Method for visualizing results of root cause analysis on transaction performance data

• US 7,424,530 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chagoly, Bryan Christopher, Sexton, Kirk Malcolm
• Primary Examiner(s): DUONG, OANH L
• Application Number:
  US10/840,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 714/47, 714/48, 705/7
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3447 Performance evaluation by modeling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations

Abstract

Mechanisms for graph manipulation of transactional performance data are provided in order to identify and emphasize root causes of electronic business system transaction processing performance problems. A system transaction monitoring system, such as IBM Tivoli Monitoring for Transaction Performance™ (ITMTP) system, is utilized to obtain transaction performance data for a system. This transaction performance data is stored in a database and is utilized to present a graph of a given transaction or transactions. Having generated a graph of the transaction, and having identified problem conditions in the processing of the transaction(s), the present invention provides mechanisms for performing graph manipulation operations to best depict the root cause of the problems.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for identifying problem components of an enterprise computing system, comprising:

obtaining transaction processing performance data for the enterprise computing system;

generating a first graph data structure of a transaction processing topology of the enterprise computing system based on the transaction processing performance data;

receiving input from a user designating a particular type of graph manipulation mechanism to perform on the first graph data structure to form a designated type of graph manipulation mechanism;

identifying a graph manipulation mechanism based on the designated type of graph manipulation mechanism to be applied to the first graph data structure based on characteristics of the first graph data structure, wherein the characteristics include identified problem locations in the first graph data structure;

applying one or more graph manipulation mechanisms based on the designated type of graph manipulation mechanism to the first graph data structure to generate a second graph data structure of the transaction processing topology, wherein applying the one or more graph manipulation mechanism further comprises;

modifying the first graph data structure such that root causes of problems in the enterprise computing system are emphasized and brought to a forefront of a graphical representation of the transaction processing topology of the enterprise computing system; and

applying a monitoring policy to the first graph data structure, wherein the monitoring policy identifies types of components of the enterprise computing system that are to be removed from the first graph data structure, and wherein applying the monitoring policy to the first graph data structure includes generating a second graph data structure in which nodes corresponding to the identified types of components in the monitoring policy are not present; and

generating a graphical representation of the transaction processing topology based on the second graph data structure, wherein the second graph data structure is a modified form of the first graph data structure, wherein the one or more graph manipulation mechanisms include a tree reversal mechanism, a child node hiding mechanism, a unique parent/common child node view switching mechanism, a parametric value child node limitation mechanism, a parametric search mechanism, and a child node ordering mechanism, wherein the tree reversal mechanism contains child nodes of the first graph data structure represented as parent nodes in the second graph data structure and parent nodes of the first graph data structure represented as child nodes in the second graph data structure, wherein the child node hiding mechanism contains child nodes in the first graph data structure that are not present in the second graph data structure, wherein the unique parent/common child node view switching mechanism contains a view of two or more branches of the first graph data structure which point to a common child node depicted in the second graph data structure as separate branches or branches pointing to a common child node depending on the state of the switching mechanism, wherein the parametric value child node limitation mechanism contains child nodes in the first graph data structure that do not include a particular value of a selected parameter eliminated in the second graph data structure, wherein the parametric search mechanism contains nodes of the first graph data structure having particular parameters that are removed from the second graph data structure, wherein the child node ordering mechanism contains an order of child nodes in the first graph data structure that is modified in the second graph data structure according to ordering criteria.