Method and apparatus for building a telecommunications network d

Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types

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707 4, 707103, G06F 1730

Patent

active

060030356

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for building a telecommunications network database.
2. Related Art
Telecommunications networks are managed by network management systems which decide the way in which the network is configured and monitor the performance of components of the network. The management function is performed by reference to information concerning the network stored in an associated network database. The information that is stored may include an identity of a particular item of equipment such as its serial number, model and manufacturer information, and details of a person or organisation responsible for repairing faults on that equipment. Thus, if a fault occurs with that piece of equipment, a network manager will be able to rapidly send a request for its repair. Other information that is stored, is information about the equipment's performance which will be used when network configuration decisions are made.
When it is thought desirable to replace the existing network management system, a problem occurs because a system has to be chosen which is compatible with the existing database. The reason for this is that the database may include information on a very large number of items of equipment. Typically, information on thousands of circuits will be held. It has been perceived that to do otherwise would require building a new database from scratch which is compatible with the new network management system. The time to do this has been prohibitive, two typical telecommunication circuits requiring about two hours to enter into a database.
The present invention arose out of a realisation by the inventors that it was not necessary to build a new compatible database from scratch, but that it would be possible to utilise the existing database.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,759, a process is described for transitioning a hierarchial input database to create a hierarchical output database. The process occurs in two stages. In the first stage, intermediate data is produced. In the second stage, the intermediate data is mapped to the form required by the output database.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of building a final telecommunications network database in a memory of a computer system by storing data arranged according to a first structure, said data being extracted from an existing database having data arranged to a second structure different from said first structure, the method comprising the steps of: structure different from said first and second structures; specifying a set of object classes which are to be used in the intermediate database and how to create and populate objects for each class in the intermediate database from the data stored in the existing database; hierarchy to be used in the intermediate database; populated in said final database from objects in said intermediate database; intermediate database from data stored in the existing database; and database from objects stored in the intermediate database.
By creating and populating an intermediate database with data which is not arranged according to the first structure, less processing effort is required to build the telecommunications network database by selection of data from the intermediate database, than if an attempt were to be made to directly restructure the existing database or by assembling data from another source.
A further advantage of the invention is that most of the complexity in building the final network database is involved in creating and populating the intermediate database from the existing database. Once the intermediate database is created and populated, it is then relatively easy to then populate the final network database. If the required form of the final network database changes it is then relatively easy to change the rules for populating the final database to cater for the change. This may be achieved without having to change the way in which the intermediate dat

REFERENCES:
patent: 4908759 (1990-03-01), Alexander et al.
patent: 5119465 (1992-06-01), Jack et al.
patent: 5446885 (1995-08-01), Moore et al.
patent: 5611076 (1997-03-01), Durflinger et al.
patent: 5619713 (1997-04-01), Baum et al.
Database and Expert Systems Applications. 5.sup.TH International Conference, Dexa '94 Proceedings, Proceedings of Dexa 94, Athens, Greece, Sep. 7-9, 1994, ISBN 3-540-58435-8, 1994, Berlin, Germany, Springer-Verlag, Germany, pp. 125-134, XP002003087 Castellanos M et al; "Semantically enriching relational databases into an object oriented semantic model" see p. 125, line 1-p. 127, line 4 see p. 132, line 36-p. 133, line 5.
BT Technology Journal, Jul. 1991, UK, vol. 9, No. 3, ISSN 0265-0193, pp. 18-26, XP002003088 Williamson G I Et al: The application of information modelling in the telecommunications management network: see page 18, Col. 2, line 1-page 19, Col. 2, line 1.
IBM Journal of Research and Development, Sep. 1976, USA, vol. 20, No. 5, ISSN 0018-8646, pp. 483-497, XP002003089 Lum V Y et al: "A general methodology for data conversion and restructuring" see the whole document.

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