Identifying a common action flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9753743-B2
Application number	US-201314098188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Dec 5, 2013
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A common action flow for an application is identified by processing session data maintained for a plurality of users to identify a plurality of action flows. Each action flow represents a series of actions taken by one of the users navigating the application's user interface during a session. A data structure is generated from the plurality of action flows. That data structure is indicative of a plurality of candidate sub-flows. The data structure is analyzed to identify a selected one of the candidate sub-flows repeated in multiple ones of the plurality of action flows. That identified sub-flow is the common action flow. Data representative of the identified common action flow can then be communicated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A memory resource storing instructions that when executed cause a processing resource to implement a system for detecting a common action flow, the instructions comprising:
a session module executable to:
process session data to identify, for an application, a plurality of action flows, each action flow representing a series of actions taken by a user navigating the application's user interface; and
filter the plurality of actions flows to include actions in a set of statistically related actions;

a flow module executable to identify a sub-flow of actions repeated in the plurality of action flows, the identified sub-flow representing a common action flow, the flow module executable to identify the sub-flow of actions by:
identifying a set of candidate sub-flows of non-consecutive actions from the filtered plurality of actions flows; and
filtering the set of candidate sub-flows according to a rule such that the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow remains; and

a reporting module executable to communicate data representative of the common action flow.

2. The memory resource of claim 1 , wherein the sub-flow of actions is a sub-flow of consecutive actions and the flow module is executable to identify the sub-flow of consecutive actions by:
identifying a set of candidate consecutive sub-flows from the plurality of action flows; and
filtering the set of candidate consecutive sub-flows according to a rule such that the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow remains wherein the rule specifies at least one of a flow length such that candidate consecutive sub-flows shorter than the specified length are removed from consideration and a repetition count such that candidate consecutive sub-flows repeated fewer than the repetition count are removed from consideration.

3. The memory resource of claim 1 , wherein the flow module is executable to identify the sub-flow of actions by:
discovering a plurality of suffix sub-flows for each of the plurality of action flows;
identifying one of the plurality of suffix sub-flows that satisfies a rule, the identified suffix sub-flow being the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow.

4. The memory resource of claim 3 , wherein the flow module is executable to identify one of the plurality of suffix sub-flows that satisfies a rule by:
filtering the discovered suffix sub-flows according at least one of a repetition count and a flow length to reveal a given suffix sub-flow; and
identifying, from the plurality of discovered suffix sub-flows, an extension of the given suffix sub-flow; and
identifying at least one of the given suffix sub-flow and the extension as the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow.

5. The memory resource of claim 1 , wherein the sub-flow of actions is a sub-flow of the non-consecutive actions interrupted by other actions.

6. A system for identifying a common action flow for an application, the system comprising:
a session engine to identify a plurality of action flows each representing a series of actions taken by a user navigating the application's user interface, wherein the session ermine is to filter the plurality of action flows to include actions in a set of statistically related actions;
a flow engine to identify a sub-flow of actions repeated in the plurality of action flows, the identified sub-flow representing a common action flow, the flow engine to identify the sub-flow actions by:
identifying a set of candidate consecutive sub-flows from the filtered plurality of action flows; and
filter the set of candidate consecutive sub-flows according to a rule such that the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow remains; and

a reporting engine to communicate data representative of the common action flow.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the flow engine is configured to identify the sub-flow of actions by:
identifying a set of candidate sub-flows from the plurality of action flows; and
filtering the set of candidate sub-flows according to a rule such that the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow remains wherein the rule specifies at least one of a flow length such that candidate sub-flows shorter than the specified length are removed from consideration and a repetition count such that candidate sub-flows repeated fewer than the repetition count are removed from consideration.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the flow engine is executable to identify the sub-flow of actions by:
generating, from the plurality of action flows, a generalized suffix tree defining a plurality suffix sub-flows;
identifying one of the plurality of suffix sub-flows that satisfies a rule, the identified suffix sub-flow being the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the flow engine is executable to identify one of the plurality of suffix sub-flows that satisfies a rule by:
filtering the discovered suffix sub-flows according at least one of a repetition count and a flow length to reveal a given suffix sub-flow; and
identifying, from the plurality of discovered suffix sub-flows, an extension of the given suffix sub-flow; and
identifying at least one of the given suffix sub-flow and the extension as the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow.

10. A method for identifying a common action flow for an application, comprising:
processing session data maintained for a plurality of users to identify a plurality of action flows, each action flow representing a series of actions taken by one of the users navigating the application's user interface during a session;
filtering the plurality of action flows to include actions included in a set of statistically related actions;
generating a data structure from the plurality of action flows, the data structure indicative of a plurality of candidate sub-flows, wherein the generating comprises generating the data structures from the filtered plurality of actions flows, the data structure indicative of a plurality of candidate sub-flows of non-consecutive actions;
analyzing the data structure to identify a selected one of the candidate sub-flows repeated in multiple ones of the plurality of action flows, the identified sub-flow being a common action flow; and
communicating data representative of the identified common action flow.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
each of the plurality of candidate sub-flows is a sub-flow of consecutive actions appearing in the session data; and
the analyzing comprises filtering the plurality of candidate sub-flows according to a rule such that the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow remains wherein the rule specifies at least one of a flow length and a repetition count.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
the data structure represents a generalized suffix tree defining the plurality of candidate sub-flows; and
the analyzing comprises analyzing the data structure to identify one of the plurality of candidate sub-flows that satisfies a rule, the identified candidate sub-flow representing the common action flow.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the analyzing comprises:
filtering the candidate sub-flows defined by the generalized suffix tree according at least one of a repetition count and a flow length to reveal a given sub-flow; and
identifying, from the plurality of candidate sub-flows, an extension of the given sub-flow; and
identifying at least one of the given sub-flow and the extension as the sub-flow of actions representing the common action flow.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp
• Entit Software Llc

Inventors

• Nor Igor
• Kenigsberg Eyal
• Galkin Ola

Classifications

• G06F11/3452

  Performance evaluation by statistical analysis · CPC title

• G06F9/4443 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F11/3003

  Monitoring arrangements specially adapted to the computing system or computing system component being monitored · CPC title

• G06F2201/88

  Monitoring involving counting · CPC title

• G06F11/30

  Monitoring · CPC title