Multi-layer context parsing and incident model construction for software support

• US 7,917,815 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Djamdji, Jean-Pierre, Kaisermayr, Martin, Kushakovska, Olena, Bendjama, Barbara, Rapp, Roman, Salinas, Marielle
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal; Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US12/199,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20100058113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 714 2- 4, 714/15, 714/16, 714/18, 714/20, 714/21, 714/26, 714 37- 39, 714/47
• US Class Current: 714/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/366 using diagnostics G06F11/0703 takes precedence

Abstract

A context analyzer may be configured to receive, from a software support system associated with a software application associated with multiple architectural layers, an incident report associated with a software incident of the software application. The incident report may include context information associated with the software application at the time of the software incident, the context information being received from a plurality of context providers. An incident model generator may be configured to determine, from parsed context information output by a first context parser and a second context parser, a plurality of entities and links therebetween associated with the software application, and configured to display an incident model that includes the entities and the links and that provides access to the parsed context information on an entity-specific basis.

Claims

1. A system including instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium executable by at least one processor, the system comprising:

a context analyzer configured to cause the at least one processor to receive, from a software support system associated with a software application associated with multiple architectural layers, an incident report associated with a software incident of the software application, the incident report including context information associated with the software application at the time of the software incident, the context information being received from a plurality of context providers including a first context provider associated with a first architectural layer of the software application and a second context provider associated with a second architectural layer of the software application, the context analyzer including

a plurality of context parsers, each associated with a layer of the multiple architectural layers of the software application, and each configured to parse context information from a corresponding one of the plurality of context providers;

an incident model generator configured to determine a use of the first context provider and the second context provider from among the plurality of context providers, and configured to activate a first context parser and a second context parser from the plurality of context parsers, based thereon,

wherein the incident model generator is further configured to determine, from parsed context information output by the first context parser and the second context parser, a plurality of entities and links therebetween associated with the software application, and configured to display an incident model that includes the entities and the links and that provides access to the parsed context information on an entity-specific basis, the parsed context information including first parsed context information from the first context parser and second parsed context information from the second context parser, the second context parser configured to leverage the first parsed context information when parsing the context information to obtain the second parsed context information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the context analyzer comprises a common context parser that is configured to perform an initial transformation of the context information received from the first context provider and the second context provider into a format that is common to each of the plurality of context parsers.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the incident model generator is configured to determine the use of the first context provider and the second context provider by determining an associated identifier of thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the multiple architectural layers include one or more of an application server layer, a business object layer, a services layer, and a user interface (UI) layer.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of context parsers are configured to parse the context information by determining extraction data associated with the first context provider and the second context provider and by extracting the context information based thereon into a target file according to a pre-defined structure.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first context provider provides context information as first eXtensible Mark-up Language (XML) data having a first format, and wherein the second context provider provides context information as second XML data having a second format, and wherein the plurality of context parsers are configured to parse the context information by extracting the first and second XML data in a uniform manner for use in constructing the incident model.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the incident model generator is configured to provide the incident model in a graphical user interface (GUI) in which the entities are provided as graphical icons, each associated with one or more portions of the parsed context information that is relevant thereto.

8. The system of claim 1 comprising an access module configured to access metadata that is specific to a customer associated with the software application, and to enhance the parsed context information for one or more of the entities therewith.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the metadata is associated with a software model from which the software application was created and configured for the customer.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first context provider is associated with a lower architectural layer and the second context provider is associated with a higher architectural layer.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the incident model generator is configured to display the incident model in a graphical format illustrating the plurality of entities and links therebetween, and is further configured to translate the graphical format into a tree structure that illustrates the entities and links in a hierarchical fashion.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, from a software support system associated with a software application associated with multiple architectural layers, an incident report associated with a software incident of the software application, the incident report including context information associated with the software application at the time of the software incident, the context information being received from a plurality of context providers including a first context provider associated with a first architectural layer of the software application and a second context provider associated with a second architectural layer of the software application;

determining a use of the first context provider and the second context provider from among the plurality of context providers;

activating a first context parser and a second context parser from the plurality of context parsers, based thereon;

parsing the context information at the first context parser and at the second context parser to obtain parsed context information including first parsed context information from the first context parser and second parsed context information from the second context parser, the second parsed context information obtained by the second context parser based on the first parsed context information;

determining, from the parsed context information, a plurality of entities and links therebetween that are associated with the software application; and

displaying an incident model that includes the entities and the links and that provides access to the parsed context information on an entity-specific basis.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein parsing the context information comprises:

performing a transformation of the context information received from the first context provider and the second context provider into a format that is common to each of the plurality of context parsers, prior to performing the context parsing at the first context parser or the second context parser.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein parsing the context information comprises:

determining extraction data associated with the first context provider and the second context provider; and

extracting the context information based thereon into a target file according to a pre- defined structure.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein determining, from the parsed context information, a plurality of entities and links therebetween that are associated with the software application, comprises:

accessing metadata that is specific to a customer associated with the software application; and

enhancing the parsed context information for one or more of the entities therewith.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the first context provider is associated with a lower architectural layer and the second context provider is associated with a higher architectural layer.

17. A system comprising:

a computing device; and

instructions stored on a computer readable medium and that, when executed on the computing device, cause the computing device to

receive, from a software support system associated with a software application associated with multiple architectural layers, an incident report associated with a software incident of the software application, the incident report including context information associated with the software application at the time of the software incident, the context information being received from a plurality of context providers including a first context provider associated with a lower architectural layer of the software application and a second context provider associated with a higher architectural layer of the software application;

determine a use of the first context provider and the second context provider from among the plurality of context providers;

activate a first context parser and a second context parser from the plurality of context parsers, based thereon;

parse the context information at the first context parser to obtain first parsed context information;

parse the first parsed context information at the second context parser to obtain second parsed context information;

determine, from the first and second parsed context information, a plurality of entities and links therebetween that are associated with the software application; and

display an incident model that includes the entities and the links and that provides access to the first and second parsed context information on an entity-specific basis.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the multiple architectural layers include an application server layer, a business object layer, a services layer, and a user interface (UI) layer.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the instructions, when executed on the computing device, cause the computing device to

access metadata that is specific to a customer associated with the software application;

and

enhance the parsed context information for one or more of the entities therewith.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the first and second context parsers are configured to parse the context information and the first parsed context information to obtain the second parsed context information by determining extraction data associated with the first context provider and the second context provider and by extracting the context information based thereon into a target file according to a pre-defined structure.