Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Vijay Krishnan

Puneet Agrawal

Muskan Kukreja

Sree Hari Nagaralu

Shashidhar Rajashekara

Sandi Ganguly

Anatoliy Panasyuk

Sandipan Ganguly

Adish Singla

Chetan A Parulekar

Ankur Khator

Sandeep Kumar Srivastava

Erica Sui-Ching Lan

Ritu Singh

Suyog Mukund Gadgil

Kannan Ramasubramanian

Rohan Bhattacharjee

A method of and system for performing pilot testing of a software program in an organization is carried out by collecting pilot testing data generated from a pilot testing of a software program run on one or more hardware assets in the organization, determining whether a sufficient amount of pilot testing data has been collected, and, when so, calculating one or more pilot test metrics from the collected data. The calculated pilot test metrics may then be compared to similar metrics in a target population to evaluate the software program.

Automatically performing and evaluating pilot testing of software

A system is disclosed, which includes a processor and a memory in communication with the processor. The memory includes executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the system to perform functions of collecting software asset information of software assets installed in hardware assets of an organization; determining popularity metrics of the software assets based on the collected software asset information; classifying, based on the popularity metrics, the software assets into a plurality of popularity groups; identifying, based on the classification, a pilot test software asset sample group; identifying, based on the pilot test software asset sample group, a pilot test hardware asset sample group; and deploying the new software asset to the pilot test hardware asset sample group for executing the pilot test of the new software asset.

Intelligent software asset classification for software update validation

A device including a processor and memory is disclosed. The memory includes executable instructions that cause the processor to control the device to perform functions of identifying a pool of assets to be covered by a pilot test; receiving attributes associated with the identified assets in the pool; identifying a set of pilot test parameters associated with the pilot test; comparing the attributes of the assets with the identified set of pilot test parameters associated with the pilot test; based on a result of the comparison, providing a unique ranked order of the identified assets in the pool and selecting an asset from the unique ranked order to be placed in a pilot test group. When a stop condition is not satisfied, a footprint of the asset placed in the pilot test group is removed from the pool and the set of pilot test parameters.

Intelligent device selection for pilot testing

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for identifying queries having a version-intent and presenting search results in accordance with the version-intent are provided. Subject-versions associated with retrievable documents are identified and associated therewith as subject-version tags. When a search query is received, it is determined whether the query has a version-intent indicative of a particular version associated with a subject of the query. Documents are retrieved that satisfy the input query and ranked for presentation based upon the particular subject-version indicated by the version-intent. The ranked documents are then presented. Also presented is a user-manipulatable tool, manipulation of which permits a user to indicate that information concerning a different subject-version is desired. Upon receiving such indication, the search results are changed such that documents having subject-version tags indicative of the newly-indicated version-intent are ranked higher and receive more prominent placement than documents lacking such subject-version tags.

Presenting search results based upon subject-versions

A search engine may allow a user to add and modify geographic constraints interactively through the use of a map. In one example, the user enters a search query, and the search engine determines whether the query is amenable to a geographic constraint. If the query is amenable to a geographic constraint, then the search engine may provide an interactive map through which the user may specify a geographic boundary. The search engine may then uses the geographic boundary as a constraint on the search, and may return documents that relate to the geographic area indicated by the boundary. The user may zoom in or out on the region defined by the boundary, or may move the boundary, thereby interactively focusing, de-focusing, and modifying the search based on geography.

Map-based selection of query component

Methods, computer systems, and computer-readable storage media for utilizing breadcrumb information associated with a Web page to improve a user's search experience on a search engine page and to improve ranking of search results are provided. Breadcrumb information is identified for a plurality of Web pages and is used to create an entity data structure. The entity data structure is used to determine related search items, deep links, and query suggestions on a search engine page. Further, contextual relationships between different breadcrumb elements that are part of a breadcrumb trail associated with a Web page are identified and used to adjust a ranking order of the Web page on a search engine results page.

Application of breadcrumbs in ranking and search experiences

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to backup up data. In aspects, a backup target determines a degree to which a data set included on the backup target is not backed up on a backup facility. The degree can represent more than just that the data set is completely backed up or is not backed up at all. If the degree satisfies a condition, the backup target utilizes information derived from a backup history of one or more attempted or successfully completed backup sessions between the backup target and the backup facility to determine whether to provide a notification regarding backup state. The backup target also may send the degree and other backup information to a backup facility which may use this information in determining a backup scheme to employ with the backup target.

Growing community of inventors

Hyderabad Telangana, India

Vijay Krishnan