FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a multi-instance cloud architecture 100 where embodiments of the present disclosure may operate. FIG. 2 illustrates that the multi-instance cloud architecture 100 includes the client network 12 and the network 14 that connect to two (e.g., paired) data centers 18A and 18B that may be geographically separated from one another and provide data replication and/or failover capabilities. Using FIG. 2 as an example, network environment and service provider cloud infrastructure client instance 102 (also referred to herein as a client instance 102) is associated with (e.g., supported and enabled by) dedicated virtual servers (e.g., virtual servers 26A, 26B, 26C, and 26D) and dedicated database servers (e.g., virtual database servers 104A and 104B). Stated another way, the virtual servers 26A-26D and virtual database servers 104A and 104B are not shared with other client instances and are specific to the respective client instance 102. In the depicted example, to facilitate availability of the client instance 102, the virtual servers 26A-26D and virtual database servers 104A and 104B are allocated to two different data centers 18A and 18B so that one of the data centers 18 acts as a backup data center. Other embodiments of the multi-instance cloud architecture 100 could include other types of dedicated virtual servers, such as a web server. For example, the client instance 102 could be associated with (e.g., supported and enabled by) the dedicated virtual servers 26A-26D, dedicated virtual database servers 104A and 104B, and additional dedicated virtual web servers (not shown in FIG. 2).

Although FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate specific embodiments of a cloud computing system 10 and a multi-instance cloud architecture 100, respectively, the disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. For instance, although FIG. 1 illustrates that the platform 16 is implemented using data centers, other embodiments of the platform 16 are not limited to data centers and can utilize other types of remote network infrastructures. Moreover, other embodiments of the present disclosure may combine one or more different virtual servers into a single virtual server or, conversely, perform operations attributed to a single virtual server using multiple virtual servers. For instance, using FIG. 2 as an example, the virtual servers 26A, 26B, 26C, 26D and virtual database servers 104A, 104B may be combined into a single virtual server. Moreover, the present approaches may be implemented in other architectures or configurations, including, but not limited to, multi-tenant architectures, generalized client/server implementations, and/or even on a single physical processor-based device configured to perform some or all of the operations discussed herein. Similarly, though virtual servers or machines may be referenced to facilitate discussion of an implementation, physical servers may instead be employed as appropriate. The use and discussion of FIGS. 1 and 2 are only examples to facilitate ease of description and explanation and are not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific examples illustrated therein.

As may be appreciated, the respective architectures and frameworks discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 incorporate computing systems of various types (e.g., servers, workstations, client devices, laptops, tablet computers, cellular telephones, and so forth) throughout. For the sake of completeness, a brief, high level overview of components typically found in such systems is provided. As may be appreciated, the present overview is intended to merely provide a high-level, generalized view of components typical in such computing systems and should not be viewed as limiting in terms of components discussed or omitted from discussion.

By way of background, it may be appreciated that the present approach may be implemented using one or more processor-based systems such as shown in FIG. 3. Likewise, applications and/or databases utilized in the present approach may be stored, employed, and/or maintained on such processor-based systems. As may be appreciated, such systems as shown in FIG. 3 may be present in a distributed computing environment, a networked environment, or other multi-computer platform or architecture. Likewise, systems such as that shown in FIG. 3, may be used in supporting or communicating with one or more virtual environments or computational instances on which the present approach may be implemented.

With this in mind, an example computer system may include some or all of the computer components depicted in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 generally illustrates a block diagram of example components of a computing system 200 and their potential interconnections or communication paths, such as along one or more busses. As illustrated, the computing system 200 may include various hardware components such as, but not limited to, one or more processors 202, one or more busses 204, memory 206, input devices 208, a power source 210, a network interface 212, a user interface 214, and/or other computer components useful in performing the functions described herein.

The one or more processors 202 may include one or more microprocessors capable of performing instructions stored in the memory 206. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more processors 202 may include application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and/or other devices designed to perform some or all of the functions discussed herein without calling instructions from the memory 206.

