Overview - Analysis Results Indicators section

This section is only displayed when an analysis has been completed.

Overview

This section displays a set of indicators for a given analysis/snapshot. These indicators are designed to provide basic information quickly so that the analysis/snapshot can be validated. The indicators are generated during the analysis/snapshot in a dedicated step and can be generated on-demand manually (see below):

Some indicators require just an analysis to be run and some require a snapshot as well. This is noted in the Available Indicators table below.
The feature can be disabled if required - see Configuring Indicators.
You can enable and disable individual indicators - see Analysis Results Indicators in the Admin center.

Content

Categories filter

This drop down filters the indicators in the list by category. By default, all categories are displayed in the list:

This banner is displayed when CAST Imaging detects that a configuration change has been made and that your data should be updated. If the Update button is clicked, then a job will run to ensure that all Analysis Results Indicator data is correct. The triggers for this banner are identical to the triggers described in the section Update Banner in the Config section.

Show all indicators

By default this toggle switch is disabled, which means only Indicators that have a positive value (displayed in the Value column) will be displayed. All indicators which have N/A in the Value column will be hidden. Enable the option to show all Indicators regardless of their value.

Snapshot selector

Choose the snapshot you would like to view indicators for. By default the most recent snapshot for the Application will be displayed.

Search

Use this to search on the Indicator name.

Download report

This option enables you to download Microsoft Excel reports containing detailed information about the indicators in each category:

If All Categories is selected (see option above) then a ZIP file will be downloaded containing the relevant XLSX files - one per category
If a specific category is selected, then a XLSX file will be downloaded.

The file name used for the ZIP file and the XLSX files will contain a time stamp using the following format: <year><month><day>_<hour><minute><second>. The time stamp is generated when the Download button is clicked.

Excel file report contents

The first sheet has information related to application name, snapshot name, snapshot date and category for which this report is generated. It also contains a summary for all the indicators belonging to that category i.e. name, description, thresholds, value, status, details, remedy action and justification.
The indicator value is computed along with status which is a star rating based on the thresholds of that indicator.
The details column contains the hyperlink to the details sheet of that indicator.

Recompute indicators

This option enables you to recompute the indicators without needing to run a new analysis:

The option is only available when the most recent analysis/snapshot is selected in the selector
Justification entered for the indicators is retained after recomputation
Any actions that modify analysis data will be reflected in the analysis/snapshot indicator results after recomputation.

This button is hidden if the Update Banner (described above) is displayed.

Indicator

See list of available indicators below for more information.

Value

The value generated for the current analysis. Can be a ratio or a percentage. For some indicators when only one analysis exists, the value may be N/A, for example:

for indicators measuring the variation between two analyses/snapshots, the value will be N/A on the first analysis/snapshot
for the Large SCC count indicator the value can be N/A when no option is set in the Analysis schema to count the large SCC, so the indicator can not be calculated.

Status

Status of the indicator - the more stars the better the results. Rolling the mouse over the stars will show the thresholds required to improve:

Justification

A free text field enabling you to enter a justification for the result. Free text is saved and is retained for the next analysis/snapshot that is generated. For example:

Do you agree?
Is the coverage as expected?

Use the icon to add a new justification explanation:

And enter the justification in the pop-up:

The icon changes to indicate a justification has been added:

Justifications can only be edited for the most recent analysis/snapshot. If the selector is changed to a historic analysis/snapshot, the field becomes read-only.

Remedy action

The Remedy Action option provides a suggestion for how to improve the result in the next analysis/snapshot. Any links are clickable:

Remedies are displayed inline:

If they are larger than the available space, rolling the mouse over them will display the full text in a popup:

Some indicators store results in a .CSV file - click this option to download the .CSV file. This can help you work out why a poor result has been produced, for example. .CSV files are generated and stored in the following location:

\\share\common-data\snapshot-indicator\{appGuid}\{snapshotGuid}

Clickable indicators

Some Indicators are clickable: clicking the link will take you to the relevant configuration page within the UI:

