# US 9,436,684 B2 · Content validation for documentation topics using provider information > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,436,684 B2 - Document ID: US9436684B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/476,363 - Filed: 2014-09-03 - Published: 2014-12-18 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-02-25 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Paul S. Donis; Glenn D. Rasmussen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9436684B2 ## CPC - G06F 16/93: Document management systems - G06F 16/23: Updating - G06F 16/2365: {Ensuring data consistency and integrity} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract At least one processor may determine one or more issues in one or more of a plurality of documentation topics that document at least one software functionality based at least upon applying one or more business rules to the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics. Responsive to determining the one or more issues, one or more entries may be inserted into an issues report, wherein the one or more entries include information regarding the one or more issues. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for validating documentation for at least one software functionality, comprising: determining, by at least one processor, one or more issues in one or more of a plurality of documentation topics that document at least one software functionality based at least upon applying one or more business rules to the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics, including one or more of: applying the one or more business rules to metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics to cross-reference the metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics with a semantic model for the at least one software functionality, applying the one or more business rules to content of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics to cross-reference the content of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics with the semantic model for the at least one software functionality, and applying the one or more business rules to metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics and metadata of one or more related documentation topics to test consistency between the metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics with the metadata of the one or more related documentation topics; and responsive to determining the one or more issues, inserting, by the at least one processor, one or more entries into an issues report, wherein the one or more entries include information regarding the one or more issues. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the one or more business rules to metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics further comprises: responsive to determining that a semantic construct associated with the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics in the semantic model for the at least one software functionality is obsolete, determining whether the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics is an obsolete proto-topic based at least in part on the metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the one or more business rules to metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics further comprises: responsive to determining that the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics is an obsolete proto-topic based at least in part on the metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics, determining whether a semantic construct associated with the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics in the semantic model for the at least one software functionality is obsolete. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the one or more business rules to metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics further comprises: responsive to determining that a semantic construct associated with the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics in the semantic model for the at least one software functionality is deprecated, determining whether the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics is a deprecated proto-topic. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the one or more business rules to metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics further comprises: responsive to determining that the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics is a deprecated proto-topic based at least in part on the metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics, determining whether a semantic construct associated with the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics in the semantic model for the at least one software functionality is deprecated. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the one or more business rules to metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics and metadata of one or more related documentation topics further comprises: responsive to determining that the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics is provided by a model developer, determining whether the one or more related documentation topics is provided by an information developer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the one or more business rules to content of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics further comprises: determining if the content of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics include one or more invalid reference elements. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata of the one or more of the plurality of documentation topics includes one or more of: topic type, topic ID, topic provider, topic consumers, or date of last change. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more entries inserted into the issues report includes one or more of: topic type, topic ancestry, topic title, references to related work orders, topic provider, topic consumer, and team most likely to resolve the one or more issues. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one software functionality comprises an interface for a web service.