Analysis of errors within computer code

• US 7,707,559 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reddy, Venkat A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yigdall; Michael J
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, HANH THI MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/214,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 717/38, 706/50, 706/59, 706/60, 706/61
• US Class Current: 717/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

Where code execution results in an error attributable to multiple data elements, the code is revised so the error results from one element. Where execution improperly functions without error, and the elements contain required but missing properties, the code is improperly functioning in its required-property handling. Errors are organized into classes and error-causing elements are organized into independent sets corresponding to the classes. Elements that are not within any set are determined. Symptom, error, no-error, refined-symptom, and function databases can be employed during code execution analysis. Symptom database entries correspond to elements and indicate errors, or that no errors, are attributable to the elements. Error database entries correspond to elements resulting in errors upon execution. No-error database entries correspond to elements resulting in no errors upon execution. Refined-symptom database entries correspond to root cause elements of errors. Function database entries correspond to root cause elements of no errors.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing computer code comprising:

a processor of a computer system executing the computer code over first data and second data, wherein the computer code is executable on a target system, wherein the first data configures the target system and the second data provides operational data for the computer code to generate an output, the first data being at least substantially independent of the second data to an extent that the first data and the second data does not interfere with each other in causing errors during said executing, and the first data having a plurality of elements, wherein the computer system simulates the operations of the target system for said executing;

constructing a symptom database having a plurality of entries based on the operations and the output from said executing, wherein each entry of the plurality of entries is independently selected from the group consisting of an error entry and a no-error entry, wherein the error entry comprises an error identifier that indicates an associated error that had occurred during said executing and a configuration element of the first data to which the associated error is attributable, and wherein the no-error entry comprises an improper behavior identifier that indicates an associated improper behavior that occurred during said executing and a configuration property of the first data to which the associated improper behavior is attributable;

analyzing at least one error that occurred during said executing by use of an error database based on a first subset of said plurality of entries that are error entries;

analyzing at least one no-error that occurred during said executing by use of a no-error database based on a second subset of said plurality of entries that are no-error entries;

organizing said at least one error into a set of error classes to which said at least one error is a member and organizing error-causing elements that correspond to a respective error class in the first set of error classes into a set of error-causing elements; and

generating a set of redundant elements that are not members of the set of error-causing elements.

2. The method of claim 1, said analyzing at least one error comprising:

constructing the error database from the first subset of said plurality of entries;

constructing a refined-symptom database from the error database;

determining that more than one entry is present in the refined-symptom database for a unique error associated with a first error identifier; and

communicating to a user a recommendation to revise the computer code such that the unique error is attributable only to a first configuration element of the first data.

3. The method of claim 2, said constructing the refined-symptom database comprising:

selecting entries comprising the first error identifier from said at least one error entry of the error database;

selecting the first configuration element of the first data, wherein the first error identifier and the first configuration element are in a same error entry of the error database;

determining a set of configuration elements of the first data to which the unique error associated with the first error identifier is attributable such that the first configuration element represents said set of configuration elements as a single cause of the unique error; and

adding to the refined-symptom database a refined-symptom entry comprising the first error identifier and the first configuration element as the single cause of the unique error.

4. The method of claim 3, said organizing comprising:

determining a subset of configuration elements from all configuration elements presented in at least one refined-symptom entry;

determining a subset of unique errors that correspond to each configuration element of the subset of configuration elements according to said at least one refined-symptom entry;

defining an error class for the subset of unique errors;

associating the subset of configuration elements with the error class; and

adding the subset of configuration elements to the set of error-causing elements such that the set of error-causing elements comprises at least one configuration element of the first data that singularly originates a respective error in the error class.

