Generating contextual user network session history in a dynamic content environment

• US 7,359,935 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versata Development Group, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Versata Development Group, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Inventors: Harada, Susumu, Karipides, Daniel Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit; Bunjob
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN KIM T
• Application Number:
  US10/324,764
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A network session recording and parsing system (“SRP System”) captures direct user interactions passed between the web server and a browser, the SRP System and information from the web site'"'"'s server-side application layers. In one embodiment, the SRP System includes two main components, data recording hooks and a parser. The SRP System includes a data recording hooks library that provides the ability to implement a dynamic, web-based application and gather a wide-range of user session history information. The SRP System parser analyzes the logged information from the data recording hooks and re-creates a history, with a desired level of contextual detail, of every individual user'"'"'s session. In one embodiment, the SRP System embodies a flexible design system that allows a designer to customize the type of information recorded. An embodiment of the data recording hooks provides a virtually unnoticeable impact to browser-Web server request and response times.

Claims

1. A method of recording and parsing a network user session, the method comprising:

receiving one or more requests from a client-side application for data during the network user session;

processing each request using one or more server-side applications, wherein processing each request includes generating a response to each request;

capturing session information included in each request;

capturing session information generated during the processing of each request by each of the server-side applications, wherein the session information generated during the processing of each request includes information derived from content included in the response to each request;

generating a set of records from the session information for the network user session, wherein the records include information derived from the content included in the response to each request;

responding to each of the requests; and

parsing the set of records to generate a history of the network user session, wherein the history includes the information derived from the content included in the response to each request and parsing the set of records to generate a history of the network user session comprises;

analyzing the captured session information; and

recreating a history of the network user session.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein parsing the set of records further comprises:

determining if the history of the network user session represents a complete network user session; and

determining if the history of the network session adheres to a predetermined set of record interrelationship rules.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein parsing the set of records further comprises:

determining interrelationships between at least a subset of the set of records;

evaluating the interrelationships using the set of record interrelationship rules; and

validating records having valid interrelationships.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more server-side applications comprise a Web server application, a dynamic content Web page generation application, and a session recording and parsing system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a set of records from the session information for the network user session comprises:

labeling predetermined types of data with respective labels; and

associating each of the respective labels with a type of record.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the record is a member of the group comprising:

a web session start record and a web session end record.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the server-side application comprises a product configuration application and the record is a member of the group comprising:

a web session start record, a web session end record, an active configuration record, a configuration detail record, a part state record, and a referrer record.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein each record has a data structure comprising a web session ID, a time signature, a sequence number, a record name, and record data.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

associating at least one of the respective labels with a sub-record type.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one server-side application comprises a configuration application.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:

processing each request using one or more server-side applications comprises;

generating a dynamic web page; and

capturing session information generated during the processing of each request by each of the server-side applications comprises;

recording information included in the dynamic web page.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the client-side application comprises a web browser and data recording code, wherein receiving one or more requests from a client-side application for data during the network user session further comprises:

receiving one or more requests from the web browser that include Web session related data collected by the data recording code.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the Web session related data collected by the data recording code includes at least one member of the group comprising a Web file version, Web browser type, user identification, user interaction with the client-side application information, session start information, page state transitions, and web page referrer information.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the client-side application comprises a web page generation layer, a tag layer, and a server application layer, the method further comprising:

capturing the Web session related data from the web page generation layer, the tag layer, and the server application layer.

15. A computer program storage medium comprises instructions executable by an information handling system, the instructions for:

receiving one or more requests from a client-side application for data during a network user session;

processing each request using one or more server-side applications, wherein processing each request includes generating a response to each request;

capturing session information included in each request;

capturing session information generated during the processing of each request by each of the server-side applications, wherein the session information generated during the processing of each request includes information derived from content included in the response to each request;

generating a set of records from the session information for the network user session, wherein the records include information derived from the content included in the response to each request;

responding to each of the requests; and

parsing the set of records to generate a history of the network user session, wherein the history includes the information derived from the content included in the response to each request and wherein the instructions for parsing the set of records to generate a history of the network user session are further configured for;

analyzing the captured session information; and

recreating a history of the network user session.

16. The computer program storage medium of claim 15 wherein a Web session related data collected by the data recording code includes at least one member of the group comprising a Web file version, Web browser type, user identification, user interaction with the client-side application information, session start information, page state transitions, and web page referrer information.

17. The computer program storage medium of claim 15 wherein the client-side application comprises a web page generation layer, a tag layer, and a server application layer, the computer program product further comprising instructions executable by the information handling system for:

capturing a Web session related data from the web page generation layer, the tag layer, and the server application layer.

18. The computer program storage medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions for parsing the set of records are further configured for:

determining if the history of the network user session represents a complete network user session; and

determining if the history of the network session adheres to a predetermined set of record interrelationship rules.

19. The computer program storage medium of claim 18 wherein the instructions for parsing the set of records are further configured for:

determining interrelationships between at least a subset of the set of records;

evaluating the interrelationships using the set of record interrelationship rules; and

validating records having valid interrelationships.

