A trace-based visual inspection technique to detect errors in simulation models

Generation of traces from a simulation model and their analysis is a powerful and common mean to debug simulation models. In this paper, we define a measure of progress for simulation traces and describe how it can be used to detect certain errors. We devise a visual inspection technique based on that measure and discuss several examples to illustrate how one can distinguish normal behavior from irregular, potentially erroneous behavior documented in a trace of a simulation run. The overall approach is implemented and integrated in Traviando, a trace analyzer for debugging stochastic simulation models.