the conditions 301, 302, 303, 304 are satisfied, the respective objects having matching signatures are not equal. For each of the respective matched signatures, a determination is made whether any of their respective owners do not match as illustrated in 301. In FIG. 1, for example, for Obj:ects S I, 32 in Model One 100 and Model Two 150, all of the owner(s) are the same-Objects A 11, 31. In contrast, Objects C 13, 33 in Model One 100 and Model Two 150 are not equal because there are non-matching owners. Object C 13 of Model One 100 does not have Object F 34 as an owner, however, Object C 33 of Model Two 150 does have Object F 34 as an owner.

In 302, for respective objects having matched signatures nQt having non-matched owners, a determination is made whether any ownees are not equal, as opposed to just matching. In FIG-. for example, COMS ID No: SBMI-00767865 Received by IP Australia: Time 10:36 Date 2004-05-27 27 Maaj 2004 11:32 Smoorenburg Fttornems +G13 9712 0159 p.ll a Objects B 12, 32 in Model One 100 and Model Two 150, respectively, do not have any unequal ownees. Objects C 13, 33 are respectively owned by each of the Objects B 12, 32 and Objects B 12, 32 do not have any other ownees.

In 303, for respective objects of the matched signatures not having non-matched owners and not having unequal ownees, a determination is made whether any nonreference properties are not equal. A non-reference property is not equal if the binary representations of the values are not the same. In 304, for respective objects of the matched signatures not having non-matched owners, not having unequal ownees and not having nonreferenced properties that are not equal, a determination is made whether any reference properties are not matched. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if any of the four conditions 301, 302, 303, 304 are satisfied, the models 100. 150 include differences. If none of the four conditions 301, 302, 303, 304 are satisfied, the models 100, 150 will not have differences with respect to each other.

The differences between Model One 100 and Model Two 150 of FIG. 1 are Model One 100 includes Object D 21 and Object E 22 which is not included in Model Two 150.

Also, Model One 100 does not include Object F 34 included in Model Two 150. Further, Object C 13 of Model One 100 matches but does not equal Object C 33 of Model Two 150.

In another embodiment of the present invention, synchronization may be performed to models 100, 150 having differences between them. Synchronization is achieved by alleviating the differences between models 100, 150 such as changing memory images in one or both of the models 100, 150 so that the memory images in the COMS ID No: SBMI-00767865 Received by IP Australia: Time 10:36 Date 2004-05-27 16/01 2098 WED 17:04 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA R010/029 00 9 0 0- models 100, 150 are the same. For example, when an object Ssuch as an owner or ownee exists in one model but not in the other model, the missing object may be created in the

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model not previously having the object. 5 As shown in FIG. 1, for example, Model One 100 is missing Object F 34 of Model Two 150. As a result, missing Object F 34 can be 00 C-i created in Model One 100. Furthermore, when an object ci o exists in one model but not in another model, the object ci may be removed from the appropriate model. For example, since Object D 21 and Object E 22 of Model One 100, shown Ci in FIG. 1, are not present in Model Two 150, they 21, 22 may be removed from Model One 100. Approaches similar to the ones previously described can also be used when a property exists or has a different value for an object in one model with respect to a parallel object in another model.

The embodiments described above are illustrative examples of the present invention and it should not be construed that the present invention is limited to these particular embodiments. Various changes and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

"Comprises/comprising" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. Thus, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustivesense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16

Claims

2. A method for comparing a first model and a second model as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the objects associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures equal the objects associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures, further comprising: determining whether an owner of at least one object associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures matches an owner of at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures; COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 16/01 20D8 WED 17:04 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA Q~012/029 00 11 0 0 determining whether at least one ownee of the at Sleast one object associated with the signatures of the c- first set of signatures equal at least one ownee of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures; determining whether at least one non-reference 00 0 property of the at least one object associated with the ci osignatures of the first set of signatures equals at least one non-reference property of the at least one o 10 object associated with the signatures of the second set Ci of signatures; and determining whether at least one reference property of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures match at least one reference property of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures.
3. A method for comparing the first model and the second model as set forth in claim 1 or 2, further comprising: synchronizing the first model with the second model when at least one object associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures are unequal to at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures.
4. A method for comparing the first model and the second model as set forth in claim in claim 3, further comprising: adding an object to the second model that is present in the first model but not present in the second model. COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 16/01 2008 WED 17:05 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA [a013/029 00 12 0 (N 5. A method for comparing the first model and the second model as set forth in claim 3, further comprising: \O deleting an object from the second model that is present in the second model but not present in the first model. 00
6. A computer program product comprising instructions (N O which, when executed by a suitable computer, cause the (N 0computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to
7. An apparatus for comparing a first model and a second model, comprising: means for identifying metadata in the first model and in the second model, wherein a format of the first and second models is unknown; means for calculating a first set of signatures for objects of the metadata of the first model and a second set of signatures for objects of the metadata of the second model, wherein it is a property of the signatures that the signature calculated for an object of the first model is the same as the signature calculated for a corresponding object of the second model; means for determining which signatures of the first set of signatures match signatures of the second set of signatures; and means for determining for the matched signatures whether the objects associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures equal the objects associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures. COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 16/01 20)8 WED 17:05 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA Z014/029 00 13 0
8. An apparatus for comparing a first model and a Ssecond model as set forth in claim 7, wherein the means for determining whether the objects associated with the NO signatures of the first set of signatures equal the objects associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures further comprises: 00 (N means for determining whether an owner of at least (N o one object associated with the signatures of the first (N set of signatures matches an owner of at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures; means for determining whether at least one ownee of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures equal at least one ownee of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures; means for determining whether at least one non- reference property of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures equals at least one non-reference property of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures; and means for determining whether at least one reference property of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures match at least one reference property of the at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures.
9. An apparatus for comparing the first model and the second model as set forth in claim 7 or 8, further comprising: COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16 16/01 2008 WED 17:05 FAX Smoorenburg Attorneys IP AUSTRALIA 0015/029 00 00 14 O C-I means for synchronizing the first model with the Ssecond model when at least one object associated with the signatures of the first set of signatures are LO unequal to at least one object associated with the signatures of the second set of signatures. 00 CI 10. An apparatus for comparing the first model and the 0 second model as set forth in claim 9, further comprising: means for adding an object to the second model that is present in the first model but not present in the second model.
11. An apparatus for comparing the first model and the second model as set forth in claim 9, further comprising: means for deleting an object from the second model that is present in the second model but not present in the first model.
12. A method substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
13. An apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. A computer program product substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. COMS ID No: ARCS-175531 Received by IP Australia: Time 17:11 Date 2008-01-16