Patent Publication Number: US-2007101208-A1

Title: System and method for reporting errors

Description:
BACKGROUND  
      The present invention generally relates to a mechanism for reporting system errors to an administrator, and more specifically to user-initiated instant communication of error reports to an administrator from a user&#39;s work environment.  
      Various existing error reporting schemes allow a user to communicate with a system administrator when he/she encounters technical difficulties during operation. In the most basic form of error reporting, the user stops his/her work while trying to locate an administrator by telephone to report system anomaly and repair the problem. In an alternative scheme, the user sends an administrator an email message from his/her desktop email application to report system failures by describing the error and the application involved. Some software applications include the capability to prompt the user to send a generic system-generated email message to report an application error.  
      While existing error reporting schemes attempt to maintain an open line of communication between a user and a system administrator, they often fail to accommodate the user&#39;s urgent needs for several reasons. First, in a reporting scheme where a user must communicate with a system administrator by telephone to resolve technical difficulties, the user must stop his/her work mid-stream to report the error. In organizations where the system administrator is not constantly available or there are many technical support personnel available, locating the system administrator or identifying the right person to report to can be time consuming and frustrating.  
      Secondly, in an existing reporting scheme where a user sends an email message to a system administrator via a desktop email application, the user must not only inform the administrator that the error occurred, but also provide the administrator with relevant technical system information for the corresponding application. This can be a difficult and demanding task if the user is new to the application or is not familiar with background technical information for the application.  
      Thirdly, in an existing reporting scheme where a user is prompted by the application to send a system-generated generic error report, the user has no control in terms of the type of information that is being sent to the administrator. In this scenario, the user cannot communicate to the administrator personalized descriptions, such as what he/she thinks the error is, reasons for the error, or ways to remedy the error. Rather, the user must passively send a message communicating non-descriptive information generated by the system.  
      The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of existing systems by allowing users to proactively and efficiently report system errors. More specifically, in an exemplary embodiment, the present invention integrates an error reporting mechanism in a user&#39;s work environment, which, when selected by the user, causes the work environment to display an input text box. The user creates an error report by entering textual descriptions of the error. System information for the application is automatically captured in the error report when the user proceeds to send the report to a system administrator. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a computer system for reporting errors comprising a user interface coupled with a processor, connected to a system administrator console.  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the error reporting mechanism as an instant messaging dialogue box.  
       FIG. 3 . is a screen shot illustrating an exemplary view of an active work environment presenting an error reporting mechanism, before the user selects the error reporting mechanism.  
       FIG. 4  is another screen shot illustrating an exemplary view of an active work environment presenting an error reporting mechanism, after the user selects the error reporting mechanism, which causes the work environment to display a pop-in text box. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Embodiments of the present invention provide error reporting mechanisms in highly interactive software applications, such as SAP&#39;s ERP Human Capital Management module, CRM Improving Order Management application, and mySAP Supplier Relationship Management program. According to these embodiments, a running work environment integrates an error reporting mechanism that enables a user to proactively communicate technical difficulties or anomalies to system administrators. When the user encounters a system error and chooses to report the instance to an administrator, the user selects the available error reporting mechanism, which causes the work environment to display a text input box. To create an error report, the user enters descriptions of the error in the text input box as he/she desires. The error report, containing text entered by the user and system-generated information regarding the running application, is communicated to an administrator. The administrator receives the error report at his/her console, checks the application to confirm the error, and reconfigures the system accordingly.  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention. It shows a computer system  100  including a user interface for an active work environment  101 , coupled to a central processor  102 ; an error report  103  containing information entered by user  112  and information generated by central processor  107 , communicated to system administrator console  104  via network  105 . User interface  101  displays an error reporting mechanism  106  containing a text box for user input  112 . Central processor  102  stores system information  107  for each application in which an error has occurred, including application identification  108 , user identification  109 , time of error  110 , and type of error  111 . Specifically, application identification  108  indicates in which application and version the error occurred; user identification  109  identifies the active user when the error occurred; time of error  110  captures when the error took place; and type of error  111  communicates the category of the error that occurred. When the user creates error report  103  by entering user input  112 , central processor  102  incorporates system information  107  in error report  103 . Consequently, error report  103 , containing both user input  112  and system information  107 , is communicated to system administrator console  104  via network  105 .  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an error reporting mechanism. Error reporting mechanism  203  is displayed on user interface  201 . When the user selects error reporting mechanism  203 , an instant messaging dialogue box  202  appears, containing action buttons “Cancel”  204  and “Send”  205 . The user enters text describing error  210  in dialogue input box  206 . To cancel the action of creating error message  207 , the user clicks “Cancel” button  204 . To create and send an error message  207 , the user clicks “Send” button  205 . Error message  207  includes text describing error  210  and system information  209  generated by central processor  208 .  
       FIG. 3  is a screen shot of one embodiment of the present invention before the user chooses to report an error. User interface  300  constantly displays error reporting mechanism  301 , labeled “Errors Detected?,” in a navigation panel, typically appearing on the left side of the computer screen. When the user clicks the hyperlink, labeled “Click here,” a pop-in text box appears, as shown in  FIG. 4 .  
      In an alternative embodiment, error reporting mechanism  301  is hidden from user interface  300  at the user&#39;s choice.  
      In another alternative embodiment, error reporting mechanism  301  is displayed at the top of the computer screen, in the button row.  
       FIG. 4  is a screen shot of one embodiment of the present invention after the user chooses to report an error. After the user selects the “Click here” hyperlink in  FIG. 3 , pop-in text box  402  appears in error reporting mechanism  401  in the navigation panel displayed on the left side of the computer screen. In other words, pop-in text box  402  appears within the same display level as user interface  300 . Subsequent to the user entering the error description in pop-in text box  402 , the user sends the error report by clicking “Send” action button  403 , or the user cancels the error report by clicking “Cancel” action button  404 .  
      In an alternative embodiment, after the user selects the “Click here” hyperlink in  FIG. 3 , a pop-up text box appears on user interface  400  for the user to compose an error report.  
      Alternatively, after the user selects the “Click here” hyperlink in  FIG. 3 , an instant messaging dialogue box appears on user interface  400 , enabling the user to communicate an error report and maintain a real-time conversation with a system administrator.  
      Several embodiments of the present invention are specifically illustrated and described herein. However, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.