Analysis engine for automatically analyzing and linking error logs

• US 9,424,115 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Successfactors Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Successfactors Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Jiang, Yunfeng, Jiang, Yijun
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh, Elmira
• Application Number:
  US13/922,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20140365828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 714/38.1, 714/48, 714/57
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0706 the processing taking place on a specific hardware platform or in a specific software environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems

Abstract

Test results can be analyzed and linked using an automated system. In a first embodiment, an error log can be received including log data associated with an error. The log data can be parsed to transform it into a standardized format to allow for easier searching and comparison. Once standardized, an automatic comparison can be made between the parsed log data and previous errors obtained from error logs. If a match is found between the parsed log data and a previous error, then the parsed log data can be linked to the previous error so as to generate a relationship between the two.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of analyzing an error log, comprising:

receiving an error log including log data associated with an error at an analysis engine;

parsing the log data to transform the log data into a standardized format by the analysis engine;

automatically comparing the parsed log data to one or more previous errors obtained from error logs using a matcher;

if a match is found by the matcher between the parsed log data and the one or more previous errors then linking the parsed log data to at least one of the matched, previous errors by the analysis engine, wherein the linking comprises identifying a first linking type of the at least one of the matched, previous errors and storing the first linking type as a linking type of the parsed log data; and

receiving user input at the analysis engine to change the linking of the parsed log data, wherein changing the linking comprises changing the stored linking type of the parsed log data to a second linking type that is different from the first linking type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically comparing includes comparing an error type in the log data to an error type in a candidate error amongst the one or more previous errors, and if the error types match, comparing an error message associated with the log data to an error message in the candidate error.

3. The method of claim 2, further including comparing a trace of the log data with a trace of the candidate error, wherein the trace includes a plurality of instructions executed before an error occurred.

4. The method of claim 3, further including comparing a location in a source code associated with the log data where the error occurred with a location of the source code associated with the candidate error.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the error log is generated by a script that is testing user interface buttons in an application or non-user-interface functionality of the application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the error log is through an application programming interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein parsing the log data includes receiving the error log in a first format and transforming the error log to a second format, different than the first format.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically comparing the parsed log data to one or more of the previous errors includes searching through a database and generating a base linking type if no match is found.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein linking the parsed log data to at least one of the matched, previous errors, includes matching the parsed log data to a previously generated linking type.

10. One or more computer-readable storage medium for executing a method for analyzing an error log, the method comprising:

receiving an error log obtained as a result of automatically testing an application;

storing the error log in a library of log events;

comparing the error log to error logs previously received;

if a match is found between the error log and a previously received error log, then linking the error log to the previously received error log that was matched, wherein the linking comprises storing a first linking type, of the previously received error log that was matched, as a linking type of the error log; and

receiving user input to change the linking and modifying linking information in the library in response thereto, wherein modifying the linking information comprises changing the stored linking type of the error log to a second linking type that is different from the first linking type.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further including parsing the error log so as to convert it from a first format to a second format so that error logs stored in the library are consistently in the second format.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein finding a match includes matching an error log type and an error message between the error log and the previously received error log.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein finding a match further includes matching a code trace, leading up to the error, between the error log and the previously received error log.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further including reading source code of the application to determine a first location in the source code associated with the error log and comparing the determined first location with a second location in the source code associated with the previously received error log.

15. A computer system for analyzing an error log, comprising:

a microprocessor;

a memory;

a database library, at least part of which is stored in the memory, including stored previous errors that occurred;

a parser adapted to use the microprocessor to receive an error log including a current error and to transform the error log into a predetermined standard format for storage in the database library;

a matcher adapted to use the microprocessor to search the database library, to compare information in the error log with the previous errors in order to determine if the previous errors are associated with the current error, and if the previous errors are associated with the current error, linking the current error to the previous errors, wherein the linking comprises identifying a first linking type of the previous errors and storing the first linking type as a linking type of the current error; and

an updater coupled to the database library and adapted to use the microprocessor to change linking information between the current error and the previous errors, wherein changing the linking information comprises changing the stored linking type of the current error from the first linking type to a second linking type that is different from the first linking type.

16. The system of claim 15, further including a result fetcher for receiving a user request to search for errors in the database library and for providing displayable results to a user interface.