What does the concept of “sessionization” refer to in event logs?

The concept of "sessionization" in event logs refers to the process of defining and grouping individual activities or events into sessions that represent a complete instance of a process. This is crucial in process mining because it allows analysts to understand the sequence of interactions a user or entity has within a process over a specific period. By aggregating these events into sessions, it becomes easier to analyze the flow of activities and identify patterns or anomalies in process execution.

Proper sessionization ensures that the data reflects coherent, meaningful instances of processes, making it simpler to analyze how processes are executed over time, the pathways taken, and where potential improvements can be made. This is particularly valuable when dealing with complex processes that have multiple activities, as it helps to clarify how individual actions contribute to the overall outcomes.

In the context of process mining, having well-defined sessions allows for richer insights into the performance and efficiency of processes, ultimately leading to better decision-making and optimization strategies.