Extracting portions of an abstract database for problem determination

• US 8,738,607 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Kulack, Frederick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US12/777,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20110283112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for extracting portions of an abstract database for problem determination. An error may be detected when an application executes an abstract query against the abstract database. A portion of the abstract database may be extracted for problem determination. A defect entry may be created in a defect tracking tool, to store the extracted portion. One or more administrative users may be notified of the defect entry.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to reduce storage and transmission costs associated with remote error recreation for abstract database applications, the method comprising:

upon detecting an error condition when an application executes an abstract query against an abstract database having an underlying physical database in a first computing environment, generating, by operation of one or more computer processors and not in response to any user request, an abstract database application extraction sufficient to recreate the error condition and comprising at least a portion of each of the application, the abstract database, and the physical database, respectively, wherein the portion of the abstract database includes a definition of at least one logical field used by the abstract query and excludes a definition of at least one logical field not used by the abstract query;

sending the abstract database application extraction for execution in a second computing environment different from the first computing environment; and

recreating the error condition from the abstract database application extraction in order to facilitate resolving the error condition, whereby storage and transmission costs associated with recreating the error condition in the second computing environment are reduced relative to providing the entirety of each of the application, the abstract database, and the physical database, respectively, for execution in the second computing environment.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the error condition is selected from at least:

(i) an error in converting the abstract query to a concrete query;

(ii) an error in executing the concrete query against the physical database;

(iii) an error in retrieving query results from the physical database; and

(iv) an error in converting the query results from the physical database to a logical representation.

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

recreating the error condition by executing the three portions; and

troubleshooting the application using the recreated error condition.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

encrypting sensitive data in the three portions using a password specified via user input.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the three portions further include the abstract query, a concrete query corresponding to the abstract query, and results obtained from executing the concrete query against the physical database.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second environment is accessible by one or more troubleshooting users, wherein the first computing environment is not accessible by the one or more troubleshooting users, wherein the error condition is recreated by the one or more troubleshooting users in the second environment in order to facilitate resolving the error condition;

wherein the first computing environment is accessible by one or more end-users different from the one or more troubleshooting users, wherein the second environment is not accessible by the one or more end-users, wherein the three portions are, upon execution, sufficient to recreate the error condition, wherein the abstract database includes the definition of the at least one logical field used by the abstract query and the definition of the at least one logical field not used by the abstract query, wherein the abstract database application extraction comprises a programmatically extracted portion, less than the entirety, of each of the application, the abstract database, and the physical database, respectively;

wherein a defect entry representing the detected error condition is created in a specified defect tracking tool without requiring user intervention, wherein the defect tracking tool is user-specified;

wherein the method is performed by a diagnostic tool operatively connected to the defect tracking tool, wherein the diagnostic tool is different from the defect tracking tool, wherein the diagnostic tool is configured to facilitate troubleshooting a plurality of user errors involving a plurality of classes of users, wherein each class of users is uniquely identified by a distinct level identifier characterizing a measure of costliness of error troubleshooting involving the respective class of users, wherein a lower level identifier reflects a lower measure of costliness of error troubleshooting.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of classes of users includes:

(i) end-users, having a lowest level identifier;

(ii) abstract database administrators, having a second-lowest level identifier;

(iii) physical database administrators, having a third-lowest level identifier;

(iv) abstract database technical support, having a fourth-lowest level identifier; and

(v) abstract database developers, having a fifth-lowest level identifier.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of user errors include:

(i) a first user error characterized by the improper use of a supported abstract database configuration by an end-user;

(ii) a second user error characterized by incorrect configuration of the abstract database by an abstract database administrator;

(iii) a third user error characterized by introduction of an interfacing error between the abstract database and the physical database by at least one of an abstract database administrator and a physical database administrator;

(iv) a fourth user error characterized by presence of a defect in the physical database, that remains unfixed by the physical database administrator;

(v) a fifth user error characterized by assistance from abstraction database technical support being required by an abstract database administrator to diagnose a defect; and

