Visual analysis and debugging of complex event flows

• US 9,552,280 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Krishnan, Ramkumar, Tarnavski, Tihomir, Peray, Sebastien, Santos, Ivo Jos Garcia dos, Nano, Olivier, Tilly, Marcel
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIUSANO, ANDREW TSUTOMU
• Application Number:
  US12/779,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20110283239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,448 Days
• Field of Search: 715/854, 715/853, 707/132
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media to generate a user interface (UI) to analyze a complex event processing (CEP) query are disclosed. A particular method includes receiving data representing an event flow associated with execution of a CEP query. The CEP query includes a plurality of operators. A UI including a graph is generated. The graph includes a plurality of nodes. Each node of the graph corresponds to an operator of the CEP query, and each edge of the graph corresponds to a stream between operators of the CEP query. The method includes receiving an input identifying a particular node of the graph, where the particular node corresponds to a particular operator of the CEP query. In response to the input, an operator-specific output associated with at least one event processed by the particular operator is displayed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an event flow from a complex event processing (CEP) engine, the event flow resulting from execution by the CEP engine of a complex event processing (CEP) query comprising a plurality of operators;

generating a user interface (UI) representing the event flow, wherein the UI comprises a graph that includes a plurality of nodes, wherein each node of the graph corresponds to an operator of the CEP query, and wherein each edge of the graph corresponds to a stream between operators of the CEP query;

receiving a first user input identifying a particular node of the graph, wherein the particular node corresponds to a particular operator of the CEP query;

in response to the first user input identifying the particular node of the graph;

expanding the particular node that corresponds to the particular operator of the CEP query in the graph; and

displaying, in the particular node of the graph as expanded, a particular event processed by the CEP engine during execution of the particular operator, wherein an intermediate state of the particular event outputted responsive to execution of the particular operator is displayed in the particular node of the graph; and

in response to a second user input selecting the particular event displayed in the particular node of the graph, highlighting a different event displayed in a different node of the graph, wherein the different node of the graph corresponds to a different operator of the CEP query, the different event displayed in the different node of the graph is processed by the CEP engine during execution of the different operator, and the different event displayed in the different node of the graph that is highlighted is one of a downstream event caused by the particular event or an upstream event that caused the particular event.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event flow comprises a sequence of events associated with the execution of the CEP query, and wherein at least one of the plurality of operators is not a filtering operator.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event flow comprises a file including a sequence of events associated with a previously executed CEP query, and wherein the plurality of operators comprises one or more of an input adapter operator, a cleanse input operator, an alter lifetime operator, a grouping operator, a projection operator, or a topk operator.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate state of the particular event comprises an event kind of the particular event, an event start time of the particular event, an event end time of the particular event, a new event end time of the particular event, a log time of the particular event, latency information of the particular event, and a data payload of the particular event.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the CEP engine receives events from an input adapter, and wherein the CEP engine is operable to convert the received events into a native format of the CEP engine.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising filtering events displayed in the particular node of the graph corresponding to the particular operator of the CEP query to display a filtered subset of events.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the filtering is based on a user-defined filtering criteria.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the user-defined filtering criteria is based on event start time, event end time, new event end time, event log time, event latency, event payload, or any combination thereof.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing, via the UI, selectability to at least an event propagation analysis (EPA) module, a filter module, a fold or unfold module, and a root cause analysis (RCA) module.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the particular operator of the CEP query is a partitioning operator represented on the graph as a single execution unit and further comprising converting the single execution unit into a plurality of partitions generated by the partitioning operator.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of partitions comprises a partition-specific execution unit, a nested partition, or any combination thereof.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising displaying partition-specific outputs associated with at least one event processed by at least one partition, wherein the at least one partition is selected based on a user-defined set of partition keys.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second user input selecting the particular event displayed in the particular node of the graph for event propagation analysis, wherein the different event displayed in the different node of the graph that is highlighted in response to the second user input is the downstream event caused by the particular event.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second user input selecting the particular event displayed in the particular node of the graph for root cause analysis, wherein the different event displayed in the different node of the graph that is highlighted in response to the second user input is the upstream event that caused the particular event.

15. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of;

a complex event processing (CEP) engine configured to;

execute a CEP query comprising a plurality of operators; and

generate an event flow resulting from execution of the CEP query; and

an event flow debugger configured to;

generate a user interface (UI) representing the event flow, wherein the UI comprises a graph that includes a plurality of nodes, wherein each node of the graph corresponds to an operator of the CEP query, and wherein each edge of the graph corresponds to a stream connection between operators of the CEP query;

receive a first user input identifying a particular node of the graph, the particular node corresponding to a particular operator of the CEP query;

in response to the first user input identifying the particular node of the graph;

expand the particular node that corresponds to the particular operator of the CEP query in the graph; and

display, in the particular node of the graph as expanded, a particular event processed by the CEP engine during execution of the particular operator, wherein an intermediate state of the particular event outputted responsive to execution of the particular operator is displayed in the particular node of the graph; and

in response to a second user input selecting the particular event displayed in the particular node of the graph, highlight a different event displayed in a different node of the graph, wherein the different node of the graph corresponds to a different operator of the CEP query, the different event displayed in the different node of the graph is processed by the CEP engine during execution of the different operator, and the different event displayed in the different node of the graph that is highlighted is one of a downstream event caused by the particular event or an upstream event that caused the particular event.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the UI comprises a first display canvas associated with the CEP query, and wherein the UI is operable to generate a second display canvas associated with the CEP query.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the event flow debugger is further configured to:

receive the second user input selecting the particular event displayed in the particular node of the graph for event propagation analysis;

wherein the different event displayed in the different node of the graph that is highlighted in response to the second user input is the downstream event caused by the particular event.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the event flow debugger is further configured to:

receive the second user input selecting the particular event displayed in the particular node of the graph for root cause analysis;

wherein the different event displayed in the different node of the graph that is highlighted in response to the second user input is the upstream event that caused the particular event.

19. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving data representing an event flow resulting from execution of a complex event processing (CEP) query comprising a plurality of operators;

generating a user interface (UI) representing the event flow, wherein the UI comprises a graph that includes a plurality of nodes, wherein each node of the graph corresponds to an operator of the CEP query, wherein each edge of the graph corresponds to a stream between operators of the CEP query, wherein the UI displays a first state of operation of the CEP query corresponding to a first time;

receiving input identifying a particular node of the graph, wherein the particular node corresponds to a particular operator of the CEP query;

in response to the input identifying the particular node of the graph;

expanding the particular node that corresponds to the particular operator of the CEP query in the graph; and

displaying, in the particular node of the graph as expanded, a particular event processed during execution of the particular operator;

receiving input selecting the particular event displayed in the particular node of the graph; and

in response to the input selecting the particular event displayed in the particular node of the graph, highlighting a different event displayed in a different node of the graph, wherein the different node of the graph corresponds to a different operator of the CEP query, the different event displayed in the different node of the graph is processed during execution of the different operator, and the different event displayed in the different node of the graph that is highlighted is one of a downstream event caused by the particular event or an upstream event that caused the particular event.

20. The system of claim 19, the memory further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving input identifying a step back function of the UI; and

in response to the input identifying the step back function of the UI, displaying a second state of operation of the CEP query corresponding to a second time that is prior to the first time.