Analyzing data

After you collect data from multiple sources, you must determine how that data can help you to resolve your problem.

To analyze the data, take the following actions:

• Determine which data sources are most likely to contain information about the problem, and start your analysis from those sources. For example, if the problem is related to installation, start your analysis with the installation log files, if any. This action helps narrow down the problem, instead of starting with the general product or operating system log files.
• Understand how the various pieces of data relate to each other. For example, if the data spans to more than one system, keep your data organized to know which pieces of data come from which sources.
• Use timestamps to confirm that each piece of diagnostic data is relevant to the timing of the problem.
  Note: Data from different sources can have different timestamp formats. Understand the sequence of the different elements in each timestamp format so you can tell when the different events occur.

The specific method of analysis is unique to each data source. One tip that is applicable to most traces and log files is to start by identifying the point in the data where the problem occurs. After you identify that point, go through the data to trace the root cause of the problem.

To investigate a problem for which you have comparative data for a working and non-working environment, start by comparing the operating system and product configuration details for each environment.