Machine Learning Incident Classification for Cloud IT

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The process of reviewing IT incidents to determine their relation to a problem is time-consuming and tedious, making it challenging for organizations to quickly understand the cause and scope of incidents in cloud-based IT platforms.

Innovation Solution

The use of logistic regression models and decision trees to extract features from incidents, train models, and identify correlations between incident features and problems, allowing for the classification and prediction of incident relationships to existing problems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual review of IT incidents is performed to determine their relation to problems, then accuracy in identifying incident-problem relationships is improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy in identifying incident-problem relationshipsVSAvoidtime consumption for reviewing incidents
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the manual mechanical review process with an automated machine learning system. Logistic regression models and decision trees automatically analyze incident data, extract features, and determine incident-problem relationships without human intervention, thereby maintaining accuracy while eliminating time consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces machine learning models as intermediaries between incident data and problem identification. These models process incident features and generate predictions about incident-problem relationships, serving as an automated mediator that resolves the contradiction between accurate identification and time efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If manual review of IT incidents is performed to understand the scope and cause of problems, then understanding and accuracy are improved, but productivity and response speed deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunderstanding of incident cause and scopeVSAvoidresponse speed to incidents
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-training machine learning models on historical incident data before actual incident analysis is needed. The models are prepared in advance with extracted features and learned relationships, enabling them to quickly analyze new incidents without manual review, thus improving both understanding and response speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes the manual analytical process with automated machine learning inference. The models automatically understand incident causes and scope by analyzing incident features against learned patterns, eliminating the need for manual review while maintaining or improving understanding accuracy and significantly increasing productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If multiple logistic regression models are trained to generate odds ratios for incident features, then prediction accuracy and reliability are improved, but device complexity and computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprediction accuracy of incident classificationVSAvoidcomplexity of machine learning system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the machine learning system into multiple independent logistic regression models, each trained on different subsets of incident data or different feature sets. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high prediction accuracy through ensemble methods while keeping individual model complexity manageable and enabling parallel processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses parameter changes by training multiple logistic regression models with different parameter configurations (different feature subsets, different training data samples). This approach improves prediction reliability through diversity in model parameters while maintaining the simplicity of the underlying logistic regression algorithm for each individual model.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Measurement precision

If features are extracted and analyzed from all incidents to identify correlations with problems, then measurement precision and insight quality are improved, but loss of time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecorrelation analysis accuracyVSAvoidtime for feature extraction and analysis
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the most relevant features from incident data using machine learning models. Instead of analyzing all incident attributes equally, the system identifies and focuses on key features that have the strongest correlation with problems, thereby maintaining measurement precision while reducing the time and computational resources required for analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by analyzing a subset of the most important incident features rather than all features. The machine learning models identify and focus on critical features that provide sufficient correlation analysis accuracy, eliminating the need to process every incident attribute and thus reducing time and computational overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS11106525B2Systems and methods for classifying and predicting the cause of information technology incidents using machine learning
Publication Date: 2021.08.31 SERVICENOW INC
  • US11106525B2 patent drawing
  • US11106525B2 patent drawing
  • US11106525B2 patent drawing

AI summary

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for classifying incidents based on determining an odds ratio that represents a likelihood of an incident being related to the problem, classifying incidents based on determining a decision tree that forms branches based on whether a feature is present in the incident, and predicting whether a new incident is related to a problem. Features may be extracted from a set of incidents (e.g., that are reported over a certain time period) that include incidents related to a problem and incidents not related to the problem. The incidents related to the problem and a portion of the incidents not related to the problem may be used to train a logistic regression model or generate a decision tree. The trained logistic regression model may be used to determine the odds ratios or predict whether a new incident is related to a problem.