With respect to other components, the one or more busses 204 include suitable electrical channels to provide data and/or power between the various components of the computing system 200. The memory 206 may include any tangible, non-transitory, and computer-readable storage media. Although shown as a single block in FIG. 1, the memory 206 can be implemented using multiple physical units of the same or different types in one or more physical locations. The input devices 208 correspond to structures to input data and/or commands to the one or more processors 202. For example, the input devices 208 may include a mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, keyboard and the like. The power source 210 can be any suitable source for power of the various components of the computing system 200, such as line power and/or a battery source. The network interface 212 includes one or more transceivers capable of communicating with other devices over one or more networks (e.g., a communication channel). The network interface 212 may provide a wired network interface or a wireless network interface. A user interface 214 may include a display that is configured to display text or images transferred to it from the one or more processors 202. In addition and/or alternative to the display, the user interface 214 may include other devices for interfacing with a user, such as lights (e.g., LEDs), speakers, and the like.

With the preceding in mind, FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a client device 20 may generate and present a configuration graphical user interface (GUI) 300 that enables configuration of a data navigation GUI based on data retrieved from an enterprise database 302. More specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a portion of a service provider cloud infrastructure, including the cloud-based platform 16 discussed above. The cloud-based platform 16 is connected to the client device 20 via the network 14 to provide an interface for network applications executing via a client portal on the client device 20 and/or within other portions of a client instance (e.g., the client instance 102 of FIG. 2). Furthermore, the enterprise database 302 may be stored on a virtual database server of the client instance (e.g., the virtual database server 104A and/or 104B of FIG. 2). An embodiment of the configuration GUI 300 is shown and described in reference to FIG. 5. Additionally, an embodiment of a data navigation GUI 400 that may be configured via the configuration GUI 300 is shown and described in reference to FIG. 6.

As illustrated, the enterprise database 302 includes tables 310 and relationships 312 (e.g., indications of the relationships, relationship records indicative of the relationships) between the tables 310. More specifically, each table 310 includes records 314, and each relationship 312 may be between two or more records 314. For example, each record 314 may be associated with (e.g., have a relationship 312 with) one or more records 314 of another table 310, another record 314 of the same table 310, and/or records 314 of multiple other tables 310. In certain embodiments, a record 314 may not have a relationship 312 with another record 314.

Each table 310 may generally correspond to a type of record 314 and/or a data classification (e.g., a type of data object). As used herein, a “data object” may refer to a collection of data, such as one record 312 of a table 310, a collection of records 314 of a table 310, a collection of records 314 of multiple tables 310, and/or a collection of records 314 of the enterprise database 302 and record(s) of another suitable database. In the context of an enterprise, the tables 310 may correspond to data classifications including entities, policies, risks, controls, and other suitable data classifications. The records 314 may indicate specific data objects of the enterprise, such as employee records, payroll records, budget records, resource planning records, and/or other suitable records associated with an enterprise. In certain embodiments, a data object may generally refer to a department of the enterprise (e.g., human resources, finance, manufacturing) or a portion of the department. In some embodiments, the records 314 may include information technology (IT) records, such as records indicating open issues associated with IT components of the enterprise, and/or the enterprise database 302 may include a CMDB.

The client device 20 may retrieve data from the enterprise database 302 to generate and display the configuration GUI 300. For example, in response to receiving a request to present the configuration GUI 300, the client device 20 may request information from the enterprise database 302, such as data classifications of the tables 310. As described above, the data classifications may include entities, policies, risks, and/or controls in the context of an enterprise. In reference to FIG. 5, the client device 20 may generate the configuration GUI 300 to include a data object portion 340 for receiving inputs regarding a selection of a particular data classification (e.g., a type of data object) and/or other information to be displayed regarding a particular data object of the data classification. The data object portion 340 may generally identify information regarding a data object of the selected data classification to be displayed at a central section 402 of the data navigation GUI 400. For example, the data object portion 340 includes a table entry field 342 for identifying a table 310 (e.g., a particular data classification of data objects) of the enterprise database 302. As illustrated, the table entry field 342 is a drop-down menu enabling selection of a table from the multiple available tables 310 stored in the enterprise database 302. In other embodiments, the table entry field 342 may be a search and/or text field. The data object portion 340 also includes entry fields 344 for identifying information associated with the data object to be displayed at the central section 402 of the data navigation GUI 400. In the illustrated embodiment, inputs received via the entry fields 344 include a name and a class of the data object, such that the central section 402 of the data navigation GUI 400 may display the name and the class of the data object. The entry field 344 are also drop-down menus but may be search and/or text fields in other embodiments.

