Transaction Identifier Correlates End-User Experience and Backend Performance Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
End-user experience data and backend-performance data are difficult to relate and cross-reference effectively due to being captured separately at distinct logical or physical nodes in network architecture, with existing methods being insufficient and often inaccurate.
Innovation Solution
A system and method where a backend-computing system generates a transaction identifier for each transaction, injecting it into the web response, allowing for indexing and correlation of backend-performance data and end-user experience data, enabling accurate cross-referencing and aggregation of data across separate collection points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If end-user experience data and backend-performance data are captured separately at distinct nodes, then data collection independence is maintained, but data correlation accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A transaction identifier is introduced as an intermediary element that bridges end-user experience data and backend-performance data. This identifier is injected into web responses by monitoring agents on application servers and captured by data collectors at network nodes, enabling accurate correlation of data from separate collection points without compromising data independence
Solution Approach 2:
The data collection architecture is segmented into independent components (monitoring agents on application servers, data collectors at network nodes) that each handle specific data types separately, while the transaction identifier serves as a common key that enables correlation without requiring centralized data collection
2Ease of operation
If timestamp-based correlation methods are used, then data relationship establishment is simplified, but correlation accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The correlation method transitions from using timestamp parameters to using transaction identifier parameters. The transaction identifier is a unique, immutable value that remains consistent across all data records for a given transaction, providing accurate correlation without the ambiguities of timestamp-based matching
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes operating at least one distributed software application. The method further includes receiving a web request from an end-user information handling system in connection with the at least one distributed software application. Further, the method includes generating a transaction identifier for the transaction. Moreover, the method includes processing the transaction. The processing includes generating backend-performance data indexed by the transaction identifier. Additionally, the method includes injecting the transaction identifier into a web response to the web request. Also, the method includes transmitting the web response to the end-user information handling system along a transmission path. In addition, the method includes, at a node along the transmission path, passively observing the response and generating end-user experience data therefrom.