Software Error Resolution via Simulated Execution Context
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software support solutions require manual effort from both customers and support providers to diagnose and resolve technical errors in business applications, which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, especially for infrequent errors.
Innovation Solution
The software receives error information and dynamic context from a remote business application, generating a search interface with populated criteria and simulating the application's execution environment to facilitate precise and efficient error resolution, utilizing both dynamic and static context information to present relevant solutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual error reporting and analysis processes are used, then customers can submit error reports through support channels, but the time and resources required for error resolution increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically collects and analyzes error context information, dynamic variables, and execution state data before a support agent needs to intervene. This preliminary automated analysis prepares diagnostic information in advance, reducing the time support agents need to spend on basic information gathering while maintaining accurate error resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simulated execution environment that replicates the customer's application state and error conditions. This virtual copy allows support agents to reproduce and analyze errors without directly accessing or risking the customer's live system, enabling faster and safer error diagnosis and resolution.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive context information is collected for accurate error analysis, then error resolution precision improves, but the complexity of the support system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is divided into distinct functional modules: an error reporting module that collects error information, a context analysis module that processes dynamic and static variables, a simulation module that reproduces error conditions, and a resolution module that provides solutions. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, improving diagnostic accuracy while managing overall system complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The simulated execution environment acts as an intermediary between the customer's live system and the support analysis tools. It captures and reproduces the necessary context information (dynamic variables, execution state, configuration data) without requiring direct access to or modification of the customer's actual system, thereby simplifying the interface while maintaining diagnostic precision.
3Productivity
If automated execution environment simulation is implemented, then error reproduction and analysis efficiency improve, but the resources required for support operations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The simulated execution environment reproduces only the specific portion of the application state necessary to analyze the reported error, rather than fully replicating the entire application ecosystem. It focuses computational resources on capturing relevant dynamic variables, execution context, and configuration data related to the error, achieving efficient error analysis without the overhead of complete system simulation.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides various embodiments of software for supporting a business application. In one aspect, the software receives error information and dynamic context information from a remote business application, where the dynamic context information may partially identify the particular execution point of the business application and a portion of the business data associated with that execution point, present a search interface to a support user utilizing search criteria that is automatically populated using the received information, and, upon request of the support user, generates an execution environment that simulates the remote business application execution using the received information. In some implementations, the software is farther operable to retrieve static context information related to the remote business application from a static context information repository. In those instances, the execution environment for the support user may be generated using at least a portion of the retrieved static context information.