Event Logs

This page describes what event logs are and how to manage them.

Overview

An event log, commonly referred to as a log, is a table of events and their associated event attributes. For example, event logs contain a list of events and their case ID, time stamp(s), and additional event attributes. Additional event attributes may include the the employee that performed the action or the system that was used. The log represents the cases of a business process. Process Mining performs analysis on event logs to create a discovered model.

A formatted event log looks something like this:

Event logs also correspond with case attribute files. Case attributes can be thought of as fixed characteristics of an overall case that do not change from event to event. Case attributes are important part of analysis to create graphs and aggregate data. For example, case attributes could help you determine the number of cases per customer.

In addition to the categorical, impact, and numerical attributes you can define in Mining Prep, you can also define descriptive attributes when you upload a log. Descriptive attributes are similar to categorical attributes, but they are irrelevant for most calculations and analysis. For example, product descriptions or user notes are usually distinct for each row of data and therefore do not add value to your analysis.

Select an event log to analyze

Before you do anything in Process Mining, you must first select an event log. This log contains the process data that Process Mining analyzes. If you haven't uploaded any event logs yet, see Upload a log and case attribute file.

To select a process to analyze via its event log:

1. Sign in to Process Mining.
2. In the management hub, go to LOGS.
3. Click the event log name.

When you select a log in the management hub, you're navigated to the Models page where Process Mining visualizes your process as a discovered model.

Manage event logs

You can add, share, edit, and delete event logs from the management hub. The LOG tab displays all of the event logs that you've uploaded to Process Mining or that have been shared with you.

To quickly find a specific event log, use the Search field.

Change the active event log

The active event log is the basis for much of what you see in Process Mining. Only one event log can be active at a time, but you can create process scorecards with multiple logs.

The active event log is displayed in the header bar as shown in the following image:

To change the active event log:

1. Click Management Hub in the sidebar.
2. Go to LOGS.
3. Click the event log name.

You can also click the name of the event log in the header bar and select another event log from the Switch to section. This is an easy way to change the active event log from anywhere in the system. If a target model is linked to an event log, the Link icon displays beside the name in the dropdown.

Add an event log

There are several ways to add an event log to Process Mining:

• Upload a log file manually.
• Schedule a transformation and upload from Mining Prep.
• Upload a log using Mining API and a transformation script.
• Schedule an upload from Mining Prep with a transformation script.

You can also optionally upload a case attribute file to Process Mining. If you transform and load your data from Mining Prep, this happens automatically.

If you upload a log file without a case attribute file, you cannot add the case attribute file later. While a case attribute file is optional, we recommend it so you can maximize the potential of your analysis.

Upload a file manually

To upload only an event log file directly to Process Mining:

1. Click the event log dropdown in the header bar.

2. Select Upload new log.

   

3. Find and open the log file on your computer.
4. Click Next.
5. Configure the event log. Process Mining automatically provides suggestions on what each column could be, which you can change with the drop-down field under each column name.
   • Note: You must specify the action column, at least one time stamp column, and at least one case ID. If you identify more than one column as the case ID, the entries will be combined. See Identify data properties for more information.
6. If you select a case attribute file, click Next.
7. Configure the case attribute file. Process Mining automatically provides suggestions on what each column could be, which you can change with the drop-down field under each column name.
8. Click Finish.

To upload an event log and case attribute file directly to Process Mining:

1. Click the event log dropdown in the header bar.
2. Select Upload new log.
3. Find and open the log file on your computer.
4. Find and open the log attribute file on your computer.
5. Click Next.
6. Configure the log attributes for each column. Process Mining automatically provides suggestions, which you can change with the drop-down field under each column name.
   • Note: You must specify the action column, at least one time stamp column, and at least one case ID. If you identify more than one column as the case ID, the entries will be combined. See Identify data properties for more information.
7. Click Next.
8. Configure the case attributes for each column. Process Mining automatically provides suggestions, which you can change with the drop-down field under each column name.
9. Click Finish.

After you upload the file(s), Process Mining displays the discovered model for the newly uploaded event log.

Edit an event log name

You can edit the name of event logs that you've uploaded to the system.

To edit an event log name:

1. In the management hub, go to LOGS.
2. Select an event log.
3. Click EDIT NAME.
4. Enter the new log name.
5. Click UPDATE NAME.

Add or edit an event log description

You can add or edit the description of event logs that you've uploaded to the system.

Add descriptions to your event logs to provide context for you and other members of your organization. If an event log doesn't have a description, its row in the Description column displays Add description.

To add or edit an event log description:

1. In the management hub, go to LOGS.
2. Select an event log.
3. Click EDIT DESCRIPTION.
4. Enter a description for the log you'd like others to see.
5. Click UPDATE DESCRIPTION.

Alternatively, you can click a description directly to edit it.

Connect a target model to an event log

Connect a target model to your log when you want to analyze the conformance and deviations of your discovered process against the target process. If you want to connect a model to your log, you can either upload a target model, select an already uploaded target model, or create a new target model. See Models for instructions on how to upload or create a target model.

To connect an existing event log with a model:

1. In the management hub, go to LOGS.
2. Select an event log.
3. Click CONNECT.
4. Select an existing target model.
5. Click CONTINUE.
6. Verify that the target model activities correctly match the event log events.
7. Click SAVE ALIGNMENT.

To disconnect an event log from a model:

1. In the management hub, go to LOGS
2. Select an event log.
3. Click DISCONNECT.

Update the connected target model

The most common reason you'd update an event log's model is when you have a new target model. You may create a new target model as the result of changes to target processes, laws, regulations, internal guidelines, or service-level agreements (SLAs).

To change the connected model:

1. In the management hub, go to LOGS.
2. Select an event log.
3. Click UPDATE MODEL.
4. Select an existing target model.
5. Click CONTINUE.
6. Verify that the model activities correctly match the event log events.
7. Click SAVE ALIGNMENT.

Share an event log

You may wish to share an event log with your entire organization or with specific users. When you share an event log, the connected models, dashboards, and filters are also shared. However, you can also choose to share these items individually.

To share an event log:

1. In the management hub, go to LOGS.
2. Select an event log.
3. Click SHARE.
4. Select the radio button to indicate whether you want to share the event log with your entire organization or with individual users.
   • If you selected Share with individual Users, also select the checkboxes next to the individual users in the list.
5. Click SAVE.

To stop sharing an event log:

1. In the management hub, go to LOGS.
2. Select an event log.
3. Click UNSHARE.

Delete an event log

To delete an event log:

1. In the management hub, go to LOGS.
2. Select an event log.
3. Select DELETE.

Feedback