5. The method of claim 1, said analyzing at least one no-error comprising:

constructing the no-error database from the second subset of said plurality of entries;

constructing a function database from the no-error database;

determining that more than one entry is present in the function database for a unique improper behavior associated with a first improper behavior identifier; and

communicating to a user a message notifying that the computer code results in the unique improper behavior from said executing by interacting with a first configuration property of the first data that is associated with the first improper behavior identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, said constructing the function database comprising:

selecting entries comprising the first improper behavior identifier from said at least one no-error entry of the no-error database;

selecting the first configuration property of the first data, wherein the first improper behavior identifier and the first configuration property are in a same no-error entry of the no-error database;

determining a set of configuration properties of the first data to which the unique improper behavior associated with the first improper behavior identifier is attributable such that the first configuration property represents said set of configuration properties as a single cause of the unique improper behavior; and

adding to the function database a function entry comprising the first improper behavior identifier and the first configuration property as the single cause of the unique improper behavior.

7. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code containing instructions that perform analyzing a computer code, said analyzing the computer code comprising;

executing the computer code over first data and second data, wherein the computer code is executable on a target system, wherein the first data configures the target system and the second data provides operational data for the computer code to generate an output, the first data being at least substantially independent of the second data to an extent that the first data and the second data does not interfere with each other in causing errors during said executing, and the first data having a plurality of elements, wherein the computer system simulates the operations of the target system for said executing;

constructing a symptom database having a plurality of entries based on the operations and the output from said executing, wherein each entry of the plurality of entries is independently selected from the group consisting of an error entry and a no-error entry, wherein the error entry comprises an error identifier that indicates an associated error that had occurred during said executing and a configuration element of the first data to which the associated error is attributable, and wherein the no-error entry comprises an improper behavior identifier that indicates an associated improper behavior that occurred during said executing and a configuration property of the first data to which the associated improper behavior is attributable;

analyzing at least one error that occurred during said executing by use of an error database based on a first subset of said plurality of entries that are error entries;

analyzing at least one no-error that occurred during said executing by use of a no-error database based on a second subset of said plurality of entries that are no-error entries;

organizing said at least one error into a set of error classes to which said at least one error is a member and organizing error-causing elements that correspond to a respective error class in the first set of error classes into a set of error-causing elements; and

generating a set of redundant elements that are not members of the set of error-causing elements.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, said analyzing at least one error comprising:

constructing the error database from the first subset of said plurality of entries;

constructing a refined-symptom database from the error database;

determining that more than one entry is present in the refined-symptom database for a unique error associated with a first error identifier; and

communicating to a user a recommendation to revise the computer code such that the unique error is attributable only to a first configuration element of the first data.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, said constructing the refined-symptom database comprising:

selecting entries comprising the first error identifier from said at least one error entry of the error database;

selecting the first configuration element of the first data, wherein the first error identifier and the first configuration element are in a same error entry of the error database;

determining a set of configuration elements of the first data to which the unique error associated with the first error identifier is attributable such that the first configuration element represents said set of configuration elements as a single cause of the unique error; and

adding to the refined-symptom database a refined-symptom entry comprising the first error identifier and the first configuration element as the single cause of the unique error.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, said organizing comprising:

determining a subset of configuration elements from all configuration elements presented in at least one refined-symptom entry;

determining a subset of unique errors that correspond to each configuration element of the subset of configuration elements according to said at least one refined-symptom entry;

defining an error class for the subset of unique errors;

associating the subset of configuration elements with the error class; and

adding the subset of configuration elements to the set of error-causing elements such that the set of error-causing elements comprises at least one configuration element of the first data that singularly originates a respective error in the error class.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, said analyzing at least one no-error comprising:

constructing the no-error database from the second subset of said plurality of entries;

constructing a function database from the no-error database;

determining that more than one entry is present in the function database for a unique improper behavior associated with a first improper behavior identifier; and

communicating to a user a message notifying that the computer code results in the unique improper behavior from said executing by interacting with a first configuration property of the first data that is associated with the first improper behavior identifier.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, said constructing the function database comprising:

selecting entries comprising the first improper behavior identifier from said at least one no-error entry of the no-error database;

selecting the first configuration property of the first data, wherein the first improper behavior identifier and the first configuration property are in a same no-error entry of the no-error database;

determining a set of configuration properties of the first data to which the unique improper behavior associated with the first improper behavior identifier is attributable such that the first configuration property represents said set of configuration properties as a single cause of the unique improper behavior; and

adding to the function database a function entry comprising the first improper behavior identifier and the first configuration property as the single cause of the unique improper behavior.