Available indicators

Requires snapshot or analysis?	Indicator Name	Description	Stars/Threshold	Details in CSV file	Remedy Action
Snapshot/Analysis	Transactions with high number of objects	Lists transactions that are highly complex with a large number of objects.	<4000 = 3 stars >=4000 and < 4500 = 2 stars >=4500 and < 5000 = 1 star		When possible reduce the complexity of this transaction by removing unnecessary elements.
Snapshot	Artifacts in transactions variation	Variation in percentage of artifacts involved in transactions compared to the previous snapshot.	>=4500 and < 5000	1 stars	Review the source code delivery with regards to the transaction configuration. If the value is not within the required range, then you should review the transactions configuration, identify entry and end points, identify missing links or provide justification on objects in technical side if they are actually valid. If they are invalid, then take necessary actions to include them as valid.
Snapshot	Objects not in Dashboard Service	Percentage of objects created in the Analysis Service that have not been transferred to the Dashboard Service.	>=4500 and < 5000	1 stars	Check the definition of user-defined modules to ensure that objects have not been missed. If they are required in Dashboard Service, then add them to a module.
Snapshot	Entry Points moved to technical part	Percentage of transactions that were considered as functional and that are now considered as technical. Associated details contain the transactions that led to TF and that does not now.	3: =0% 2: >0% and <10% 1:>=10% and <=20%	List of transactions that were in functional part and that are now in technical part.	Check if links are broken during rescan due to change in source code or due to deleted artifacts.
Analysis only	Unexpected objects count	Percentage of objects related to third-party libraries or that are generated by analysis tools captured by modules. These objects are identified by finding any of the following tags in their comments: generated by, generated on, generated code copyright, (c) MIT License License: MIT Apache license, licensed to Apache software foundation General Public License, GPL, GNU creative commons	3: =0% 2: >0% and <=5% 1: >5% and <=10% - : >10%	Associated details contain third-party objects and generated objects that have been captured by modules.	Review suspicious objects and decide if they must be excluded from analysis scope.
Snapshot	Unreferenced objects variation	Variation in number of not-referenced objects. such as followings: Classes Code ( ASP) Forms Functions Includes Interfaces JSP pages Modules Files	3: <3% 2: >=3% and <= 4% 1:<5%	-	Justify the variation between 2 snapshots that could be due to added or deleted code which is unreferenced. Another reason could be missing links or new links between objects when compared to previous version.
Snapshot	Incomplete Transaction Variation	Variation in percentage of transactions that are incomplete, compared to the previous snapshot.	3: <=1% and >=-1% 2: ( >=-2% and < -1%) Or (>1% and <=2%) 1: (>-3% and < -2%) Or ( >2% and <3%)	-	Check if entry points and/or end points have been added or removed in new version of source code due to added/removed files or have been added/removed manually. Check if entry points and/or end points have been added or removed in new version of source code due to added/removed files or have been added/removed manually. You can also check if transaction call graphs have been impacted by added or missing links.
Analysis only	Dynamic Links reviewed	Percentage of Dynamic Links that have been reviewed.	3: >=95% 2: >=70 and <95% 1: >=50% and <70	-	Check if Automatic Link Validator Extension is installed. Review DL manually or define filtering rules to be applied at analysis time. To review manually see: Application - Config - Summary of Dynamic Links To define rules: Application - Config - Dynamic Links Rules
Analysis only	Technologies not interacting with others	Technologies not interacting with others	3: =0 2: N/A 1: N/A	List of technologies not interacting with others	Review source code delivery, analysis configuration, and the cause for potential missing links.
Snapshot	Technology wise LOC - No Change	Percentage of technologies involved in the application for which there is a lack of variation in LoC compared to the previous version. Associated details contains the list of technologies with no changes in LOC.	3: =0% 2: >0% and < 20% 1: >=20% and <30%	The list of technologies with no changes in LOC.	Check if it is normal to not have any variation in LoC for the technologies involved in the application. This can denote an issue during the version delivery.
Snapshot	Databases variation	Indicates whether the list of the databases that are accessed by the application has changed since the previous snapshot	3 : databases are the same in the 2 snapshots 2 : N/A 1 : N/A - : one/some databases have been added, removed, or renamed	Databases that have been added and/or those that have been removed since the previous snapshot; databases that have been renamed or whose host instance has changed will be listed as added/deleted	Justify the root cause of databases’ list change.
