Mining version histories to guide software changes

• DOI: 10.1109/icse.2004.1317478
• Publication Date: 2004-09-28T13:50:22Z
• Authors: T. Zimmermann; P. Weibgerber; S. Diehl; A. Zeller
• Keywords: 0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering; 02 engineering and technology

We apply data mining to version histories in order guide programmers along related changes: "Programmers who changed these functions also changed. . ". Given a set of existing changes, such rules (a) suggest and predict likely further (b) show up item coupling that is indetectable by program analysis, (c) prevent errors due incomplete changes. After an initial change, our ROSE prototype can correctly 26% files be - 15% the precise or variables. The topmost three suggestions contain correct location with likelihood 64%.