Multi-level transaction flow monitoring

• US 20070027801A1
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yatzkar-Haham, Tali, Botzer, David, Oren, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for monitoring transactions in a computer system includes monitoring events reported by components of the computer system responsively to a flow of the transactions through the system. A state machine model and a rule-based model are jointly applied to the monitored events, so as to identify respective transaction-level events and business-level events. A status of the flow of the transactions is assessed responsively to the transaction-level events and the business-level events.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring transactions in a computer system, comprising:

monitoring events reported by components of the computer system responsively to a flow of the transactions through the system;

jointly applying a state machine model and a rule-based model to the monitored events, so as to identify respective transaction-level events and business-level events; and

assessing a status of the flow of the transactions responsively to the transaction-level events and the business-level events.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transactions comprise financial transactions.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the events comprises exporting the reported events from the components of the computer system to a monitoring system external to the components of the computer system that perform the transactions, wherein the external monitoring system applies the state machine model and the rule-based model and assesses the flow of the transactions.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the events comprises at least one of accepting events reported using built-in mechanisms of the components, incorporating one or more monitoring agents into some of the components, and monitoring interfaces between some of the components.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the state machine model and the rule-based model and assessing the status comprise at least one of configuring the state machine model, configuring the rule-based model, configuring queries for information and configuring information to be presented to a user, by using a declarative language.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the declarative language comprises an extensible markup language (XML).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the state machine model comprises defining transaction states representing a status of a monitored transaction in the flow, defining state transitions connecting between the transaction states and defining transaction data comprising information relating to the monitored transaction.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein defining the state transitions comprises, for each state transition, defining a triggering event that triggers the state transition responsively to at least one of the monitored events and the business-level events identified by the rule-based model, and wherein applying the state machine model comprises updating the transaction state of the monitored transaction responsively to an occurrence of the corresponding triggering event.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein defining the state transitions comprises defining a validity check, and wherein updating the transaction state comprises generating a transaction lifecycle alert responsively to a failure in the validity check of the corresponding state transition.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein generating the transaction lifecycle alert comprises generating at least one of a timeout alert, an event inconsistency alert, an event constraint alert and a data constraint alert.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the rule-based model comprises at least one of detecting service level agreement (SLA) violation, anticipating the SLA violation, detecting a deviation from an expected key performance indicator (KPI) value, anticipating the deviation from the expected KPI value, detecting a problem related to the flow external to the computer system, and identifying a system-level problem in one or more of the components of the computer system.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the rule-based model comprises applying a predefined business rule to at least one of the monitored events and the transaction-level events identified by the state machine model, and identifying at least one of the business-level events responsively to the evaluated business rule.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying the rule-based model comprises identifying at least one of the business-level events responsively to a time-dependent trigger.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein assessing the status comprises detecting an undesired condition comprising at least one of a service level agreement (SLA) violation, an anticipated SLA violation, a hardware problem in one or more of the components, an anticipated hardware problem, a capacity bottleneck in the flow, an anticipated capacity bottleneck, a deviation from an expected key performance indicator (KPI) value and an anticipated deviation from the expected KPI value.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein detecting the undesired condition comprises generating an alert to a user responsively to the detected condition.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein assessing the status comprises defining a query using a query template and addressing the query to at least one of the state machine model and the rule-based model for information related to the flow.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein assessing the status comprises at least one of calculating and presenting statistical information related to the flow, and calculating and presenting information relating to a key performance indicator (KPI).

18. A computer-implemented method for monitoring transactions in a computer system, comprising:

exporting events reported by components of the computer system responsively to a flow of the transactions through the system to a monitoring system external to the components of the computer system that perform the transactions;

at the monitoring system, jointly applying a state machine model and a rule-based model to the exported events, so as to identify respective transaction-level events and business-level events, and assessing a status of the flow of the transactions responsively to the transaction-level events and the business-level events.

19. Apparatus for monitoring transactions in a computer system, comprising:

a processor, which is arranged to monitor events reported by components of the computer system responsively to a flow of the transactions through the system, to jointly apply a state machine model and a rule-based model to the monitored events, so as to identify respective transaction-level events and business-level events, and to assess a status of the flow of the transactions responsively to the transaction-level events and the business-level events; and

a user interface, which is arranged to interact with a user so as to permit the user to configure the state machine model and the rule-based model and to present the assessed status to the user.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the transactions comprise financial transactions.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor and user interface are external to the components of the computer system that perform the transactions, and are arranged to accept the monitored events exported from the components of the computer system.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to monitor the events by performing at least one of accepting events reported using built-in mechanisms of the components, accepting events reported by one or more monitoring agents incorporated into some of the components, and monitoring interfaces between some of the components.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the user interface is arranged to permit the user to perform at least one of configuring the state machine model, configuring the rule-based model, configuring queries for information and configuring information to be presented to a user, by using a declarative language.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to accept definitions of transaction states representing a status of a monitored transaction in the flow, definitions of state transitions connecting between the transaction states, and definitions of transaction data comprising information relating to the monitored transaction.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the definitions of the state transitions comprise a definition of a triggering event that triggers the state transition responsively to at least one of the monitored events and the business-level events identified by the rule-based model, and wherein the processor is arranged to update the transaction state of the monitored transaction responsively to an occurrence of the corresponding triggering event.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the definitions of the state transitions comprise a definition of a validity check, and wherein the processor is arranged to generate a transaction lifecycle alert responsively to a failure in the validity check of the corresponding state transition.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the transaction lifecycle alert comprises at least one of a timeout alert, an event inconsistency alert, an event constraint alert and a data constraint alert.

28. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to apply the rule-based model by performing at least one of detecting service level agreement (SLA) violation, anticipating the SLA violation, detecting a deviation from an expected key performance indicator (KPI) value, anticipating the deviation from the expected KPI value, detecting a problem related to the flow external to the computer system, and identifying a system-level problem in one or more of the components of the computer system.

29. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to apply a predefined business rule to at least one of the monitored events and the transaction-level events identified by the state machine model, and to identify at least one of the business-level events responsively to the evaluated business rule.

30. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to detect an undesired condition comprising at least one of a service level agreement (SLA) violation, an anticipated SLA violation, a hardware problem in one or more of the components, an anticipated hardware problem, a capacity bottleneck in the flow, an anticipated capacity bottleneck, a deviation from an expected key performance indicator (KPI) value and an anticipated deviation from the expected KPI value.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the processor is arranged to generate an alert to a user responsively to the detected undesired condition.

32. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to define a query using a query template and to address the query to at least one of the state machine model and the rule-based model for information related to the flow, so as to assess the status.

33. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processor is arranged to assess the status by performing at least one of calculating and presenting statistical information related to the flow, and calculating and presenting information relating to a key performance indicator (KPI).

34. A computer software product for monitoring transactions in a computerized system, the product comprising a computer-readable medium, in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to monitor events reported by components of the computerized system responsively to a flow of the transactions through the system, to jointly apply a state machine model and a rule-based model to the monitored events, so as to identify respective transaction-level events and business-level events, and to assess a status of the flow of the transactions responsively to the transaction-level events and the business-level events.

35. A financial transaction processing network, comprising:

a financial computer system, comprising components that are arranged to process financial transactions and to report events responsively to a flow of the transactions through the system; and

a transaction flow monitor, which is arranged to monitor the events reported by the components of the computer system, to jointly apply a state machine model and a rule-based model to the monitored events, so as to identify respective transaction-level events and business-level events, and to assess a status of the flow of the transactions responsively to the transaction-level events and the business-level events.