Registration of solved cubes within a relational database management system

• US 20030208506A1
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Greenfield, David, Dorman, Greg
• Granted Patent: US 7,366,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24539 using cached or materialised query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24556 Aggregation; Duplicate elimination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Performing operations on multidimensional data managed by a relational database system is facilitated by registration of solved cubes with a RDBMS. A solved cube is an abstract construct likened to a view or a table on relational data and contains not only base data, but also aggregated measure data that is base data that has been processed across multiple levels of a hierarchical dimension. In an embodiment, a solved cube may provide all the pre-computed aggregated data for a particular context that the solved cube represents. In another embodiment, a solved cube may not provide any pre-computed data, but may provide several procedures, operations and/or instructions that can be executed to compute aggregated data for a particular context that the solved cube represents. A solved cube is registered with a RDBMS by providing metadata that defines a given solved cube. Therefore, a database server is able interpret the metadata, and to perform operations on the given solved cube based on the metadata.

Claims

1. A method for performing an operation based on multidimensional data managed by a relational database management system, wherein the multidimensional data that is stored in the relational database includes a plurality of dimensions and at least one dimension of the plurality of dimensions includes a hierarchy having two or more levels of granularity, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

registering, with said relational database management system, metadata that defines a cube, wherein said metadata includes

data that identifies that said cube is a solved cube; and

data that indicates how to handle requests that involve said solved cube;

receiving a request for an operation on said solved cube; and

in response to said request, performing the steps of

determining, based on said metadata, one or more operations to perform to fulfill said request, and

performing said one or more operations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said metadata includes:

data that identifies one or more mechanisms for obtaining all data associated with said solved cube.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein said database contains data that is pre-computed across at least two of said two or more levels of said at least one dimension;

and

wherein said metadata identifies where, in said database, to locate particular data of said pre-computed data.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein said metadata identifies one or more procedures for obtaining data associated with said solved cube;

and

wherein said step of performing one or more operations includes executing at least one of said one or more procedures.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said metadata identifies columns maintained for each dimension of said plurality of dimensions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said metadata describes a view.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said view is defined in one or more SQL statements.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said view calls an executable procedure.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said view uses a table function.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said metadata identifies a form associated with said solved cube.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said solved cube references a column that is associated with a measure, for storing values of the measure that are grouped at levels of said plurality of dimensions.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein said form of said solved cube is a rollup form;

and

wherein said solved cube references columns that are associated with each level of each dimension of said plurality of dimensions, for storing values that are associated with a respective level.

13. The method of claim 10,

wherein said form of said solved cube is a rollup form;

wherein said solved cube references a table that includes columns that are associated with each level of each dimension of said plurality of dimensions for storing values that are associated with each level of each dimension, and columns for storing grouping identifiers that are associated with each dimension; and

wherein said grouping identifiers identify a level of a dimension at which precomputed data in said table is grouped.

14. The method of claim 10,

wherein said form of said solved cube is a grouping set form;

wherein one or more levels of said plurality of dimensions are not specified as part of a grouping set associated with the solved cube; and

wherein said solved cube references columns that are associated with each level of each dimension of said plurality of dimensions, for storing values that are associated with a respective level.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the particular value that is associated with columns that are associated with said one or more levels that are not specified as part of said grouping set is a null value.

16. The method of claim 10,

wherein said form of said solved cube is a grouping set form;

wherein one or more levels of said plurality of dimensions are not specified as part of a grouping set corresponding to said solved cube;

wherein said solved cube references a table that includes columns that are associated with each level of each dimension of said plurality of dimensions for storing values that are associated with each level of each dimension, and columns for storing grouping identifiers that are associated with each dimension; and

wherein said grouping identifiers identify a level of a dimension at which precomputed data in said table is grouped.

17. The method of claim 10,

wherein said form of said solved cube is an embedded total form;

and

wherein said solved cube references columns that are associated with each dimension of said plurality of dimensions, for storing values that are associated with a respective level of a respective dimension.

18. The method of claim 10,

wherein said form of said solved cube is an embedded total form;

wherein said solved cube references a table that includes columns that are associated with each dimension of said plurality of dimensions for storing values that are associated with a respective level of a respective dimension, and columns for storing grouping identifiers that are associated with each dimension; and

wherein said grouping identifiers identify a level of a dimension at which precomputed data in said table is grouped.

19. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

20. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

21. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 3.

22. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

23. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 5.

24. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.

25. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 7.

26. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 8.

27. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 9.

28. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 10.

29. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 11.

30. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 12.

31. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 13.

32. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 14.

33. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 15.

34. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 16.

35. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 17.

36. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 18.

37. An apparatus for performing an operation based on multidimensional data managed by a relational database management system, wherein the multidimensional data that is stored in the relational database includes a plurality of dimensions and at least one dimension of the plurality of dimensions includes a hierarchy having two or more levels of granularity, the apparatus comprising:

means for registering, with said relational database management system, metadata that defines a cube, wherein said metadata includes

data that identifies that said cube is a solved cube; and

data that indicates how to handle requests that involve said solved cube;

means for receiving a request for an operation on said solved cube; and

means for determining, based on said metadata, one or more operations to perform to fulfill said request, and

means for performing said one or more operations.