Additionally, the data object portion 340 of the configuration GUI 300 includes a view entry field 346 configured to receive an input indicative of a particular view (e.g., a view name) of the data navigation GUI 400. That is, the configuration GUI 300 may be used to generate multiple views of the data navigation GUI 400 with each view presenting certain data classifications related to a data object and types of relationships between the data object and the data classifications. In FIG. 6, the view may be selected via a view selector 404 of the data navigation GUI 400. In the illustrated embodiment, an “Entity View” is selected/presented, which corresponds to the “Entity” of the view entry field 346 and the table selected via the table entry field 342 of the configuration GUI 300. The view selector 404 may enable selection of other views that present additional and/or different information about the data object. In the context of the enterprise, the other views may include, but are not limited to, a Compliance view, a Risk view, and/or a view showing all data classifications related to a data object. The data object portion 340 also includes a default option 348 that enables a user to set the view as a default view. In the illustrated embodiment, the default option 348 is selected, such that the corresponding Entity view of FIG. 6 may be a default view that is shown for a data object. If the default option 348 is not selected, another view may be a default view, or a default view may not be identified, in which case a user of the data navigation GUI 400 may select an initial view via the view selector 404. The data object portion 340 of the configuration GUI also includes a description field 350 enabling a user to enter or modify a description of the view being created or modified.

Returning to FIG. 4, the client device 20 may receive a view identification 320 (e.g., an input, a view entry, a view selection) via the view entry field 346 of the configuration GUI 300 and a table identification 322 (e.g., an input, a table entry, a table selection) via the table entry field 342 of the configuration GUI 300. Additionally, the client device 20 may receive a section configuration 324 (e.g., an input, section entries, a section configuration selection) via a section portion 360 of the configuration GUI 300. The section portion 360 enables configuration of sections 406 (e.g., sectors) of the data navigation GUI 400 disposed around the central section 402. For example, the section portion 360 includes an orientation field 362 configured to receive an amount and/or an orientation of the sections 406. As illustrated, an option of “Top, bottom, left, and right” is selected via the orientation field 362. Accordingly, the sections 406 of FIG. 6 are oriented to the top of the central section 402, to the bottom of the central section 402, to the left of the central section 402, and to the right of the central section 402. The orientation field 362 may enable identification of other orientations of the sections 406 relative to the central section 402, such as all sections 406 being disposed at one side of the central section 402, or the sections 406 being disposed to the upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right of the central section 402. Additionally, the orientation field 362 may enable the user to select an amount of the sections 406 to be displayed around the central section 402, such as two sections 406 (see FIG. 16), three sections (see FIG. 15), four sections 406, five sections 406, six sections 406, ten sections 406, or another suitable amount of sections 406.

Additionally, the section portion 360 includes section identification fields 364 that enable identification of the data to be displayed via the sections 406. In the context of the enterprise, the section identification fields 364 may enable identification of relationship types to be displayed via the sections 406. For example, the relationship types of “Upstream”, “Downstream”, “Applies to”, and “Includes” are shown in the section identification fields 364 of FIG. 5. The data navigation GUI 400 of FIG. 6 includes a top section 406A as the Upstream section, a right section 406B as the Includes section, a bottom section 406C as the Downstream section, and a left section 406D as the Applies to section. Furthermore, each section 406 identifies data classifications 410 that are related to the data object of the central section 402 by a respective relationship type and an amount of the data classifications 410. For example, the Entity data object of the central section 402 “Includes” two data classifications 410 of “Failed Indicators” and “Open Issues”, as indicated by the right section 406B.

