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

• US 7,490,081 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2006
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Young, Raymond H., Girouard, Janice Marie, Best, Steven Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James K
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURKE, JEFF A
• Application Number:
  US11/334,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 714/46, 714/25, 714/48, 717/124
• 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:

receiving a program defect description from a user of a defect database;

responsive to determining that the program defect description is new, creating an event record of the program defect description;

extracting each word and each phrase of the program defect description in sequential order from the program defect description, wherein the each phrase comprises at least two words;

determining whether the each word and the each phrase are included in a defect dictionary on the defect database;

responsive to locating the each word and each phrase in the defect dictionary, updating the defect dictionary to include the each word and the each phrase from the program defect description;

responsive to the absence of the each word and the each phrase in the defect dictionary, adding the each word and the each phrase to the defect dictionary;

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

responsive to locating at least one defect database among the plurality of defect databases containing the each word and the each phrase, calculating a final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase, wherein calculating a final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase further comprises;

calculating an initial word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase within the program description, wherein determining the initial word relevancy percentage comprises using a record maintained in the defect dictionary, wherein the record indicates relevancy of the each word and the phrase, wherein determining the relevancy is comprises determining how often users use the each word and the each phrase in the defect descriptions;

receiving a defect database relevancy ranking table, wherein the defect database relevancy ranking table lists each defect database in the plurality of defect databases, wherein the each defect database listed is associated with a relevancy percentage assigned by the user;

receiving a program component factor table, wherein the user assigns relevancy percentages to each program component based on relevancy to the program defect description, wherein the each program component comprises a set of components in a program;

receiving the source factor percentages assigned by the user to the defect databases, wherein the source factor percentages are percentages assigned by the user depending on whether the defect databases are open source databases or closed source databases;

calculating a final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase using the initial word relevancy percentage, the defect database relevancy ranking table, the program component factor table, and the source factor percentages in the calculation of the final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase; and

sending relevant defects and the final word relevancy percentage to a program developer to repair the program, wherein the program developer utilizes the relevant defects.

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

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

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

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

searching a bug tracking application for context information associated with the each word and the each 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 the each word and the each phrase.

4. A computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the final word relevancy percentage takes into account a program component relevancy range.

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

6. 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 receive a program defect description from a user of a defect database;

to create an event record of the program defect description, responsive to determining that the defect description is new;

to extract each word and each phrase of the program defect description in sequential order from the program defect description, wherein the each phrase comprises at least two words;

to determine whether the each word and the each phrase are included in a defect dictionary on the defect database;

to update the defect dictionary to include the each word and the each phrase from the program defect description, responsive to locating the each word and the each phrase in the defect dictionary;

to add the each word and the each phrase to the defect dictionary, responsive to the absence of the each word and the each phrase in the defect dictionary;

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

to calculate a final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase, wherein calculating the final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase comprises;

calculating an initial word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase within the program defect description, wherein determining the initial word relevancy percentage comprises using a record maintained in the defect dictionary, wherein the record indicates relevancy of the each word and the each phrase, wherein determining the relevancy comprises;

determining how often users use the each word and the each phrase in the program defect description, receiving a defect database relevance ranking table, wherein the defect database relevancy ranking table lists each defect database in the plurality of defect databases;

wherein each defect database listed is associated with a relevancy percentage assigned by the user, receiving a program component factor table, wherein the user assigns relevancy percentages to teach program component based on relevancy to the program defect description;

wherein the each program component comprises a set of components in a program, receiving a source factor percentage assigned by the user to the defect databases;

wherein the source factor percentages are percentages assigned depending on whether the defect databases are open source databases or closed source databases;

to calculate a final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each extracted phrase using the initial word relevancy percentage, the defect database relevancy ranking table, the program component factor table, and the source factor percentages in the calculation of the final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase; and

to send relevant defects and the final word relevancy percentage to a program developer to repair the program defect, wherein the program developer utilizes the relevant defects.

7. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the set of instructions are implemented in a server, and wherein the server is a defect report server.

8. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the user sends the program defect description via a client device.

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

a recordable-type computer usable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therein, the computer usable storage medium comprising;

computer usable program code configured to receive a program defect description from a user of a defect database;

computer useable program code configured to responsive to determining that the program defect description is new, creating an event record of the program defect description;

computer usable program code configured to extract each word and each phrase of the program defect description in sequential order from the program defect description, wherein the each phrase comprises at least two words;

computer usable program code for determining whether the each word and the each phrase are included in a defect dictionary on the defect database;

computer usable program code for responsive to locating the each word and the each phrase in the defect dictionary, updating the defect dictionary to include the each word and the each phrase from the program defect description;

computer usable program code for responsive to the absence of the each word and the each phrase in the defect dictionary, adding the each word and the each phrase to the defect dictionary;

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

computer usable program code configured to responsive to locating at least one defect database among the plurality of defect databases containing the each word and the each phrase, calculating a final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase, wherein calculating the final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase further comprises;

computer usable program code configured to calculate an initial word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase within the program defect description, wherein determining the initial word relevancy percentage comprises using a record maintained in the defect dictionary, wherein the record indicates relevancy of the each word and the each phrase, wherein determining the relevancy comprises determining how often users use the each word and the each phrase in the defect descriptions;

computer usable program code configured to receive a defect database relevancy ranking table, wherein the defect database relevancy ranking table lists each defect database in the plurality of defect databases, wherein the each defect database listed is associated with a relevancy percentage assigned by the user;

computer usable program code configured to receive a program component factor table, wherein the user assigns relevancy percentages to each program component based on relevancy to the program defect description, wherein the each program component comprises a set of components in a program;

computer usable program code configured to receive source factor percentages assigned by the user to the defect databases, wherein the source factor percentages are percentages assigned by the user depending on whether the defect databases are open source databases or closed source databases;

computer usable program code configured to calculate a final word relevancy percentage for the each extracted word and the each phrase using the initial word relevancy percentage, the defect database relevancy ranking table, the program component factor table, and the source factor percentages in the calculation of the final word relevancy percentage for the each word and the each phrase; and

computer usable program code for sending relevant defects and the final word relevancy percentage to a program developer to repair the program defect, wherein the program developer utilizes the relevant defects.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

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

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

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to search a bug tracking application for context information associated with the each word and the each 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 the each word and the each phrase.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the final word relevancy percentage takes into account a program component relevancy range.