System and method for analyzing computing performance

• US 9,479,414 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dell Software, Inc. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rustad, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/292,135
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3452 Performance evaluation by statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes selecting an overall set of end-user transactions. The method further includes selecting an outcome. In addition, the method includes identifying an outcome-filtered subset of the overall set, the outcome-filtered subset comprising end-user transactions of the overall set associated with the selected outcome. The method also includes, for each transaction property of a plurality of transaction properties, measuring a difference between the transaction property'"'"'s prevalence in the outcome-filtered subset and the transaction property'"'"'s prevalence in the overall set. The measuring yields a property-prevalence differential for each transaction property. Moreover, the method includes, based, at least in part, on the property-prevalence differentials, determining one or more of the plurality of transaction properties to be correlation factors for the selected outcome.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by a computer system comprising physical computer hardware:

selecting an overall set of end-user transactions;

wherein each end-user transaction of the overall set is associated with at least one outcome of a plurality of outcomes;

selecting an outcome from the plurality of outcomes;

identifying an outcome-filtered subset of the overall set, the outcome-filtered subset comprising end-user transactions of the overall set associated with the selected outcome;

for each transaction property of a plurality of transaction properties, measuring a difference between the transaction property'"'"'s prevalence in the outcome-filtered subset and the transaction property'"'"'s prevalence in the overall set, the measuring yielding a property-prevalence differential for each transaction property;

based, at least in part, on the property-prevalence differentials, determining one or more of the plurality of transaction properties to be correlation factors for the selected outcome;

generating a report comprising information related to the correlation factors; and

publishing the report.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the overall set is performed responsive to input received from a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the outcome is performed responsive to input received from a user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the measuring, aggregating transaction properties of at least one of the overall set and the outcome-filtered subset; and

wherein the plurality of transaction properties comprise the aggregated transaction properties.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transaction properties comprise one or more transaction properties extracted from backend-performance data and one or more transaction properties extracted from end-user experience data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transaction properties are selected from the group consisting of:

an executed method, an executed database statement, a screen resolution, a node of an end-to-end transaction path, and a geographic location.

7. An information handling system comprising:

a computer processor, wherein the computer processor is operable to implement a method, the method comprising;

selecting an overall set of end-user transactions;

wherein each end-user transaction of the overall set is associated with at least one outcome of a plurality of outcomes;

selecting an outcome from the plurality of outcomes;

identifying an outcome-filtered subset of the overall set, the outcome-filtered subset comprising end-user transactions of the overall set associated with the selected outcome;

for each transaction property of a plurality of transaction properties, measuring a difference between the transaction property'"'"'s prevalence in the outcome-filtered subset and the transaction property'"'"'s prevalence in the overall set, the measuring yielding a property-prevalence differential for each transaction property;

based, at least in part, on the property-prevalence differentials, determining one or more of the plurality of transaction properties to be correlation factors for the selected outcome;

generating a report comprising information related to the correlation factors; and

publishing the report.

8. The information handling system of claim 7, wherein the selecting of the overall set is performed responsive to input received from a user.

9. The information handling system of claim 7, wherein the selecting of the outcome is performed responsive to input received from a user.

10. The information handling system of claim 7, the method further comprising:

prior to the measuring, aggregating transaction properties of at least one of the overall set and the outcome-filtered subset; and

wherein the plurality of transaction properties comprise the aggregated transaction properties.

11. The information handling system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of transaction properties comprise one or more transaction properties extracted from backend-performance data and one or more transaction properties extracted from end-user experience data.

12. The information handling system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of transaction properties are selected from the group consisting of:

an executed method, an executed database statement, a screen resolution, a node of an end-to-end transaction path, and a geographic location.

13. A computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:

selecting an overall set of end-user transactions;

wherein each end-user transaction of the overall set is associated with at least one outcome of a plurality of outcomes;

selecting an outcome from the plurality of outcomes;

identifying an outcome-filtered subset of the overall set, the outcome-filtered subset comprising end-user transactions of the overall set associated with the selected outcome;

for each transaction property of a plurality of transaction properties, measuring a difference between the transaction property'"'"'s prevalence in the outcome-filtered subset and the transaction property'"'"'s prevalence in the overall set, the measuring yielding a property-prevalence differential for each transaction property;

based, at least in part, on the property-prevalence differentials, determining one or more of the plurality of transaction properties to be correlation factors for the selected outcome;

generating a report comprising information related to the correlation factors; and

publishing the report.

14. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein the selecting of the overall set is performed responsive to input received from a user.

15. The computer-program product of claim 13, the method further comprising:

prior to the measuring, aggregating transaction properties of at least one of the overall set and the outcome-filtered subset; and

wherein the plurality of transaction properties comprise the aggregated transaction properties.

16. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein the plurality of transaction properties comprise one or more transaction properties extracted from backend-performance data and one or more transaction properties extracted from end-user experience data.

17. The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein the plurality of transaction properties are selected from the group consisting of:

an executed method, an executed database statement, a screen resolution, a node of an end-to-end transaction path, and a geographic location.