Unlocking the Potential of Information Modeling for Root Cause Analysis in a Production Environment: A Comprehensive State-of-the-Art Review Using the Kitchenham Methodology

Data from production environments is now available in unprecedented volumes, making the problem-solving of incidents through root cause analysis straightforward. However, the root cause analysis process remains time-consuming. This study employs the Kitchenham standard systematic literature review methodology to explore how information models and deep learning can streamline this process. By conducting a comprehensive search across four major databases, we evaluate the current technological advancements and their application in root cause analysis. The aim of this study is to assesses the impact of information models for root cause analysis in a production environment. Our findings reveal that integrating knowledge graphs, association rule mining, and deep learning algorithms significantly improves the speed and depth of root cause analysis compared to traditional methods. Specifically, the use of neural networks in recent literature shows substantial advancements in analyzing complex datasets, facilitating large-scale data integration, and enabling automated learning capabilities. Comparing our findings with other recent studies highlights the advantages of using information modeling and deep learning technologies in root cause analysis. This comparison underscores the superior accuracy and efficiency of these advanced methodologies over traditional manual interpretation methods. The effective implementation of these technologies requires a robust foundation of clean, standardized data, giving rise to the concept of “Production IT.” Furthermore, it is crucial for this data to be openly available to facilitate academic research, thereby enabling the development of new methods for more efficient and effective root cause analysis.