Pre-request execution based on an anticipated ad hoc reporting request

• US 10,621,205 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2017
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rakshit, Sarbajit K., Starks, Kimberly G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skhoun, Hicham
• Application Number:
  US15/414,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20180210941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 707603
• 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

Abstract

In the Business Intelligence (BI) realm, ad hoc reporting refers to relatively fast on-the-fly building of computer data reports in real-time. A process for pre-report execution based on an anticipated ad hoc reporting request is provided. This process predicts an ad hoc reporting request to generate an ad hoc report will be received from a user. Based on the ad hoc reporting request being predicted, and prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, the process dynamically generates and executes code to execute a query(ies) and acquires pre-request execution report data from execution of the query(ies). The ad hoc reporting request is received from the user, and based on receiving the ad hoc reporting request, the process identifies pre-request execution report data acquired prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting requests and generates the ad hoc report using the pre-request execution report data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

predicting that an ad hoc reporting request to generate an ad hoc report will be received from a user, wherein the predicting comprises predicting report objects of the ad hoc reporting request to be received and one or more queries to be executed in generating the ad hoc report, wherein the predicted report objects include elements predicted to be selected by the user in generating the ad hoc reporting request that is predicted to be received from the user;

based on predicting the ad hoc reporting request, and prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, dynamically generating and executing code to execute the one or more queries, and acquiring pre-request execution report data from the execution of the one or more queries prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request;

receiving the ad hoc reporting request from the user based on a selection of the report objects by the user to generate the ad hoc reporting request, the received ad hoc reporting request being a request to generate the ad hoc report; and

based on receiving the ad hoc reporting request, identifying the pre-request execution report data acquired prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, and generating the ad hoc report using the pre-request execution report data acquired prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, one or more historical report patterns in prior ad hoc reports requested by the user, wherein the predicting that the ad hoc reporting request will be received from a user is based at least in part on the identified one or more historical report patterns.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a historical report pattern of the one or more historical report patterns comprises a repeated combination of report objects, and wherein the predicted report objects comprise the combination of report objects.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a historical report pattern of the one or more historical report patterns comprises a repeated sequence of ad hoc reporting requests including a first ad hoc reporting request and a sequentially-subsequent second ad hoc reporting request, wherein the predicted ad hoc reporting request comprises the second ad hoc reporting request of the sequence, and the predicting is based on the user requesting the first ad hoc reporting.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a historical report pattern of the one or more historical report patterns comprises a repeated particular ad hoc reporting request received periodically in a given timeframe, wherein the predicted ad hoc reporting request comprises the particular ad hoc reporting request, and the predicting is based on a current time being within the given timeframe during a next period.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, an indication of the user'"'"'s current report usage behavior, including dimensions or measures that are in-focus for the user, wherein the predicting is based on the user'"'"'s current report usage behavior.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicting the report objects is based on determining that updated information has been published about one or more report objects that the user has historically included in prior ad hoc reporting requests.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, from the user'"'"'s recent digital activity a plurality of keywords potentially relevant to the user'"'"'s ad hoc reporting activities;

obtaining, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, a data dictionary and ontological structure of an organization with which the user is associated;

searching, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, the data dictionary and ontological structure for the plurality of keywords to identify report objects correlated to the plurality of keywords; and

performing, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, the predicting the ad hoc reporting request and the report objects thereof based on the identified report objects correlated to the plurality of keywords, wherein the predicted report objects comprise the identified report objects correlated to the plurality of keywords.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising tracking user content of the user, the user content selected from the group consisting of email content of the user, social network content of the user, and online news source content viewed by the user, wherein the ascertaining is from the tracked user content as the user'"'"'s recent digital activity.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the user'"'"'s recent digital activity is selected from the group consisting of recent calendar events, recent action items, and recent social network contribution.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the user'"'"'s recent digital activity comprises interaction with offline and online documents, and wherein at least a subset of the plurality of keywords are selected from the offline and online documents.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising performing, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, a contextual analysis of a usage of a keyword of the plurality of keywords to ascertain a context in which the keyword is used, wherein the ascertained context is used to identify the ad hoc report for which the ad hoc reporting request is predicted to be received.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically generating and executing the code to execute the one or more queries comprises creating a query execution plan based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a data refresh pattern in a database against which a query of the one or more queries is to be executed, a resource load in a server performing the dynamically generating and executing, the user'"'"'s recent digital activity, and an amount of pre-request execution report data expected to be generated from the query.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicting is based at least in part on monitored user activity to generate prior-requested ad hoc reports.

15. A computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method, the method comprising;

predicting that an ad hoc reporting request to generate an ad hoc report will be received from a user, wherein the predicting comprises predicting report objects of the ad hoc reporting request to be received and one or more queries to be executed in generating the ad hoc report, wherein the predicted report objects include elements predicted to be selected by the user in generating the ad hoc reporting request that is predicted to be received from the user;

based on predicting the ad hoc reporting request, and prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, dynamically generating and executing code to execute the one or more queries, and acquiring pre-request execution report data from the execution of the one or more queries prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request;

receiving the ad hoc reporting request from the user based on a selection of the report objects by the user to generate the ad hoc reporting request, the received ad hoc reporting request being a request to generate the ad hoc report; and

based on receiving the ad hoc reporting request, identifying the pre-request execution report data acquired prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, and generating the ad hoc report using the pre-request execution report data acquired prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises identifying, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, one or more historical report patterns in prior ad hoc reports requested by the user, wherein the predicting that the ad hoc reporting request will be received from a user is based at least in part on the identified one or more historical report patterns.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the predicting the report objects is based on determining that updated information has been published about one or more report objects that the user has historically included in prior ad hoc reporting requests.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

ascertaining, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, from the user'"'"'s recent digital activity a plurality of keywords potentially relevant to the user'"'"'s ad hoc reporting activities;

obtaining, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, a data dictionary and ontological structure of an organization with which the user is associated;

searching, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, the data dictionary and ontological structure for the plurality of keywords to identify report objects correlated to the plurality of keywords; and

performing, prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, the predicting the ad hoc reporting request and the report objects thereof based on the identified report objects correlated to the plurality of keywords, wherein the predicted report objects comprise the identified report objects correlated to the plurality of keywords.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises tracking user content of the user, the user content selected from the group consisting of email content of the user, social network content of the user, and online news source content viewed by the user, wherein the ascertaining is from the tracked user content as the user'"'"'s recent digital activity.

20. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method, the method comprising;

predicting that an ad hoc reporting request to generate an ad hoc report will be received from a user, wherein the predicting comprises predicting report objects of the ad hoc reporting request to be received and one or more queries to be executed in generating the ad hoc report, wherein the predicted report objects include elements predicted to be selected by the user in generating the ad hoc reporting request that is predicted to be received from the user;

based on predicting the ad hoc reporting request, and prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, dynamically generating and executing code to execute the one or more queries, and acquiring pre-request execution report data from the execution of the one or more queries prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request;

receiving the ad hoc reporting request from the user based on a selection of the report objects by the user to generate the ad hoc reporting request, the received ad hoc reporting request being a request to generate the ad hoc report; and

based on receiving the ad hoc reporting request, identifying the pre-request execution report data acquired prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request, and generating the ad hoc report using the pre-request execution report data acquired prior to receiving the ad hoc reporting request.