Each data classification 410 may include other data objects related to the data object of the central section 402. Additionally, each data classification 410 may indicate an amount of the other data objects. For example, in FIG. 6, the “Failed indicators” data classification 410 includes nine data objects. Accordingly, a user may readily view an amount of data objects in each data classification 410 via the data navigation GUI 400.

In certain embodiments, the section identification fields 364 of FIG. 5 may include selectable options of the relationship types, which may be determined by the client device 20 based on the relationships between the tables 310 (e.g., between data objects indicated by the tables 310) of the enterprise database 302. For example, the client device 20 may determine that an “Entity” data object may be upstream of other data objects, downstream of other data objects, apply to other data objects, and include other data objects. Accordingly, a user of the configuration GUI 300 may select which section (e.g., Top, Bottom, Left, Right) will display each of these relationship types indicated by the enterprise database 302. The orientation field 362 and/or one or more of the section identification fields 364 may be a drop-down menu, a search field, a text field, or any combination thereof.

The client device 20 may generate a table 380 of the configuration GUI 300 that presents the data classifications 410 related to the type of data object (indicated via the data object portion 340) by relationship types 382 (indicated via the section portion 360). Additionally, the table 380 indicates a section position 384 (e.g., node position, sector position) of each respective data classification 410. As illustrated via the first row 386 of the table 380, a data classification 410 of “Entities” may be downstream of the Entity data object, as indicated by the Entities data classification 410 shown at the bottom section 402C of the data navigation GUI 400. Accordingly, while configuring the view of the data navigation GUI 400, a user may preview, via the table 380 of the configuration GUI 300, the data classifications 410 to be presented in the data navigation GUI 400.

A user of the configuration GUI 300 may generally include an administrator, such as a network administrator of an enterprise and/or IT personnel of the enterprise. The configuration GUI 300 may enable the user to generate one or more customized views of the data navigation GUI 400 to meet the needs of the enterprise. For example, certain data and relationships between data objects may be useful for a particular department of the enterprise and/or a particular application used by the enterprise, and the user may create a view specifically for that department or application. The view may show a particular type of data object at the central section 402 of the data navigation GUI 400 and/or particular relationship types at the sections 406 disposed around the central section 402. Additionally, the user may copy a previously configured view of the data navigation GUI 400 across departments and/or across applications of the enterprise and make changes to the new, copied view, such that the user does not have to generate a new view from scratch each time a new view is desired.

After a view of the data navigation GUI 400 is generated, the view may be presented to other users of the enterprise, such as employees of the enterprise (e.g., employees other than the administrator) and/or other interested parties. FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a flow diagram for navigating to the data navigation GUI 400, in which the client device 20 generates a data object GUI 440 that displays information about a data object of an enterprise and that includes a selectable option for viewing the data navigation GUI 400. An embodiment of the data object GUI 440 is shown in FIG. 8. The client device 20 may initially generate and present an enterprise GUI 442 that enables selection of a particular data object. For example, the enterprise GUI 442 may list or otherwise identify data objects of the enterprise that may be viewable via the data object GUI 440. The data objects may include entities of the enterprise, policies of the enterprise, and controls of the enterprise, among other potential data objects. Accordingly, the client device 20 may receive a data object selection 444 via the enterprise GUI 442.