Snapshot	LoC variation (technology level)	Variation in the number of LoC by technology.	Below, the % retained for rating is the biggest one (in absolute value) among all technologies whose number of LoC has changed: 3 : >=-20% and <=20% 2 : (>=-30% and <-20%) or (>20% and <=30%) 1 : (>=-40% and <-30%) or (>30% and <=40%) - : <-40% or >40%, or a technology that was used in the previous snapshot isn’t used any more	Per technology: whether it was added or removed, or is unchanged, along with the number of LoC in the previous and current snapshots, and the LoC variation value and percentage	Find the root cause of variation and justify. 1. Check if new files are added/deleted in new version of source code for a particular technology. 2. Check if new version of Technology Extension is applied recently which contains some enhancements and capturing more lines of code or vice versa.
Snapshot	LoC variation (file level)	Variation in number of LoC for source files. Associated details contain the source files that have been added or removed since previous version.	3: >=-5% and <=5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>5% and <10% ) or (<-5% and >-10% )	Per file: whether it was added or removed, or is unchanged, along with the number of LoC in the previous and current snapshots, and the LoC variation value and percentage	Review the Release Notes to track changes in analyzers. Find the root cause of variation and justify. Check if new files are added/deleted in new version of source code
Snapshot	Technologies variation	Variation in the number of technologies identified in the source code	3 : technologies are the same in the 2 snapshots 2 : N/A 1 : N/A - : some technologies have appeared and/or some other have disappeared	Technologies that have appeared or disappeared since the previous snapshot	Justify the change. 1. Check with Application team if they have added/removed a new technology. 2. Add appropriate extensions to analyze that newly added technology.
Analysis onkly	Large SCC count	Count of Strongly Connected Components with more than a certain number of objects	3: The ‘GRAPH_SAVE_LARGEST_SCC_GROUP’ option is set and no large SCC was found during computation of the Transactions’ call graphs 2: N/A 1: The ‘GRAPH_SAVE_LARGEST_SCC_GROUP’ option is not set or its value is 0 (it is not known whether large SCCs exist or not) - : The ‘GRAPH_SAVE_LARGEST_SCC_GROUP’ option is set and there exists at least one large SCC or The ‘GRAPH_SAVE_LARGEST_SCC_GROUP’ option is set but its value is not an integer >= 0	The maximum number of objects allowed in an SCC before it is marked as large (the default value is 1000) The maximum number of large SCCs whose objects can be saved for further investigation How many SCCs had their objects saved during the last Function Point computation and what their sizes were	Review links and try to remove extra-links. For more details refers to Troubleshooting guides: Impact of SCC How to check Reduce SCC
Snapshot	AFP variation	Variation in functional weight. Associated details contain the TF and DF that appeared, disappeared, or that have been modified since the previous snapshot.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>5% and <15% ) or (<-5% and >-15% )	New TF, deleted TF, modified TF New DF, deleted DF, modified DF	Check the transaction configuration rules. Check the source code delivery for new source files and new technologies. Check the source code delivery for missing source files and missing technologies.
Snapshot	LoC per FP variation	Variation in FP density with regards to source code size	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>5% and <15% ) or (<-5% and >-15% )	-	Review source code delivery and transaction configuration. Check if new components arrived in technical part of the application.
Snapshot	Recreated functions	Percentage of functions that disappeared and that reappeared. Associated details contain TF and DF that are recreated.	3: >=0% and <=2% 2:>2% and < 4% 1:>=4% and <=5%	TF and DF that have been deleted and recreated. Note: this is different from Added/Deleted situation in the same snapshot which is when the object ID of the TF/DF has changed because of change in the path of the object for example.	Check the transaction configuration rules. Check if objects have been deleted and then recreated. Check if server part has been correctly delivered and analyzed.
Snapshot	New technical code	Percentage of new objects that belong to the technical side of the application. Associated details contain new objects that are assigned to the technical part of the application.	3: <5%* 3: <5% 2: >=5% and < 10% 1: >=10% and <=15%	New objects that are in technical part.	Validate with application team if new code is functional or technical. Review the transaction configuration accordingly.
Snapshot	Quality rules variation	Variation in number of quality rules. Associated details contain the quality rules that have been added or removed since the previous snapshot.	3: <=0 2: >0 and <5 1: >=5 and <10	QR that have been added or removed since last snapshot	Validate new rules that have been added to the Assessment Model. This could be the consequence of an upgrade (AIP Core and/or extensions). Review the Release Notes to track changes. Check if new files are added/deleted in new version of source code due to which added/deleted metrics are appearing.