(vi) a sixth user error characterized by assistance from an abstract database developer being required to fix a code defect in implementation of the abstract database.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the diagnostic tool is further configured to programmatically detect each error condition of:

(i) a first system error in converting the abstract query to a concrete query;

(ii) a second system error in executing the concrete query against the physical database;

(iii) a third system error in retrieving query results from the physical database; and

(iv) a fourth system error in converting the query results from the physical database to a logical representation.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

encrypting sensitive data in the extracted three portions using a password specified via user input provided by a database abstraction model administrator, wherein the database abstraction model administrator is different from the user; and

extracting environment information for the application, wherein the environment application consists of;

(i) a log file;

(ii) an indication of a logged-in user; and

(iii) a date and time that the error condition is detected.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the extracted portion of the application includes:

(i) the abstract query;

(ii) a concrete query corresponding to the abstract query; and

(iii) results obtained from executing the concrete query against the physical database;

wherein the extracted portion of the physical database includes a definition of at least one physical field corresponding to a logical field used by the abstract query and excludes a definition of at least one physical field corresponding to a logical field not used by the abstract query.

12. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program which, when executed, performs an operation to reduce storage and transmission costs associated with remote error recreation for abstract database applications, the operation comprising:

upon detecting an error condition when an application executes an abstract query against an abstract database having an underlying physical database in a first computing environment, generating, by operation of one or more computer processors when executing the program and not in response to any user request, an abstract database application extraction sufficient to recreate the error condition and comprising at least a portion of each of the application, the abstract database, and the physical database, respectively, wherein the portion of the abstract database includes a definition of at least one logical field used by the abstract query and excludes a definition of at least one logical field not used by the abstract query;

sending the abstract database application extraction for execution in a second computing environment different from the first computing environment; and

recreating the error condition from the abstract database application extraction in order to facilitate resolving the error condition, whereby storage and transmission costs associated with recreating the error condition in the second computing environment are reduced relative to providing the entirety of each of the application, the abstract database, and the physical database, respectively, for execution in the second computing environment.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the error condition is selected from at least:

(i) an error in converting the abstract query to a concrete query;

(ii) an error in executing the concrete query against the physical database;

(iii) an error in retrieving query results from the physical database; and

(iv) an error in converting the query results from the physical database to a logical representation.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operation further comprises:

recreating the error condition by executing the three portions; and

troubleshooting the application using the recreated error condition.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operation further comprises:

encrypting sensitive data in the three portions using a password specified via user input.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the three portions further include the abstract query, a concrete query corresponding to the abstract query, and results obtained from executing the concrete query against the physical database.

17. A system to reduce storage and transmission costs associated with remote error recreation for abstract database applications, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a memory containing a program which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, is configured to perform an operation comprising;

upon detecting an error condition when an application executes an abstract query against an abstract database having an underlying physical database in a first computing environment, generating, not in response to any user request, an abstract database application extraction sufficient to recreate the error condition and comprising at least a portion of each of the application, the abstract database, and the physical database, respectively, wherein the portion of the abstract database includes a definition of at least one logical field used by the abstract query and excludes a definition of at least one logical field not used by the abstract query;

sending the abstract database application extraction for execution in a second computing environment different from the first computing environment; and

recreating the error condition from the abstract database application extraction in order to facilitate resolving the error condition, whereby storage and transmission costs associated with recreating the error condition in the second computing environment are reduced relative to providing the entirety of each of the application, the abstract database, and the physical database, respectively, for execution in the second computing environment.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the error condition is selected from at least:

(i) an error in converting the abstract query to a concrete query;

(ii) an error in executing the concrete query against the physical database;

(iii) an error in retrieving query results from the physical database; and

(iv) an error in converting the query results from the physical database to a logical representation.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the operation further comprises:

recreating the error condition by executing the three portions; and

troubleshooting the application using the recreated error condition.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the operation further comprises:

encrypting sensitive data in the three portions using a password specified via user input.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the portion of the application includes the abstract query, wherein the portion of the abstract database includes a concrete query corresponding to the abstract query, and wherein the portion of the abstract database includes at least partial results obtained from executing the concrete query against the physical database.