In response to receiving the data object selection 444, the client device 20 may generate and present the data object GUI 440. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the data object GUI 440 may present information about the selected data object of “Entity: ERP Financial Accounting”. The data object GUI 440 includes an overview tab 450 that presents an overview of the data object and additional tabs 452 that present additional information related to the data object. For example, the additional tabs 452 may present information regarding data classifications related to the data object, such as impacted entities and risks. A user viewing the data object GUI 440 may view and determine information about the data object, such as by viewing the overview tab 450 and selecting one or more of the additional tabs 452. As the user navigates the data object GUI 440, certain relationships between the data object and data classifications may not be apparent, or the user may not be able to identify certain other data objects related to the data object (e.g., other data objects related to “Entity: ERP Financial Accounting” in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8). Accordingly, the user may select a data navigation option 454 (e.g., a selectable option) to view and interact with the data navigation GUI 400 of FIG. 6. For example, returning to FIG. 7, the client device 20 may receive a data navigation GUI selection 460, and in response, present the data navigation GUI 400, such as the data navigation GUI of FIG. 6.

With the foregoing in mind, FIG. 9 depicts a process 500 for navigating the data navigation GUI 400. The following description of the process 500 will be described as being performed by the client device 20, but it should be noted that any suitable processor-based device may be specially programmed to perform any of the methods described herein. Moreover, although the following description of the process 500 is described as including certain steps performed in a particular order, it should be understood that the steps of the process 500 may be performed in any suitable order, that certain steps may be omitted, and/or that certain steps may be added.

At block 502, the client device 20 may present a selected view of the data navigation GUI 400. For example, the client device may present the Entity view shown in FIG. 6 in response to receiving a selection of the Entity view via the view selector 404. In certain embodiments, the client device 20 may present a default view as the selected view, such as the Entity view or another suitable view.

After presenting the view of the data navigation GUI 400, a user may view and/or interact with portions of the data navigation GUI 400, such as the central section 402 representing the data object, the sections 406 representing the relationship types, the data classifications 410, and the view selector 404. At block 504, the client device 20 may receive a selection of a data classification 410. As illustrated in FIG. 10, a “Controls” data classification 410A is selected. The box representing the data classification 410A and the section 402D representing the “Applies to” relationship type are highlighted to illustrate the selection.

In response to receiving the selection of the data classification 410, the client device 20 may present, via the data navigation GUI 400, a table corresponding to the selected data classification 410, as indicated by block 506. The table may indicate other data objects related to the data object of the central section 402. For example, FIG. 11 illustrates a table 540 of the data navigation GUI 400 that may indicate other data objects 542 that are related to the data object of the central section 402. More specifically, the table 540 identifies individual controls for the entity indicated by the central section 402 and a compliance status of each control. Additionally, as indicated by the relationship type of section 406D, the other data objects 542 of the table 540 may “Apply to” the data object of the central section 402, or vice versa. Accordingly, the user may select the data classification 410A to view, via the table 540, the other data objects 542 (e.g., the controls and their associated compliance statuses).

Returning to FIG. 9, at block 508, the client device 20 may receive a request to generate a new data object for the selected data classification. For example, in reference to FIG. 11, the data navigation GUI 400 may include a new data object option 550 that enables generation of a new data object for the data classification 410A (e.g., for the selected data classification). In the illustrated embodiment, the user may select the new data object option 550 to create a new control in the controls data classification 410A and/or to set a status for the new control. In response to receiving the request to generate the new data object, the client device may present a new data object GUI configured for creation of the new data object, as indicated by block 510 of FIG. 9. The new data object GUI may facilitate generation of a data object, such as by enabling entry and/or selection of data for the new data object. In the example of the controls data classification 410A, the new data object GUI may enable identification of the new control to be associated with the entity of the central section 402, limits associated with the new control, and/or other suitable controls data. At block 512, the client device 20 may store an indication of the new data object, such as by generating and storing record(s) indicating the new data object in the enterprise database 302. In some embodiments, the data navigation GUI 400 may include a selectable option(s) enabling deletion of a data object from a data classification and/or transfer of the data object from one data classification to another data classification.

In certain embodiments, the data navigation GUI 400 may present additional information associated with the selected data classification. For example, the table 540 includes a Controls status graphic 551 that provides a graphical summary of the other data objects 542 (e.g., a summary of the controls and their associated compliance statuses). In response to selections of other data classifications