Analyzing data

After you collect diagnostic data, determine how that data can help you to resolve your particular problem.
About this task
To analyze the data, take the following actions:
  1. Determine which data sources are most likely to contain information about the problem, and start your analysis there. For example, if the problem is related to installation, start your analysis with the installation log files (if any), rather than starting with the general product or operating system log files.
  2. Determine how the various pieces of data relate to each other. For example, if the data spans more than one system, keep your data well-organized so that you know which pieces of data come from which sources.
  3. Confirm that each piece of diagnostic data is relevant to the timing of the problem by checking timestamps. Note that data from different sources can have different timestamp formats; be sure to understand the sequence of the different elements in each timestamp format so that you can tell when the different events occurred.
What to do next

The specific method of analysis is unique to each data source, but 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, you can work backward in time through the data to unravel the root cause of the problem.

If you are investigating 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.


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