Snapshot	Added/Deleted excluded objects count	Count of objects that are excluded from quality rule violations and that present the “added/deleted syndrome”. Associated details contain objects excluded from violations and that are also “added/deleted”.	3: <=0 2: >0 and <2 1: >=2 and <5	objects that are excluded from rule violations and seen as deleted and re-added	Review the list of deleted/re-added objects and investigate the root cause.
Snapshot	Violation variation per rule	Variation in number of violations per rule, when more than 5 rules with at least 10 added or removed violations. Associated details contain the list of rules with too much variation in number of violations.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: (>=5% and <10% ) or (>=-10% and <-5%) 1: (>=10% and <15%) Or ( >-15% and <=-10%)	List of rules with too much variation in number of violations	Check if new files are added/deleted in new version of source code due to which violations are added/deleted. Check if new version of extension is applied during rescan and whether the new version includes some fixes related to quality for which the variation will be recorded.
Snapshot	AEFP/AEP variation	Variation in ratio between AEFP and AEP.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>5% and <15% ) or (<-5% and >-15% )	-	Validate with application team the goal of the version. Check if new components or technologies have been added or if existing components or technologies have been removed
Snapshot	Added/Deleted objects variation	Variation in number of objects that present the “added/deleted syndrome”. Associated details contain “added/deleted” objects.	3: <=15% 2: >15% and <20% 1: >=20% and <=25%	Objects that have been added and deleted since the previous snapshot.	Check if new files are added/deleted in new version of source code Check if same objects are coming added/deleted that may be due to the change in directory path between 2 versions.
Snapshot	Changeability variation	Variation in grade for the Changeability Business Criterion.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>=5% and <15% ) or (<-5% and >-15% )	N/A	Check if new source files have been delivered. Check if many changes have been done in the version. Justify the variation that could be due to an increase or decrease in violations for specific rules which could be because of code change or because of missing links or because of module definition.
Snapshot	Robustness variation	Variation in grade for the Robustness Business Criterion.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>=5% and <15% ) or (<-5% and >-15% )	N/A	Check if new source files have been delivered. Check if many changes have been done in the version. Justify the variation that could be due to an increase or decrease in violations for specific rules which could be because of code change or because of missing links or because of module definition.
Snapshot	Transferability variation	Variation in grade for the Transferability Business Criterion.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>=5% and <15% ) or (<-5% and >-15% )	N/A	Check if new source files have been delivered. Check if many changes have been done in the version. Justify the variation that could be due to an increase or decrease in violations for specific rules which could be because of code change or because of missing links or because of module definition.
Snapshot	Efficiency variation	Variation in grade for the Performance Business Criterion.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>=5% and <10% ) or (<-5% and >-10% )	N/A	Check if new source files have been delivered. Check if many changes have been done in the version. Justify the variation that could be due to an increase or decrease in violations for specific rules which could be because of code change or because of missing links or because of module definition.
Snapshot	Security variation	Variation in grade for the Security Business Criterion.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>=5% and <10% ) or (<-5% and >-10% )	N/A	Check if new source files have been delivered. Check if many changes have been done in the version. Justify the variation that could be due to an increase or decrease in violations for specific rules which could be because of code change or because of missing links or because of module definition.
Snapshot	TQI variation	Variation in grade for the TQI index.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>=5% and <10% ) or (<-5% and >-10% )	N/A	Check number of new technologies and new objects. Check new rules. Justify the variation that could be due to an increase or decrease in violations for specific rules which could be because of code change or because of missing links or because of module definition.
Snapshot	Critical Violations variation	Variation in number of critical violations. Associated details contain the critical violations that have been added or removed since the previous snapshot.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>=5% and <10% ) or (<-5% and >-10% )	Critical violations added/removed	Check if new rules have been added to the Assessment Model. Check if new source files have been delivered. Check if new objects have been created. Justify the variation that could be due to an increase or decrease in violations for specific rules which could be because of code change or because of missing links or because of module definition.
