Natural Language Specification of Performance Trees

The accessible specification of performance queries is a key challenge in performance analysis. To this end, we seek to combine the intuitive aspects of natural language query specification with the expressive power and flexibility of the Performance Tree formalism. Specifically, we present a structured English grammar for Performance Trees, and use it to implement a Natural Language Query Builder (NLQB) for the Platform Independent Petri net Editor (PIPE). The NLQB guides users in the construction of performance queries in an iterative fashion, presenting at each step a range of natural language alternatives that are appropriate in the query context. We demonstrate our technique in the specification of performance queries on a model of a hospital's Accident and Emergency department. Key words: Performance requirements specification; Natural language; Performance Trees; Performance analysis

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: EPEW
• Authors: Lei Wang 0002, Nicholas J. Dingle, William J. Knottenbelt
• Keywords: EPEW 2008, Internet Technology, Natural Language, Performance, Performance Queries