Method and mechanism for analyzing trace data using a database management system

• US 7,200,588 B1
• Filed: 07/29/2002
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kumar, Sunil, Srivastava, Alok Kumar, Lam, Ivan Tinlung
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Debbie M.
• Application Number:
  US10/209,612
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 3, 707100-1041, 707/10, 717/124, 717126-130
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and mechanism for analyzing trace data using a database management system (DBMS). According to an embodiment, trace data may be loaded onto one or more databases within a DBMS. With this aspect of the invention, several advantages are gained, including the ability to use the query tool of the DBMS to analyze the trace data and the ability to build a trace repository to analyze the history of the trace data.

Claims

1. A method for preparing and analyzing trace data collected in a trace log, comprising:

extracting trace data from one or more trace logs, the trace data being a set of information output by statements inserted into a computer application code to monitor specific sections of the code;

loading the trace data onto one or more databases within a database management system, wherein the database management system defines, constructs, and manipulates databases;

receiving a request to analyze trace data;

querying the database management system to analyze the trace data; and

returning query results, the query results based upon querying the database management system to analyze the trace data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more databases are relational databases.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the trace data needs to be converted from a first format to a second format; and

converting the trace data from the first format into the second format.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second format is a textual format.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first format is a binary format.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using meta-data to convert trace data from a first format into a second format.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the meta-data is embedded within the trace log.

8. The method of claim 6 in which the meta-data comprises information about the computer platform for the database management system.

9. A method for preparing and analyzing trace data collected in a trace log, comprising:

extracting trace data from the trace log, the trace data being a set of information output by statements inserted into a computer application code to monitor specific sections of the code;

storing the trace data into one or more trace files;

loading the trace data from the one or more trace files onto one or more databases within a database management system, wherein the database management system defines, constructs, and manipulates databases;

receiving a request to analyze trace data;

querying the database management system to analyze the trace data; and

returning query results, the query results based upon querying the database management system to analyze the trace data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more databases are relational databases.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the extracted data needs to be converted from a first format to a second format; and

converting the trace data from the first format to the second format.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second format is a textual format.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

using meta-data to convert trace data into from a first format to a second format.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the metadata is embedded within the trace log.

15. The method of claim 13 in which the metadata comprises information about the computer platform for the database management system.

16. A system for preparing and analyzing trace data collected in a trace log using a database within a database management system, comprising:

a trace loader configured for

extracting the trace data from the trace log, the trace data being a set of information output by statements inserted into a computer application code to monitor specific sections of the code; and

loading the trace data onto one or more relational tables in the database, within a database management system, wherein the database management system defines, constructs, and manipulates databases; and

an analyzer configured for

receiving a request to analyze trace data;

querying the database management system to analyze the trace data; and

returning query results, the query results based upon querying the database management system to analyze the trace data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the trace loader is further configured for storing the trace data into one or more trace files.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising a trace converter for converting the trace data from a first format to a second format.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the trace converter uses metadata to convert the trace data.

20. The system of claim 19 in which the metadata is embedded within the trace log.

21. A computer program product that includes a computer-usable medium having a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes said processor to execute a process for preparing and analyzing trace data collected in a trace log, said process comprising:

extracting trace data from one or more trace log, the trace data being a set of information output by statements inserted into a computer application code to monitor specific sections of the code;

loading the trace data onto one or more databases within a database management system, wherein the database management system defines, constructs, and manipulates databases;

receiving a request to analyze trace data;

querying the database management system to analyze the trace data; and

returning query results, the query results based upon querying the database management system to analyze the trace data.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising querying the trace data in the database management system to analyze the history of the trace data.

23. A system for preparing and analyzing trace data collected in a trace log, said system comprising:

means for extracting trace data from the trace log, the trace data being a set of information output by statements inserted into a computer application code to monitor specific sections of the code;

means for loading the trace data onto one or more databases within a database management system, wherein the database management system defines, constructs, and manipulates databases;

means for receiving a request to analyze trace data;

means for querying the database management system to analyze the trace data; and

means for returning query results, the query results based upon querying the database management system to analyze the trace data.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for querying the trace data in the database management system to analyze the history of the trace data.

25. A method for analyzing trace data collected in a trace log for analysis, comprising:

receiving a request to analyze trace data, the trace data loaded into a database management system from the trace log, the trace data being a set of information output by statements inserted into a computer application code to monitor specific sections of the code, wherein the database management system defines, constructs, and manipulates databases;

querying the database management system to analyze the trace data; and

returning query results, the query results based upon querying the database management system to analyze the trace data.

26. The method in claim 25, further comprising building a trace repository for the trace data to analyze the history of the trace data.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising storing the trace data into one or more trace files.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the trace data is in a first format while stored in the trace log and is in a second format while stored in the database management system.

29. The method of claim 28 in which the trace data undergoes conversion between the first format and the second format.

30. The method of claim 29 in which metadata is employed for the conversion.

31. The method of claim 30 in which the metadata is embedded within the trace log.

32. The method of claim 30 in which the metadata comprises information about the computer platform for the database management system.

33. A system for analyzing trace data collected in a trace log for analysis, comprising:

means for receiving a request to analyze trace data, the trace data loaded into a database management system from the trace log, the trace data being a set of information output by statements inserted into a computer application code to monitor specific sections of the codes, wherein the database management system defines, constructs, and manipulates databases;

means for querying the database management system to analyze the trace data; and

means for returning query results, the query results based upon querying the database management system to analyze the trace data.

34. The system in claim 33, further comprising a means for building a trace repository for the trace data to analyze the history of the trace data.

35. The system of claim 33, further comprising means for storing the trace data into one or more trace files.

36. A computer program product that includes a computer-usable medium having a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes said processor to execute a process for analyzing trace data collected in a trace log for analysis, said process comprising:

receiving a request to analyze trace data, the trace data loaded into a database management system from the trace log, the trace data being a set of information output by statements inserted into a computer application code to monitor specific sections of the code, wherein the database management system defines, constructs, and manipulates databases;

querying the database management system to analyze the trace data; and

returning query results, the query results based upon querying the database management system to analyze the trace data.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, further comprising building a trace repository for the trace data to analyze the history of the trace data.

38. The computer program product of claim 36, further comprising storing the trace data into one or more trace files.