Distributed execution of expressions in a query

• US 10,242,061 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Luo, Lin, Petitclerc, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Gofman, Alex
• Application Number:
  US14/663,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20150347512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24545 Selectivity estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24549 Run-time optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for executing a query specification can include evaluating the query specification by a first computing device to identify a candidate expression in the query specification to be executed by a second computing device hosting a source of data specified in the candidate expression. A cost estimate for executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is determined. Whether the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is greater than a threshold is determined. The candidate expression is replaced with a native query function when the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is greater than the threshold. The native query function can be executed at the second computing device. It can be determined whether a runtime context is necessary, and if necessary, a context parameter is injected into the native query function.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for executing a query specification, comprising:

evaluating, by a first computing device configured to transform query specifications into queries for execution by the first computing device solely against databases hosted on other computing devices, a first query specification to identify at least one expression of a set of expressions as a candidate expression to be executed by a second computing device hosting a source of data specified in the candidate expression, the evaluation based on rules stored in a memory of the first computing device;

determining, by the first computing device, a cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device;

determining, by the first computing device, whether the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is greater than a threshold; and

replacing, by the first computing device, the candidate expression with a native query function when the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is greater than the threshold, wherein the native query function is wrapped with metadata that represents a dimensionality of returning results indicative of level member hierarchies that will be included in a result of the native query function and wherein the native query is wrapped with a value indicative of the requirement to inject a context parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the native query function at the second computing device hosting the source of data specified in the candidate expression.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a runtime context is necessary to execute the native query function.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating a context parameter for the native query function.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device includes determining one of a first amount of memory required at the first computing device, a first amount of bandwidth required to transfer a result set from the second computing device to the first computing device, or a first number of CPU cycles required at the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is one of a first amount of memory, a first amount of bandwidth, or a first number of CPU cycles.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating a term of the candidate expression expressed into a term understood by the second computing device hosting the source of data specified in the candidate expression.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising parsing the query specification to identify a particular expression in the query specification as a candidate expression.

9. A computer-implemented method for executing a query specification, comprising:

evaluating, by a first computing device during conversion of a first query specification to a locally-executable query, the first query specification to identify an expression in the first query specification as a candidate expression to be executed by a second computing device hosting a source of data specified in the candidate expression, wherein the conversion is performed by the first computing device and wherein the locally-executable query is executable by the first computing device against the source of data hosted on the second computing device;

determining a cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device;

determining whether the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is greater than a threshold; and

replacing the candidate expression with a native query function when the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is greater than the threshold, wherein the native query function is wrapped with a value indicative of the requirement to inject a context parameter and wherein the native query is wrapped with metadata that represents a dimensionality of returning results indicative of level member hierarchies that will be included in a result of the native query function.

10. A computer-implemented method for executing a query specification, comprising:

evaluating, by a first computing device, a first query specification to identify at least one expression of a set of expressions as a candidate expression to be executed by a second computing device hosting a source of data specified in the candidate expression;

determining a cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device;

determining whether the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is greater than a threshold; and

replacing the candidate expression with a native query function when the cost estimate of executing the candidate expression at the first computing device is greater than the threshold, wherein the native query function is wrapped with a value indicative of the requirement to inject a context parameter and wherein the native query is wrapped with metadata that represents a dimensionality of returning results indicative of level member hierarchies that will be included in a result of the native query function.