A Prescriptive Analytical Logic Model Incorporated with Analytic Hierarchy Process for Software Application Error Analysis

Abstract

Software application is still playing an important role in today’s business operation. However, the software application error can arise either within the software application layer or due to any other factor outside the software application layer. The root cause analysis activity becomes much more time consuming to identify the valid error. With that, it arises the problem statement that the duration of root cause analysis on software application error carries crucial impact to the service restoration. The objective of this proposed logic model is to conduct decision making process to identify the valid software application error. This logic model consists of the algorithm to carry various important processes include the identification of the root cause in a more accurate manner, and shorten the duration of root cause analysis activity. The design of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) hierarchy will depend on the software application errors and other involved errors found from different layers. As these errors become the participants, they can be grouped further based on the error categories. Once the hierarchy is constructed, the participants analyze it through a series of pairwise comparisons that derive numerical scales of measurement for the nodes. The priorities are associated with the nodes, and the nodes carry weights of the criteria or alternatives. By the priority, the valid error and the preferred resolution can be decided. Indeed many past researches in AHP had been published, however there is a knowledge gap of AHP in software application error analysis. Therefore this Prescriptive Analytical Logic Model (PAL) incorporates with AHP into the proposed algorithm is required. At the end this logic model contributes a new knowledge in the area of log file analysis to shorten the total time spent on root cause analysis activity.