13. A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said computer readable memory unit containing instructions that when run by the processor implement a method for analyzing a computer code, said method comprising:

executing the computer code over first data and second data, wherein the computer code is executable on a target system, wherein the first data configures the target system and the second data provides operational data for the computer code to generate an output, the first data being at least substantially independent of the second data to an extent that the first data and the second data does not interfere with each other in causing errors during said executing, and the first data having a plurality of elements, wherein the computer system simulates the operations of the target system for said executing;

constructing a symptom database having a plurality of entries based on the operations and the output from said executing, wherein each entry of the plurality of entries is independently selected from the group consisting of an error entry and a no-error entry, wherein the error entry comprises an error identifier that indicates an associated error that had occurred during said executing and a configuration element of the first data to which the associated error is attributable, and wherein the no-error entry comprises an improper behavior identifier that indicates an associated improper behavior that occurred during said executing and a configuration property of the first data to which the associated improper behavior is attributable;

analyzing at least one error that occurred during said executing by use of an error database based on a first subset of said plurality of entries that are error entries;

analyzing at least one no-error that occurred during said executing by use of a no-error database based on a second subset of said plurality of entries that are no-error entries;

organizing said at least one error into a set of error classes to which said at least one error is a member and organizing error-causing elements that correspond to a respective error class in the first set of error classes into a set of error-causing elements; and

generating a set of redundant elements that are not members of the set of error-causing elements.

14. The computer system of claim 13, said analyzing at least one error comprising:

constructing the error database from the first subset of said plurality of entries;

constructing a refined-symptom database from the error database;

determining that more than one entry is present in the refined-symptom database for a unique error associated with a first error identifier; and

communicating to a user a recommendation to revise the computer code such that the unique error is attributable only to a first configuration element of the first data.

15. The computer system of claim 14, said constructing the refined-symptom database comprising:

selecting entries comprising the first error identifier from said at least one error entry of the error database;

selecting the first configuration element of the first data, wherein the first error identifier and the first configuration element are in a same error entry of the error database;

determining a set of configuration elements of the first data to which the unique error associated with the first error identifier is attributable such that the first configuration element represents said set of configuration elements as a single cause of the unique error; and

adding to the refined-symptom database a refined-symptom entry comprising the first error identifier and the first configuration element as the single cause of the unique error.

16. The computer system of claim 15, said organizing comprising:

determining a subset of configuration elements from all configuration elements presented in at least one refined-symptom entry;

determining a subset of unique errors that correspond to each configuration element of the subset of configuration elements according to said at least one refined-symptom entry;

defining an error class for the subset of unique errors;

associating the subset of configuration elements with the error class; and

adding the subset of configuration elements to the set of error-causing elements such that the set of error-causing elements comprises at least one configuration element of the first data that singularly originates a respective error in the error class.

17. The computer system of claim 13, said analyzing at least one no-error comprising:

constructing the no-error database from the second subset of said plurality of entries;

constructing a function database from the no-error database;

determining that more than one entry is present in the function database for a unique improper behavior associated with a first improper behavior identifier; and

communicating to a user a message notifying that the computer code results in the unique improper behavior from said executing by interacting with a first configuration property of the first data that is associated with the first improper behavior identifier.

18. The computer system of claim 17, said constructing the function database comprising:

selecting entries comprising the first improper behavior identifier from said at least one no-error entry of the no-error database;

selecting the first configuration property of the first data, wherein the first improper behavior identifier and the first configuration property are in a same no-error entry of the no-error database;

determining a set of configuration properties of the first data to which the unique improper behavior associated with the first improper behavior identifier is attributable such that the first configuration property represents said set of configuration properties as a single cause of the unique improper behavior; and

adding to the function database a function entry comprising the first improper behavior identifier and the first configuration property as the single cause of the unique improper behavior.