Method and system for automatic identification and notification of relevant software defects

• US 20070168343A1
• Filed: 01/18/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Best, Steven, Girouard, Janice, Young, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system for automatic identification and notification of relevant program defects. A defect report server opens a defect description in response to receiving the defect description from an end user. Then, the defect report server extracts each word and phrase contained within the program defect description. After extracting each word and phrase, the defect report server searches a plurality of defect databases for each extracted word and phrase. If an extracted word or phrase is found in a defect database, the defect report server calculates a word relevancy percentage for each of the extracted words or phrases found in the search. Finally, if the word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase exceeds a threshold, the defect report server sends all relevant defects associated with each extracted word and phrase that exceeded the predetermined threshold to a defect owner.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatic identification and notification of relevant program defects, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to receiving a program defect description from an end user, opening the program defect description;

extracting each word and phrase contained within the program defect description to form at least one of an extracted word and extracted phrase;

searching a plurality of defect databases for each extracted word and phrase; and

calculating a word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase found in each of the plurality of defect databases to determine if the word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase exceeds a threshold.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sorting each extracted word and phrase that exceeds the threshold in decreasing relevancy order; and

sending relevant program defects associated with each extracted word and phrase that exceeds the threshold to a defect owner in decreasing relevancy order.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching a bug tracking application for context information associated with each extracted word and phrase to form word and phrase context information, wherein the word and phrase context information is used to modify a basic word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the steps are implemented in a server, and wherein the server is a defect report server.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the end user utilizes a client device to send the program defect description.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the calculating step is performed by a word relevancy calculator, and wherein the word relevancy calculator multiplies a defect database relevancy percentage by an initial word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase to produce a final word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the final word relevancy percentage takes into account a program component relevancy percentage.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the final word relevancy percentage takes into account a program component relevancy range.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the final word relevancy percentage takes into account an open source factor or a closed source factor.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of defect databases each include a defect dictionary.

11. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to open a program defect description in response to receiving the program defect description from an end user;

extract each word and phrase contained within the program defect description to form at least one of an extracted word and extracted phrase;

search a plurality of defect databases for each extracted word and phrase; and

calculate a word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase found in each of the plurality of defect databases to determine if the word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase exceeds a threshold.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the steps are implemented in a server, and wherein the server is a defect report server.

13. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the end user sends the program defect description via a client device.

14. A computer program product for automatic identification and notification of relevant program defects, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therein, the computer usable medium comprising;

computer usable program code configured to open a program defect description in response to receiving the program defect description from an end user;

computer usable program code configured to extract each word and phrase contained within the program defect description to form at least one of an extracted word and extracted phrase;

computer usable program code configured to search a plurality of defect databases for each extracted word and phrase; and

computer usable program code configured to calculate a word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase found in each of the plurality of defect databases to determine if the word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase exceeds a threshold.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to sort each extracted word and phrase that exceeds the threshold in decreasing relevancy order; and

computer usable program code configured to send relevant program defects associated with each extracted word and phrase that exceeds the threshold to a defect owner in decreasing relevancy order.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to search a bug tracking application for context information associated with each extracted word and phrase to form word and phrase context information, wherein the word and phrase context information is used to modify a basic word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer usable program code configured to calculate a word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase is performed by a word relevancy calculator, and wherein the word relevancy calculator multiplies a defect database relevancy percentage by an initial word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase in order to produce a final word relevancy percentage for each extracted word and phrase.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the final word relevancy percentage takes into account a program component relevancy percentage.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the final word relevancy percentage takes into account a program component relevancy range.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the final word relevancy percentage takes into account an open source factor or a closed source factor.