Patent ID: 8255524

Claim:
A method for real-time monitoring a network comprising a number of network devices, or network nodes, services and users, wherein the method comprises the steps of: providing one or more Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in dependence of KPI definition performance parameters and additional or correlation parameters in a decision graph representing KPI values and combination probabilities by: collecting performance counters which provide a formula defining KPI, using BN technology to directly encode the formula in the decision graph by: representing the KPI by means of a KPI node in the graph, representing the KPI definition performance parameters as nodes in the decision graph, linking the KPI node to the performance counters by means of arcs or links, said links representing a causal relationship between changes to performance counters and to the KPI, representing decisions relating to taking of actions as a number of notification decision nodes, evaluating, qualitatively the combination of a value of a variable performance parameter and a decision value to provide a utility value, and encoding the utility value in a utility node, updating, automatically, the KPI values and performance probabilities when there is a change in any definition performance parameter and/or in any additional or correlation parameter so that the KPI values and combination probabilities always are up-to-date, using the decision graph to predict KPI values and/or performance parameters at a single point in time and/or their variation over a given time interval.