Trace Visualization Using Hierarchical Edge Bundles and Massive Sequence Views

Abstract

One way of gaining understanding of a software system is the analysis of dynamic information, i.e., program execution traces. A problem regarding the analysis of such traces is the fact that these are often extremely large: hundreds of thousands and even millions of calls within a single trace are no exception. To aid a user in navigating and understanding these vast amounts of information, we propose to visualize execution traces using two linked views. One is an element interaction view that shows part of a trace, i.e., those calls within a specific time window, using Hierarchical Edge Bundles (HEBs). The other is a more detailed Massive Sequence View that is synchronized with the HEB View and offers detailed information regarding the temporal location and interleaving of the calls within the current time window. This view also introduces a novel way of antialiasing based on the importance of calls. In this paper, we focus on the technical aspects of the visualization and rendering techniques that are necessary to produce scalable visualizations using HEBs and Massive Sequence Views. Preprint accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Visualizing Software for Understanding and Analysis (VISSOFT), 2007, IEEE Computer Society.