20. The computer program storage medium of claim 15 wherein the one or more server-side applications comprise a Web server application, a dynamic content Web page generation application, and a session recording and parsing system.

21. The computer program storage medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions for generating a set of records from the session information for the network user session are further configured for:

labeling predetermined types of data with respective labels; and

associating each of the respective labels with a type of record.

22. The computer program storage medium of claim 21 wherein the record is a member of the group comprising:

a web session start record and a web session end record.

23. The computer program storage medium of claim 21 wherein the server-side application comprises a product configuration application and the record is a member of the group comprising:

a web session start record, a web session end record, an active configuration record, a configuration detail record, a part state record, and a referrer record.

24. The computer program storage medium of claim 21 wherein each record has a data structure comprising a web session ID, a time signature, a sequence number, a record name, and record data.

25. The computer program storage medium of claim 21 further comprising instructions executable by the information handling system for:

associating at least one of the respective labels with a sub-record type.

26. The computer program storage medium of claim 15 wherein at least one server-side application comprises a configuration application.

27. The computer program storage medium of claim 15 wherein:

the instructions for processing each request using one or more server-side applications are further configured for;

generating a dynamic web page; and

the instructions for capturing session information generated during the processing of each request by each of the server-side applications are further configured for;

recording information included in the dynamic web page.

28. The computer program storage medium of claim 15 wherein the client-side application comprises a web browser and data recording code, wherein the instructions for receiving one or more requests from a client-side application for data during the network user session further are further configured for:

receiving one or more requests from the web browser that include Web session related data collected by the data recording code.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a system to receive one or more requests from a client-side user application during a network user session, to capture session information included in each request, and to process each request using one or more server-side applications, wherein processing each request includes generating a response to each request;

one or more network session information capturing modules to capture session information generated during the processing of each request by the one or more server-side applications, wherein the session information generated during the processing of each request includes information derived from content included in the response to each request;

one or more modules to generate a set of records from the session information for the network user session, wherein the records include information derived from the content included in the response to each request; and

parsing modules to generate a contextual history of the network user session, wherein the history includes the information derived from the content included in the response to each request and wherein the parsing modules are further configured to;

analyze the captured session information; and

recreate a history of the network user session.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the parsing modules are further configured to:

determine if the history of the network user session represents a complete network user session; and

determine if the history of the network session adheres to a predetermined set of record interrelationship rules.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the parsing modules are further configured to:

determine interrelationships between at least a subset of the set of records;

evaluate the interrelationships using the set of record interrelationship rules; and

validate records having valid interrelationships.

32. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein at least one server-side application comprises a configuration application.

33. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the server-side generated information includes a web page, the apparatus further comprising:

a dynamic web page generator to generate the web page, wherein the web page includes the content; and

and the network session information gathering modules are further configured to;

record at least a subset of the content included in the dynamic web page.

34. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the one or more server-side applications comprise a Web server application, a dynamic content Web page generation application, and a session recording and parsing system.

35. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the parsing modules are further configured to:

label predetermined types of data with respective labels; and

associate each of the respective labels with a type of record.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the record is a member of the group comprising:

a web session start record and a web session end record.

37. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the server-side application comprises a product configuration application and the record is a member of the group comprising:

a web session start record, a web session end record, an active configuration record, a configuration detail record, a part state record, and a referrer record.

38. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein each record has a data structure comprising a web session ID, a time signature, a sequence number, a record name, and record data.

39. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the parsing modules are further configured to:

associate at least one of the respective labels with a sub-record type.

40. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the user interactions comprise one or more requests from a client-side web browser that include Web session related data collected by data recording code the client-side application.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the Web session related data collected by the data recording code includes at least one member of the group comprising a Web file version, Web browser type, user identification, user interaction with the client-side application information, session start information, page state transitions, and web page referrer information.

42. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the client-side application comprises a web page generation layer, a tag layer, and a server application layer, and the network session information gathering modules are further configured to:

capture the Web session related data from the web page generation layer, the tag layer, and the server application layer.

43. A method of recording and parsing network user sessions, the method comprising:

receiving one or more requests from multiple client-side application for data during the network user sessions;

processing each request using one or more server-side applications, wherein processing each request includes generating a response to each request;

capturing session information included in each request;

capturing session information generated during the processing of each request by each of the server-side applications, wherein the session information includes information derived from content included in the response to each request;

generating records from the session information for each of the network user sessions, wherein the records include information derived from the content included in the response to each request;

importing record into a log file;

analyzing all the records contained in each log file;

determining which of the records are suitable for parsing; and

for each record suitable for parsing, parsing the records to generate a history of each network user session associated with a record suitable for parsing, wherein the history includes the information derived from the content included in the response to each request and parsing the records to generate a history of each network user session comprises;

analyzing the captured session information; and

recreating a history of the network user session.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising:

discarding each record that is unsuitable for parsing.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein parsing the records comprises:

sorting each of the records by a user session identifier; and

building an interrelationship of each record in accordance with a set of rules.