User interface for viewing performance information about transactions

• US 7,310,777 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cirne, Lewis K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUDHURI, ANITA
• Application Number:
  US10/318,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 715/839, 715/762, 715/763, 715/764, 717/128, 345/440.1, 345/441
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data

Abstract

Data about a transaction is accessed. The transaction has a set of components. A graphical representation of the components of the transaction is displayed such that the graphical representation includes a time axis and a call stack position axis. In one embodiment, the time axis depicts time left to right and the call stack position axis depicts call stack position top to bottom. Additionally, the user interface can receive a selection of one of the components, access data for the selected component and display additional details about that selected component.

Claims

1. A method for providing transaction information, comprising:

identifying one or more monitored transactions within an application that do not comply with a transaction threshold, the transactions monitored from within the application;

displaying a table of transaction information for the one or more transactions that do not comply with the transaction threshold, the table displayed in an interface window and including transaction identification information and transaction timing information for each of the identified transactions, said step of displaying performed after said step of identifying;

receiving a selection of an identified transaction displayed in the table; and

providing graphical information associated with application components involved in the selected transaction in response to said step of receiving a selection, the graphical information indicating component identification and component timing information for the selected transaction, the graphical information including a graphical element for each component in the selected transaction, said graphical elements are positioned adjacent to each other if they represent application components that communicate with each other during the transaction, the graphical elements displayed along a time axis at a position corresponding to when they occurred with respect to each other, the graphical information displayed outside the table and concurrently in said interface window with the table;

receiving a selection of a portion of the graphical information associated with an application component; and

displaying type, location, and additional timing information in said interface window for the application component associated with the selection in response to said step of receiving a selection of a portion of the graphical information.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said graphical information includes a first axis being a time axis and a second axis indicating call level, further comprising:

providing the user with the ability to adjust a zoom level of said time axis in real time.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction information displayed in the table includes monitoring code data associated with monitoring code used to monitor each identified transaction.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the monitoring code is an agent inserted into an application.

3. A method for providing information, comprising:

accessing data about a set of code, said set of code includes one or more components and corresponds to a transaction, said data received from a agent installed in an application which contains the set of code;

displaying a graphical representation for each of said components in an interface window, said graphical representation includes a first axis being a time axis and a second axis indicating call level;

displaying data for a plurality of transactions in a plurality of data cells in said interface window, the plurality of transactions including the transaction that the one or more components correspond to, the plurality of data cells displayed concurrently with the graphical representations, the data for the plurality of transactions including agent identification information for each transaction, the one or more graphical representations displayed outside of the plurality of data cells;

said step of displaying a graphical representation includes displaying a shape for each component, said shape includes a portion for said respective component and a portion for a calling component;

said portion for said respective component is highlighted when reporting about said respective component; and

said portion for said calling component is highlighted when reporting about said calling component.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein:

said shape for each component is comprised of a first rectangular portion and a second rectangular portion, the first and second rectangular portions being adjacent along a length of each rectangular portion and having different lengths, the adjacent rectangular portions forming an non-rectangular shape representing one of the one or more components, the first rectangular portion representing a calling component and the second rectangular portion representing a called component.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein:

said set of code includes a plurality of methods;

each of said components is one of said methods;

said plurality of methods includes a root method;

said plurality of methods includes a first method called by said root method and a second method called by said root method;

said plurality of methods includes a third method called by said first method;

said graphical representation includes three levels of views along said second axis, said three levels of views includes a first level, a second level and a third level;

said first level includes a view for said root method;

said second level includes a view for said first method under said view for said root method to indicate that said root method calls said first method;

said second level includes a view for said second method under said view for said root method to indicate that said root method calls said second method; and

said third level includes a view for said third method under said view for said first method to indicate that said first method calls said third method.

6. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a selection of said first method;

accessing data about said first method; and

displaying additional details about said first method.

7. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a mouse over event for a first component;

accessing data about said first component; and

displaying additional details about said first component.

8. A method according to claim 3, wherein said step of displaying includes:

accessing a first data for a first set of code comprising a first component;

displaying a first shape for the first component derived from the first data;

accessing a second data for a second set of code comprising a second component;

displaying a second shape adjacent to the first shape in response to accessing the second data; and

displaying a third shape for the second component derived from the second data, the second shape and third shape displayed adjacent to each other, the first shape and the third shape having different dimensions.

9. A method according to claim 3, wherein said first axis is horizontal and said second axis is vertical, said step of displaying includes:

accessing a first data for a first set of code comprising a first component;

displaying a first shape for the first component derived from the first data;

accessing a second data for a second set of code comprising a second component;

displaying a second shape adjacent to the first shape in response to accessing the second data; and

displaying a third shape for the second component derived from the second data, the second shape and third shape displayed adjacent to each other, the first shape and the third shape having different dimensions.

10. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

providing an ability to adjust a granularity of said time axis in real time.

11. A method according to claim 3, wherein:

said set of code is Java code and is part of an application.

