Method for generating an event log

• US 10,073,895 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2016
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Celonis SE
• Original Assignee: Celonis SE
• Inventors: Rinke, Alexander, Klenk, Martin, Nominacher, Bastian, Wagner, Raimar
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US15/006,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is provided for generating an event log from raw data stored in a source system, wherein a processor is provided with a process sensor and the process sensor derives process data from the raw data, wherein the process data comprises at least one process element which comprises at least one process step. The process sensor further generates unique identifies of process elements, identifiers of process steps which are assigned to the process elements, and an order of the process steps, and stores the generated data as an event log according to a predetermined data structure.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating, in a computer system having a processor and a storage means operatively coupled to the processor, an event log from raw data stored in a source system, wherein the raw data comprise digital traces of processes executed with the source system,

wherein the method comprises

(a) providing at least one process sensor to the processor, wherein the at least one process sensor comprises at least one sensor statement and wherein the at least one process sensor is executed by executing at least one sensor statement of the at least one process sensor,

(b) executing, by the processor, the at least one process sensor provided to the processor by executing the at least one sensor statement of the at least one process sensor, wherein the at least one process sensor derives process data from the raw data stored with the source system, wherein the process data comprises at least one process element, wherein the process element represents a process executed with the source system, and the at least one process element comprises at least one process step, and

generates data from the derived process data, the generated data comprising:

unique identifiers of process elements,

identifiers of process steps which are assigned to the process elements, and

an order of the process steps,

(c) storing, by the processor, the generated data as an event log with the storage means according to a predetermined data structure, the predetermined data structure comprising at least

a first attribute for storing the unique identifier of the process element of the respective process step,

a second attribute for storing the identifier of the respective process step, and

a third attribute for storing the order of the process steps within a process element, and

(d) providing the event log stored with the storage means to a process mining system for analyzing and reconstructing the process executed with the source system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier of a single process step and the unique identifier of the process element assigned to the single process step and the order assigned to the single process step form a single data record which is stored according to the predetermined data structure with the storage means.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the order of the process step comprises at least one of timestamp and time interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of process sensors are provided to the processor and wherein the number of process sensors are executed by the processor in order to create a complete event log.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the number of process sensors are combined according to a number of rules in order to create different event logs, wherein the rules are provided to the processor or wherein the rules are derived, by the processor, from the process sensors provided.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein an event log package is provided to the processor, the event log package containing the number of process sensors.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the event log package is provided to a package store for being downloaded by a user of a process mining system, wherein the event log package contains all process sensors which are necessary for the analysis of one specific business process within the process mining system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the package store provides functionality to the user of the process mining system to

purchase existing event log packages, or

sell and distribute own event log packages, or

rate and comment existing event log packages, or

search for event log packages.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor converts the at least one sensor statement into an executable representation for being executed with a predetermined execution environment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the execution environment comprises a database system, a data processing platform or an execution environment for data processing tasks.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of parameters is assigned to the at least one process sensor for configuring the at least one process sensor for a particular execution environment, wherein the values of the parameters control a behavior of the process sensor when executed by the processor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one value of the parameters assigned to a first process sensor controls the behavior of at least one second process sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the execution of the at least one process sensor is triggered according to a time schedule.

14. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage means, on which computer readable instructions are stored, which, if executed in a processor of a computer, instruct the processor of the computer to execute a method for generating an event log from raw data according to claim 1, wherein the processor is coupled to a storage means operatively, wherein the event log is stored, by the processor, with the storage means.

15. A computer-based system, comprising:

a processor,

a storage means being operatively coupled to the processor, for storing an event log according to a predetermined data structure and auxiliary data which belong to the event log, and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium being operatively coupled to the processor, wherein instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium, which, when executed by the processor of the system, instruct the processor of the system to execute a method according to claim 1 for generating an event log from raw data and storing the generated event log and the auxiliary data with the storage means.