Abstract: A method of monitoring a computer application executed on a computer system. The method includes the steps of (1) without predefining events describing potential stages of a transaction executed by the computer application, using an application program interface to add software code to the computer application for assigning a single general reference to characteristic transactional information associated with the transaction, (2) using the single general reference to identify transaction events performed by the computer application in executing the transaction, and (3) measuring transaction events.

Abstract: An application program interface (API) for use in monitoring a computer application executed on a computer system. The API includes software code added to the computer application for assigning a single general reference to characteristic transactional information associated with a transaction to be executed by the computer application. The API further includes an agent for marking the time at which the software code is executed and tagging that time with the characteristic transactional information as the characteristic transactional information is being currently processed by the computer application. The API and its method of operation provide precise measurement of the latency of information flowing through the computer system while being uncomplicated in design and implementation, minimally invasive, and highly scalable.

Abstract: Computer systems may be instrumented using a minimally invasive API that allows the execution time of every task in an application to be measured and transactional information to be tagged to the measurement or timing data. Preferably, the measurement data is also associated with related measurement data from other components or systems of the same business entity in order to give precise latency data and statistics for transactions that involve more then one segment of a business' operations.