Sessions, workflows, and templates

Sessions

You can use Transaction Analysis Workbench without using sessions, and analyze problems using ad hoc sets of log files instead. However, using sessions offers the following advantages that make it easier to manage problems and collaborate with other users:

• Sessions are stored in a session repository that you can share with other users. Each session has its own list of log files. If you want to collaborate with other users when analyzing a problem, then, rather than sending them the data set names of the corresponding log files and other information about the problem, you can simply refer them to a session.
• You can filter the list of sessions to display only the ones that you are interested in, such as open problems assigned to you.
• Rather than explicitly specifying log files yourself, you can specify a time period for the problem and the names of the systems involved, and then submit an automated file selection job to populate the list of files for the session.

  If you create a session from a session template, then the session template might already specify the systems involved; the template might also contain workflow tasks that perform the automated file selection. In that case, all you need to do is specify a time period and then run the tasks.

• Sessions offer a structured approach to managing the lifecycle of a problem:
  1. Create a session to register the problem; optionally, selecting a session template as a starting point
  2. Select the log files required to analyze the problem; optionally, by running workflow tasks inherited from the template
  3. Create batch reports that are specific to the problem; optionally, by running workflow tasks inherited from the template
  4. Browse log files individually, or merged in any combination
  5. While browsing log files, tag any log records that are of special interest: you, or other users, can later resume browsing at that position
  6. Write notes about your analysis
  7. Reassign the problem to the appropriate subject-matter expert

A session contains the following information about a problem:

• A unique identifier, known as a session key
• Optional metadata to help you track, assign, and share the analysis:
  • A one-line summary
  • A multi-line description
  • When the problem occurred
  • The systems involved
  • The problem severity (a number)
  • The problem status, such as open or closed
  • Who reported the problem
  • Who the problem is currently assigned to
  • A reference to an entry in your enterprise's problem tracking system
• A list of associated log files
• A history consisting of jobs that have been run for the session, notes that you or other users have written about the session, and tags that bookmark a position in the log browser.

Workflows

A session workflow consists of a sequence of two types of task: batch job tasks and note tasks. Batch job tasks contain JCL; note tasks contain instructions or tips for the user.

A typical workflow consists of the following sequence of tasks:

Log file selection

Batch job tasks to automate log file selection for the systems involved and for the time when the problem occurred.

Data reduction

Batch job tasks to create extracts of the selected log files, limited to records for the time when the problem occurred and the record types that are relevant to problem analysis.

Reporting

Batch job tasks to create reports to begin to identify the cause of the problem; or at least, to identify the particular system that is likely to be the cause of the problem.

Instruction

A note task describing what to do next, such as analyzing reports created by earlier tasks, and then assigning the problem to the appropriate subject-matter expert, such as a CICS® or DB2® administrator.

A session workflow has the following two purposes:

• To offer guidance for analyzing a problem. Subject-matter experts can develop a workflow and save it in a session template.
• To record the steps that have been performed to analyze a problem. When you select an option in a session that involves running a batch job, such as automated file selection, extraction, or reporting, Transaction Analysis Workbench saves the JCL as a new batch job task. (Running an existing batch job task does not create a new task.) You can also add note tasks and your own custom batch job tasks.

You can run batch job tasks individually or you can schedule multiple tasks to run in sequence.

Each task has a status. When a batch job task completes, Transaction Analysis Workbench updates the task status to reflect the job completion code. You can also change the status of tasks manually.

You can use Transaction Analysis Workbench to automatically create batch job tasks that select log files for systems, and then create extracts and transaction indexes from those log files, according to the time period of the problem.

Batch job tasks include a step that saves the task sysout data sets as members of a library data set, enabling you to view the output even when the original job is purged. You can view the output in the Transaction Analysis Workbench ISPF dialog or plug-in.

Session templates

When you create a session for a problem, you can optionally select a template. The session inherits details from the template. A session template offers a starting point and guidance for analyzing a particular type of problem, such as a problem with a particular application.

Typically, a session template contains at least the following details:

• The systems that are involved in an application
• Workflow tasks to select the log files for those systems, and then create extracts and transaction indexes from those log files, according to the time period of the problem

To create a template, you can either start with a new, blank template or save an existing session as a template.

Subject-matter experts create session templates to help other users, such as help desk staff or other first responders, begin to analyze a problem themselves; or at least, to select the log files necessary for analysis, rather than immediately assigning the problem to an expert.