12. A method for providing information, comprising:

providing a table of transaction data in an interface window, the transaction data retrieved for and representing one or more identified transactions and including information regarding a monitoring process used to monitor each transaction and generate at least a portion of the transaction data, each of the identified transactions occurring in an application and not complying with a transaction performance threshold, the application containing one or more sets of code that implements each monitoring process;

receiving a first input through the interface selecting an identified transaction listed in the table;

providing graphical component information in the interface window in response to said step of receiving a first input, the graphical component information representing one or more application components involved in the selected transaction, the graphical component information displayed concurrently with the table of transaction data in the interface window;

receiving a second input through the interface selecting a portion of the graphical representation associated with one of the one or more application components;

and providing application component runtime data in the interface window in response to said step of receiving a second input, the application component runtime data displayed concurrently with the graphical component information and the table of transaction data, said graphical component information and application component runtime data not provided within a table.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein:

graphical component information indicates execution time and one or more invoking relationships;

said graphical representation includes a time axis and a call level axis;

said time axis is horizontal; and

said call level axis is vertical.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

providing an ability to adjust a granularity of said time axis in real time.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein:

said application component runtime data includes a percentage of execution time for said portion of said first set of code in comparison to execution time for said first set of code.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein:

said application component runtime data includes an identification of a type of component for said portion of said first set of code.

29. The method of claim 12, wherein the table includes one or more rows, each row corresponding to transaction data associated with one of the one or more identified transaction, said first input selecting one of the one or more rows.

30. The method of claim 12, wherein the transaction performance threshold is a maximum transaction response time.

31. The method of claim 12, wherein the component runtime data includes data provided in a designated component information window within the interface, further comprising:

receiving a mouse over input for a component; and

providing a component pop-up window located at the selected component in response to receiving the mouse-over input, the component pop-up window containing additional component information.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the additional component information in the component pop-up window includes component path data and percentage of total transaction time data associated with the component.

17. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

identifying a plurality of transactions performed by an application that do not comply with a transaction threshold, each transaction including two or more components;

providing an interface window comprising a table and a graphical portion concurrently, the graphical portion not provided within a table;

providing a set of transaction information for each identified transaction in the table, the transaction information provided concurrently in the table for each of the identified transactions and including identification information, time information and monitoring code information for one or more monitors within the application for each transaction;

receiving a first selection of one set of transaction information provided in the table;

providing component information for one or more of the two or more components associated with the identified transaction which is associated with the selected set of transaction information, the component information provided in response to receiving the first selection of the set of transaction information, the component information provided graphically as a compilation of shapes in the graphical portion of the interface and including time information and identification information for each component involved in the identified transaction, the compilation of shapes including a shape for each of the one or more components, the component information provided concurrently with the set of transaction information;

receiving a second selection of one of the one or more components;

and providing component details associated with the performance of one of the one or more components, the component details provided within the interface window and not contained in the graphical portion, the component details including component path information, the duration of component running time, the component duration as a percentage of the total transaction time, and component type.

18. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 17, wherein:

receiving a second selection of a component through the graphical portion of the interface, the selected component included in the one or more components associated with the identified transaction.

19. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 17, wherein:

said graphical portion of said first set of code indicates execution time and one or more invoking relationships;

said graphical portion includes a time axis and a call level axis;

said time axis is horizontal; and

said call level axis is vertical.

20. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 19, wherein said method further comprises:

providing an ability to adjust a granularity of said time axis in real time.

21. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 17, wherein:

said first set of code is Java code.

22. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 17, wherein said method further comprises:

receiving a selection of a first portion of said first set of code;

accessing data about said first portion; and

displaying additional details about said first portion.

23. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 17, wherein:

one or more portions of said first set of code are Java methods;

said first set of code includes a root portion;

all of said one or more portions have a call history tracing back to said root portion; and

said first set of code is a transaction.

33. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a mouse over input for a component; and

providing a component pop-up window located at the selected component in response to receiving the mouse-over input, the component pop-up window containing additional component information.

26. The method of 24, wherein the monitoring code data includes monitoring code identification and monitoring code location.

27. The method of 1, further comprising:

providing text information integrated within the graphical information for each application component associated with a selected transaction, the text information including application component name data and application component type data.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein application component type is one of a JSP, servlet, EJB and JDBC component.

34. A method for providing transaction information, comprising:

accessing data about a set of code, said data generated from monitoring a server that contains the set of code from within the server, said set of code corresponds to one or more monitored transactions and includes one or more components for each monitored transaction;

identifying one or more monitored transactions within an application that do not comply with a transaction threshold;

displaying a table of transaction information in an interface window for the one or more transactions that do not comply with the transaction threshold, the table including transaction identification information and transaction timing information for each of the identified transactions, said step of displaying performed after said step of identifying;

receiving a selection of an identified transaction displayed in the table;

and providing graphical information associated with application components involved in the selected transaction in response to said step of receiving a selection, the graphical information displayed outside of the table and indicating component identification and component timing information for the selected transaction, the graphical information including a graphical element for each component in the selected transaction, said graphical elements are positioned adjacent to each other if they represent application components that communicate with each other during the transaction, the graphical elements displayed along a time axis at a position corresponding to when they occurred with respect to each other, the graphical information displayed outside the table and concurrently with the table in the same interface window, said step of displaying a graphical representation includes displaying a shape for each component, said shape includes a portion for said respective component and a portion for a calling component, said portion for said respective component is highlighted when reporting about said respective component, and said portion for said calling component is highlighted when reporting about said calling component.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a portion of the graphical information representing a component;

displaying component location information in response to the said step of receiving the selection; and

displaying a percentage of the total transaction time attributed to the selected component in response to the said step of receiving the selection.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the selection is received as a mouse over input, the said step of displaying includes displaying the component location information and percentage of the total transaction time at least partially over the graphical information associated with the selected component.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the transaction information includes agent identification information which identifies a second set of code used to monitor at least one of said one or more monitored transactions.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the transaction information includes URL information associated with at least one of said one or more transactions.