System and method for data collection and analysis of information relating to mobile applications

• US 9,262,250 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Crashlytics Inc. (X Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chang, Wayne, Seibert, Jeffrey H. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lyons, Andrew M
• Application Number:
  US13/323,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20130152050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 717/124, 717/125, 717/127
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0742 in a data processing system embedded in a mobile device, e.g. mobile phones, handheld devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management

Abstract

A system and method are provided for data collection and analysis of information related to applications. Specifically, the developer of the application may install analytic software, which may be embodied as a software development kit (SDK), on an integrated development environment (“IDE”) associated with the developer, wherein the analytic software may be installed with a wizard-like interface having a series of easy to follow instructions. Once installed, the application, with the analytic software incorporated therein, may be provided and installed on a plurality of end user devices. Thereafter, the analytic software may work in conjunction with analytic processing logic to assist the developer in obtaining pertinent information related to bugs associated with the application that is being executed on an end user device.

Claims

1. A server, comprising:

a processor, a memory, and one or more network interfaces;

the one or more network interfaces configured to;

(1) receive identification information associated with the computing device based on the computing device selecting peer-to-peer analysis, (2) receive a debugging data structure associated with the computing device based on the computing device selecting hosted system analysis;

the one or more network interfaces further configured to receive crash data associated with an application that incurred a bug on the end user device;

the processor configured to;

extract an identifier from the crash data to identify the debugging data structure or the identification information;

based on the computing device selecting the hosted system analysis;

perform analytic processing on the crash data utilizing the debugging data structure to convert the crash data into results, wherein the results identify information associated with the bug incurred while the end user device executed the application; and

based on the computing device selecting peer-to-peer analysis;

send a notification to the computing device that analytic processing has to be performed on the crash data.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein

the processor is further configured to perform the analytic processing by performing symbolication that includes replacing memory addresses from the crash data with function names, filenames, and line number information associated with the debugging data structure.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the computing device executes an integrated development environment (IDE).

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the debugging data structure comprises a dSYM file.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

install analytic software on the computing device associated with a developer of the application and install the analytic software within the application, wherein the analytic software assists in obtaining the information associated with the bug incurred while the end user device executed the application.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the analytic software is a software development kit (SDK).

7. The server of claim 1 wherein the end user device is selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a personal computer (PC).

8. A method, comprising:

receiving information associated with a computing device, wherein the information is identification information based on a first selection of peer-to-peer analysis and wherein the information is a debugging data structure based on a second selection of hosted system analysis;

receiving crash data associated with an application that incurred a bug while executing on the end user device;

extracting an identifier from the crash data to identify the debugging data structure or the identification information;

performing analytic processing on the crash data, based on the second selection of hosted system analysis, utilizing the debugging data structure to convert the crash data into results, wherein the results identify information associated with the bug incurred while the end user device executed the application; and

sending a notification to the computing device that analytic processing has to be performed on the crash data based on the first selection of peer-to-peer analysis.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

performing the analytic processing by performing symbolication that includes replacing memory addresses from the crash data with function names, filenames, and line number information associated with the debugging data structure to perform the analytic processing.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the computing device executes an integrated development environment (IDE).

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the debugging data structure comprises a dSYM file.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

installing analytic software on the computing device that is associated with a developer of the application and installing the analytic software within the application, wherein the analytic software assists in obtaining the information associated with the bug incurred while the end user device executed the application.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the analytic software is a software development kit (SDK).

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the end user device is selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a personal computer (PC).

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions configured to execute on one or more computer processors to enable the computer processors to:

receive information associated with a computing device, wherein the information is identification information based on a first selection of peer-to-peer analysis and wherein the information is a debugging data structure based on a second selection of choosing hosted system analysis;

receive crash data associated with an application that incurred a bug while executing on the end user device;

extract an identifier from the crash data to identify the debugging data structure or the identification information;

perform analytic processing on the crash data, based on the second selection of hosted system analysis, utilizing the debugging data structure to convert the crash data into results, wherein the results identify information associated with the bug incurred while the end user device executed the application; and

send a notification to the computing device that analytic processing has to be performed on the crash data based on the first selection of peer-to-peer analysis.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further enable the computer processors to:

perform the analytic processing by performing symbolication that includes replacing memory addresses from the crash data with function names, filenames, and line number information associated with the debugging data structure.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computing device executes an integrated development environment (IDE).

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the debugging data structure comprises a dSYM file.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further enable the computer processors to:

install analytic software on the computing device that is associated with a developer of the application and install the analytic software within the application, wherein the analytic software assists in obtaining the information associated with the bug incurred while the end user device executed the application.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the analytic software is a software development kit (SDK).

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the end user device is selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a personal computer (PC).