Configurable collection of computer related metric data

• US 20050210477A1
• Filed: 03/19/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Murphy, Shawn M., Smith, Walter R., Auerbach, Alan B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,441,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The present invention relates it directed to configurable collection of computer related metric data. A computer system generates computer related metric data related to an application. The application accesses a manifest that indicates a portion of the generated computer related metric data (e.g., a subset) is to be packaged for delivery. The application sends schema-based package start data to cause the portion of generated computer related metric data to be packaged. A quality metric module receives the schema-based package start data and accesses the indicated portion of computer related metric data. The quality metric module packages the portion of computer related metric data according to a packaging schema. The application sends a package send command to cause the packaged portion of computer related metric data to be delivered. The quality metric module receives the package send command and sends the packaged portion of computer related metric data in response to the package send command.

Claims

1. At a computer system that is configured to generate computer related metric data, a method for specifying computer related metric data that is to be delivered to a server, the method comprising:

an act of generating computer related metric data related to an application;

an act of accessing a manifest that indicates a portion of the generated computer related metric data is to be packaged for delivery;

an act of sending schema-based package start data to cause the portion of computer related metric data to be packaged;

an act of sending a package send command to cause a packaged portion of generated computer related metric data to be delivered.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of generating computer related metric data comprises an act of an operating system generating computer related metric data related to the application.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of generating computer related metric data comprises an act of the application generating computer related metric data related to the application.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a manifest comprises an act of the application accessing a dynamic link library.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a manifest comprises an act of accessing a manifest that indicates a portion of performance data is to be packaged for delivery.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a manifest comprises an act of accessing a manifest that indicates a portion of event log data is to be packaged for delivery.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a manifest comprises an act of accessing a manifest that indicates statistical operations that are to be performed on generated computer related metric data.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of converting instructions included in the accessed manifest to schema-based package start data, the schema-based start data being defined in accordance with a selection schema.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of converting instructions included in the accessed manifest to schema-based package start data comprises an act of converting in instructions included in the accessed manifest into XML instructions.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of sending schema-based package start data comprises an act of sending XML instructions to a quality metric module to indicate to the quality metric module that a subset of the generated computer related metric data is to be packaged for delivery.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of sending a sample command, the sample command indicating that a quality metric module is to sample at least one item or event represented in the accessed manifest.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of sending a sample command comprises an act of sending a sample command that indicates that the computer related metric data represented in the accessed manifest is to be sampled.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of sending a package send command comprises an act of sending a dispose flag that indicates whether or not a corresponding package is to be retained after the package is queued for delivery.

14. At a computer system that includes a quality metric module, the quality metric module configured to package computer related metric data for delivery, a method for packaging specified computer related metric data, the method comprising:

an act of receiving schema-based package start data, the schema-based package start data indicating that a portion of generated computer related metric data is to be packaged for delivery;

an act of accessing the portion of generated computer related metric data;

an act packaging the portion of generated computer related metric data according to a packaging schema;

an act of receiving a package send command; and

an act of sending the packaged portion of computer related metric data in response to the package send command.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of receiving schema-based package start data comprises an act of receiving XML instructions that indicated a portion of generated computer related metric data is to be packaged for delivery, the XML instructions defined in accordance with a selection schema.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

an act of receiving a sample command; and

an act of retrieving at least one item or event from system memory and storing the generated computer related metric data in a data point store.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of retrieving at least one item or event from system memory comprises an act of retrieving all the computer related metric data indicated in the received schema-based package start data.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of accessing the portion of generated computer related metric data comprises an act of accessing the portion of generated computer related metric data from a data point store.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

an act of performing a statistical operation based on the accessed portion of computer related metric data.

20. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act packaging the portion of generated computer related metric data according to a packaging schema comprises an act of converting the portion of generated computer related metric data into XML instructions in accordance with an XML schema.

21. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act packaging the portion of generated computer related metric data according to a packaging schema comprises an act of packing computer related metric data in an array.

22. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of receiving a package send command comprises an act of receiving a dispose flag that indicates whether or not a corresponding package is to be retained after the package is queued for delivery.

23. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein sending the packaged portion of computer related metric data comprises sending the packaged portion of computer related metric data to a server that collects computer related metric data.

24. A computer program product for use at a computer system that is configured to generate computer related metric data associated with the application, the computer program product for implementing a method for specifying computer related metric data that is to be delivered to a server, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the computer system to perform the following:

generate computer related metric data related to an application;

access a manifest that indicates a portion of the generated computer related metric data is to be packaged for delivery;

send schema-based package start data to cause the portion of generated computer related metric data to be packaged;

send a package send command to cause a packaged portion of generated computer related metric data to be delivered.

25. A computer program product for use at a computer system that includes a quality metric module, the quality metric module configured to package computer related metric data for delivery, the computer program product for implementing a method for packaging specified computer related metric data, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the computer system to perform the following:

receive schema-based package start data, the schema-based package start data indicating that a portion of generated computer related metric data is to be packaged for delivery;

access the portion of generated computer related metric data;

package the portion of generated computer related metric data according to a packaging schema;

receive a package send command; and

send the packaged portion of computer related metric data in response to the package send command.