Analyzing Operational Results Using Rule-Based Policy Models

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products that execute modeled business controls on a modeled input work item to generate a corresponding modeled output work item. Input data values included in the modeled input work item either match or approximate corresponding values included in a corresponding actual input work item. Each modeled business control is defined by business rules that represent a business policy, and the business rules and the input data values of the modeled input work item are used to generate the modeled output work item. An actual output work item from a business process is compared to the modeled output work item. The actual output work item includes actual output data values. The business process changes the actual input work item into the actual output work item. The modeled output work item includes modeled output data values. Differences between the actual and modeled output work items are reported.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors; and   a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
 compare an actual output work item generated by an actual business process to a corresponding modeled output work item; 
 determine whether the actual output work item is a discrepant work item, the discrepant work item including an actual work item that differs from the corresponding modeled output work item; 
 analyze, responsive to determining that the actual output work item differs from the corresponding modeled output work item, the last business rule from a set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work item; and 
 identify a root cause of the discrepant work item, the root cause including a business rule from the set of business rules, the root cause:
 having input data values matching to the corresponding values included in one of the one or more actual input work items; 
 having modeled output data values that are different from the corresponding values in one of the one or more actual output work items; and 
 indicating that the discrepant work item is caused by one of: an incorrect execution of a business policy; and an incorrectness in the business policy. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to:
 responsive to determining that the last business rule from a set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work it is not the root cause, analyze a penultimate business rule from the set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work item.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to:
 responsive to determining that the last business rule from a set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work it is not the root cause, analyze the set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work item in reverse sequence until the root cause is identified.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to:
 create a rule audit trail that records, for an individual modeled output work item, a sequence of modeled business controls that executed on the individual modeled input work item and a sequence of associated business rules that fired within the modeled business controls in the sequence of modeled business controls to generate the individual modeled output work item.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the rule audit trail also records a set of data values input to each business rule that fired and a set of data values output from each business rule that fired. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to:
 compare the one or more actual output work items and the one or more modeled output work items in near real-time.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to:
 aggregate results of comparing the one or more actual output work items and the one or more modeled output work items to report the differences.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to:
 generate an alert, wherein the alert is responsive to one or more of an occurrence of a discrepant work item, the set of business rules that defines a modeled business control being incomplete or inconsistent, and one of the actual output work items lacking an output data value that corresponds to a modeled output data value included in one of the modeled output work items.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to:
 compare the one or more actual output work items to one or more updated modeled output work items from one or more updated modeled business controls and report a change caused by using the one or more updated modeled business controls in place of the one or more modeled business controls.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the system to:
 store each modeled input work item and each modeled output work item, and wherein an analytical data storage database is constructed automatically based upon a data model used to define the one or more modeled business controls.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a data model is used to construct one or more modeled business controls, and the data model is constructed automatically based upon an operational data model used within an operational data storage that stores each actual output work item and each actual input work item. 
     
     
         12 . A method comprising:
 comparing an actual output work item generated by an actual business process to a corresponding modeled output work item;   determining whether the actual output work item is a discrepant work item, the discrepant work item including an actual work item that differs from the corresponding modeled output work item;   analyzing, responsive to determining that the actual output work item differs from the corresponding modeled output work item, the last business rule from a set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work item; and   identifying a root cause of the discrepant work item, the root cause including a business rule from the set of business rules, the root cause:
 having input data values matching to the corresponding values included in one of the one or more actual input work items; 
 having modeled output data values that are different from the corresponding values in one of the one or more actual output work items; and 
 indicating that the discrepant work item is caused by one of: an incorrect execution of a business policy; and an incorrectness in the business policy. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  comprising:
 responsive to determining that the last business rule from a set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work it is not the root cause, analyzing a penultimate business rule from the set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work item. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  comprising:
 responsive to determining that the last business rule from a set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work it is not the root cause, analyzing the set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work item in reverse sequence until the root cause is identified. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12  comprising:
 creating a rule audit trail that records, for an individual modeled output work item, a sequence of modeled business controls that executed on the individual modeled input work item and a sequence of associated business rules that fired within the modeled business controls in the sequence of modeled business controls to generate the individual modeled output work item. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the rule audit trail also records a set of data values input to each business rule that fired and a set of data values output from each business rule that fired. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12  comprising:
 comparing the one or more actual output work items and the one or more modeled output work items in near real-time. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12  comprising:
 aggregating results of comparing the one or more actual output work items and the one or more modeled output work items to report the differences. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12  comprising:
 generating an alert, wherein the alert is responsive to one or more of an occurrence of a discrepant work item, the set of business rules that defines a modeled business control being incomplete or inconsistent, and one of the actual output work items lacking an output data value that corresponds to a modeled output data value included in one of the modeled output work items. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12  comprising:
 comparing the one or more actual output work items to one or more updated modeled output work items from one or more updated modeled business controls and report a change caused by using the one or more updated modeled business controls in place of the one or more modeled business controls. 
 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12  comprising:
 storing each modeled input work item and each modeled output work item, and wherein an analytical data storage database is constructed automatically based upon a data model used to define the one or more modeled business controls. 
 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a data model is used to construct one or more modeled business controls, and the data model is constructed automatically based upon an operational data model used within an operational data storage that stores each actual output work item and each actual input work item. 
     
     
         23 . A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause a data processing apparatus to perform the operations of:
 comparing an actual output work item generated by an actual business process to a corresponding modeled output work item;   determining whether the actual output work item is a discrepant work item, the discrepant work item including an actual work item that differs from the corresponding modeled output work item;   analyzing, responsive to determining that the actual output work item differs from the corresponding modeled output work item, the last business rule from a set of business rules used to generate the corresponding modeled output work item; and   identifying a root cause of the discrepant work item, the root cause including a business rule from the set of business rules, the root cause:
 having input data values matching to the corresponding values included in one of the one or more actual input work items; 
 having modeled output data values that are different from the corresponding values in one of the one or more actual output work items; and 
 indicating that the discrepant work item is caused by one of: an incorrect execution of a business policy; and an incorrectness in the business policy.