Application Design Tool KPI Display via XML Mediator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current application reporting tools do not provide key performance indicators (KPIs) back to software design tools, disrupting the closed-loop lifecycle of application design, development, deployment, and optimization.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates and logs execution-related statistics for application nodes, allowing designers to view performance metrics within the design tool user interface, enabling identification of nodes that require improvement through threshold-based filtering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If application reporting tools are used to collect performance data, then performance data is available, but the data cannot be viewed in the design tool
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (XML-based data exchange format and interface) that bridges the reporting tool and design tool. The reporting tool exports performance data in XML format, which can then be imported into the design tool, serving as a mediator that connects the two previously isolated systems without requiring complex direct integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: the reporting tool that collects and exports data, the XML data format that structures the information, and the design tool that imports and displays the data. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently while maintaining clear interfaces for data exchange, reducing overall system complexity.
2Loss of information
If all node performance statistics are displayed in the design tool, then complete performance information is available, but the interface becomes cluttered and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the most relevant performance indicators from the complete set of node statistics and displays them in the design tool interface. By selecting and displaying only key performance metrics rather than all available data, the interface remains clean and usable while still providing sufficient information for design optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the interface provide different levels of detail: the main view shows summarized key metrics for quick assessment, while detailed views or drill-down capabilities provide comprehensive statistics when needed. This local quality approach ensures that the interface is neither overwhelming nor insufficient at different levels of interaction.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method enable a designer to design an application using a design tool, deploy the application for execution, and subsequently view statistics related to the execution within the design tool. The designer uses the design tool to create an application flow for the application, and the design tool then generates software code for such application. In generating software code, the design tool inserts markers in the application code that demarks the boundaries between nodes in the application flow. When the application is executed, a log is created in accordance with the markers such that data is logged for nodes traversed during the execution of the application. Using the logged data, statistics are calculated for one or more of the nodes. These statistics are provided to the design tool and, in the preferred embodiment, displayed in conjunction with the application flow in the user interface of the design tool.