Snapshot	Excluded objects variation	Variation in number of objects that are excluded from quality rule violations. Associated details contain the objects that have been excluded from violations.	3: >-5% and <5% 2: =5% or =-5% 1: (>=5% and <15% ) or (<-5% and >-15% )	List of excluded objects	If the variance is +/-5%, then check the excluded objects list and verify if these are real candidates for exclusion.
Analysis only	Artifacts in transactions	Percentage of artifacts involved in transactions. Associated details contain artifacts that are not involved in any transactions.	3: >=50% 2: <50% and >=40% 1: <40% and >=30%	List of artifacts not involved in transactions	Review the source code delivery with regards to the transaction configuration. If percentage not within required range, then AIA needs to review the transactions, identify entry/end points, identify missing links or provide justification on objects in technical side if they are actually valid. If invalid, then take necessary actions to include them as valid.
Snapshot	Complete Transactions with only end point	Percentage of complete transactions with no data entity (only end points). Associated details contain the complete transactions that do not access any data entity.	3: <=30% 2: >30% and <=50% 1: >50% and <=70%	List of complete transactions that do not access any data entity but only end points	Check if data storage part has been delivered. If yes, then check if it is expected to have transactions with no access to these data entities.
Analysis only	Data entities used by transactions	Percentage of data entities accessed by transactions. Associated details contain list of data entities not access by any transaction.	3: >=90% 2: <90% and >=70% 1: <70% and >=50%	List of data entities not accessed by any transaction	Review the source code delivery with regards to the transaction configuration. Check missing links and validate with application team if it is normal these data entities are not accessed by any transactions.
Analysis only	Incomplete transactions	Percentage of incomplete transactions (that do not access any data entity and end point). Associated details contain transactions that does not access any data entity or end point.	3: <= 10% 2: <= 30% and > 10% 1: <= 40% and > 30 %	List of incomplete transactions	Review data entities and associated transaction configuration rules. Investigate the incomplete transactions and justify if they are valid incomplete or not. If possible, add custom end points to make the incomplete transactions valid.
Snapshot	AEFP/AEP (known as “Part of functional enhancement” in v. ≤ 1.18)	Percentage of AEP that are related to the functional part of the application.	3: >= 70% 2: >= 50% and < 70% 1: >= 30% and < 50%	N/A	Validate with application team the goal of the version. Check if new components or technologies have been added or if existing components or technologies have been removed. Add new entry/end points to cover isolated objects in transaction. Check the list of Technical Points and justify if those are actually technical objects.
Analysis only	Programs/Classes in transactions	Percentage of programs and classes involved in transactions. Associated details contain programs and classes that are not involved in any transactions.	3: >= 50% 2: >= 30% and < 50% 1: >=10% and < 30%	List of containers not involved in transactions	Review the source code delivery with regards to the transaction configuration. If the value is not within the required range, then you should review the transactions configuration, Identify entry and end points, identify missing links or provide justification on objects in technical side if they are actually valid. If they are invalid, then take necessary actions to include them as valid.
Snapshot	TF / DF weight Ratio	Ratio between Transactional Functions weight and Data Functions weight. Associated details contain DF that are not involved in any TF.	3: >=2 and <4 2: ( >=1 and <2 ) or (>=4 and <5) 1: (>0 and <1) or (>=5 and <6)	List of DF that are not used by any TF.	Check transaction configuration rules. Review incomplete transactions if any. Review DF that are not used by any TF.

Technical information about Indicators

When a snapshot is deleted all the indicators for the snapshot along with the generated .CSV files are deleted. In addition, the consolidation action launched when a snapshot is deleted will only deal with Dashboard schema indicators for the next two snapshots if they exist. During consolidation, any justification text is retained for each indicator.
Indicators are also deleted when a version and an application are deleted.

Logging information about Indicators

If any indicators are skipped during the analysis, the log will include information about the reason the indicator has been skipped:

<enabled>false</enabled>: Indicator xx skipped because it is disabled.
<needFplicense>true</needFplicense>: Indicator xxx Skipped because it needs the FP license.
<enhancementMeasure>EFP</enhancementMeasure>: Indicator xx skipped because it needs enhancement measure EFP
<enhancementMeasure>AEP</enhancementMeasure>: Indicator xx skipped because it needs enhancement measure AEP