Visualization, transformation, and analysis of execution traces with the eclipse TRACE4CPS trace tool

Abstract

An execution trace is a model of a single system behavior. Execution traces occur everywhere in the system’s lifecycle as they can typically be produced by executable models, by prototypes of (sub)systems, and by the system itself during its operation. An execution trace can be visualized and analyzed with various techniques, providing insight into the dynamic behavior, performance, bottlenecks, etc., of the system. In this paper, we present the Trace tool of the Eclipse Trace4cps project for the visualization and analysis of execution traces. A prominent application is the trace-based performance engineering of embedded or cyber-physical systems. Performance is an important system quality, as it can give a competitive advantage. Reasoning about system-level performance in such systems, however, is hard due to its cross-cutting nature. We show how the Trace tool can support this by various examples. Performance engineering is not the only application of the Trace tool, however: it supports system analysis in a wide range of situations.