Associating Concepts with Solutions in Adaptive Learning


Overview

Tasks

Included with

Tivoli Problem Management

Overview

How Adaptive Learning works

When a help desk analyst uses Adaptive Learning to find a solution, Adaptive Learning searches the problem description for keywords that match concepts found in the Thesaurus. Adaptive Learning then retrieves the solutions that are associated with those concepts.

Suppose, for example, that the problem description is "The printer doesn't work." Adaptive Learning identifies the keyword "print" in the description, which matches the concept "print" in the Thesaurus. Adaptive Learning then searches for any solutions associated with the concept "print" and retrieves them.

Associating concepts with solutions

In order for Adaptive Learning to work, you must first associate the concepts found in the Thesaurus with solutions in your database. You can associate concepts with any of the following types of solutions:
  • Common Problems solutions
  • Error Messages solutions
  • Hot News solutions
  • Solution nodes from HyperTrees
  • Solutions added through the Work with Solutions dialog box

You can associate concepts with solutions in two ways:

Note: In order to associate concepts with solutions, solved problems must already exist in your database.

Learning dialog box

The Learning dialog box enables users to set parameters and options.

Work with Concepts dialog box

The Work with Concepts dialog box enables users to add associated concepts or remove available concepts in Tivoli Problem Management.

Tasks

Using the Learning button on the Work with Thesaurus dialog box to associate concepts with solutions

The Learn Utility searches solution descriptions for keywords, which match concepts in the Thesaurus. When the Learn Utility identifies a particular concept in a solution description, it associates that concept with the solution in the database.

Also, when Adaptive Learning retrieves a solution, the Learn Utility uses the number of matching concepts found in the solution description, and the number of times the solution has been activated, to determine its score. Scores are helpful to help desk analysts because the higher the score, the higher the probability that the solution is the correct one. The score appears beside the retrieved solution in the Work with Adaptive Learning dialog box.

The Learn Utility can take a long time to process. The amount of time required to run the Learn Utility depends on the Learn options you select, and the number of solutions in your database, and the speed of your system.

Note: After you run the Learn Utility, Tivoli Problem Management automatically handles the learn function whenever a help desk analyst activates a solution for a problem.

To use the Learn Utility:

  1. From the Thesaurus Inquiry dialog box, do one of the following:
    • Specify search criteria in the boxes, and choose OK to retrieve only those Thesaurus entries that match your criteria
    • Choose OK to retrieve all Thesaurus entries
  2. In the Work with Thesaurus dialog box, choose Learning.
    Result: The Learning dialog box appears.
    Note: The Learning dialog box enables you to set parameters and options for running the Learn Utility.
  3. In the Learning dialog box, under Learn Options, select any or all of the following options:
    • Learn from Solution Descriptions: This option searches all solution descriptions in the database and associates matching concepts in the Thesaurus.
    • Learn from Unused Solution Descriptions: This option searches only unused solution descriptions in the database and associates matching concepts in the Thesaurus. This option is helpful, for example, if you have just loaded your Tivoli Problem Management database with solution records from a different Tivoli Problem Management database.
    • Clear Previously Learned Knowledge: This option removes all associations between solution descriptions and matching concepts in the Thesaurus.
  4. Under Learn using, select one of the following options:
    • All Concepts: This option uses all concepts in the Thesaurus to match solution descriptions.
    • New Concepts Only: This option uses only concepts added since the last time the Learn Utility was run to match solution descriptions.
    • Specific Concepts: This option uses only concepts specified in the Select Specific Concepts to Learn section of the Learning dialog box to match solution descriptions.
  5. Do one of the following:
    • If you did not select Specific Concepts in step 5, go to step 7.
    • If you selected Specific Concepts, select concepts one at a time from the Available Concepts box, then choose Add. As you select concepts they appear in the Selected Concepts box. Repeat this instruction for all concepts you want to specify.
  6. Choose Learn.
  7. In the Problem Inquiry dialog box, specify which problems you want to associate with the selected concepts.
    Note: For information on using Inquiry dialog boxes, see Searching and Inquiring.
  8. Choose OK.
  9. Choose OK when the Learn process is finished and the Learn Complete message appears.

Associating concepts manually

Although Tivoli Problem Management automatically uses the learning function whenever a help desk analyst activates a solution, it does not make the necessary associations when you add a new concept to the Thesaurus. For each new concept, you must associate solutions manually.

Note: You must use the Learning dialog box before you can associate concepts manually.

To associate a concept manually:

  1. In the Solutions Inquiry dialog box, specify which solutions you want to associate with the concepts, or leave the boxes blank to display all solutions.
  2. Choose OK.
  3. In the Work with Solution dialog box, select a solution from the list.
  4. Choose Concepts
  5. From the Available Concepts list in the Work with Concepts dialog box, select a concept that you want to associate with the current solution.
  6. Choose Add.
    Note:
    The selected concept moves to the Associated Concepts list.
  7. If desired, type a usage count for the selected concept in the New Value box, then choose Update.
    Tip:
    Usage count indicates the number of times the concept has been associated with a solution. The learning function uses the usage count to calculate the score for a solution. You can use the New Value box to override the existing usage count. The higher the usage count, the higher the score.
  8. The new value appears beside the selected concept. If desired, repeat steps 4 through 8.
  9. Choose OK.

Note: The Work with Solution dialog box appears.