ProvBuild

This repository provides the ProvBuild tool for the paper "Improving Data Scientist Efficiency with Provenance".

About ProvBuild

ProvBuild is a data analysis environment that uses change impact analysis to improve the iterative editing process in script-based workflow pipelines by harnessing a script’s provenance.

ProvBuild obtains provenance using noWorkflow, a Python-based provenance capture tool. Using the provenance information, ProvBuild identifies dependencies between inputs, program statements, functions, variables, and outputs, allowing it to precisely identify the sections of a script that must be re-executed to correctly update results after a modification. ProvBuild then generates a customized script, the ProvScript, that contains only those sections affected by a modification.

Tool

ProvBuild is built on top of noWorkflow (Version 1.11.2). Check out noWorkflow's Github for more information details.

Prerequisites

This version of ProvBuild only support Python 2.7. ProvBuild and all tests are developed under Linux and macOS. Windows may not be supported by this tool.

To install ProvBuild, you should follow these basic instructions:

If you have python pip, install the following packages:

$ pip install flask
$ pip install sqlalchemy
$ pip install pyposast
$ pip install future
$ pip install apted

Clone the Repository

$ git clone https://github.com/CrystalMei/ProvBuild.git
$ cd ProvBuild

ProvBuild Interface and Demo

Step 1: The user runs python app.py and it will start a webpage as shown below:
Step 2: The user selects ProvBuild mode and upload demo script ./example/Demo.py (Note: We designed User name for user study in our paper (Study 1). It is not required for daily use.):
Step 3: After script submission, the webpage will be updated:
Step 4: The user inputs the name of the function or variable (e.g. variable z in Demo.py) to edit:
Step 5: After click Search, ProvBuild extracts the object's dependencies based on the stored provenance information and generates a ProvScript containing only code pertaining to the chosen object. The webpage will be updated:
Step 6: The user directly makes modifications on the ProvScript (shown as {1}). After click Run, instead of running the original Demo.py, ProvBuild executes the shortened ProvScript for the user (shown as {2}):
Step 7: The program results will be updated (shown as {1}). After click Merge, the user seasily merge edits from the ProvScript into the original Demo.py (shown as {2}):
Step 8: The original file will be updated with the user's modification:

Run ProvBuild Manually (Linux/MaxOS only)

Initial and run the given test Python script: ./make.sh r <script_name>.py
If you want to modify a function, get the ProvScript with the given function: ./make.sh uf <function_name>
If you want to modify a variable, get the ProvScript with the given variable: ./make.sh uv <variable_name>
Execute the ProvScript and update the result: ./make.sh d
Merge the ProvScript into the original test script: ./make.sh m

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NSF award #1450277, the U.S. Air Force and DARPA under contract FA8750-16-C-0045.

License Terms

The MIT License (MIT)

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

jingmeihu/ProvBuild