Analytical server including metrics engine
First Claim
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2. The method of claim 1 wherein a star schema is defined in the relational database, wherein the star schema comprises a single fact table and zero or more dimension tables which can be joined to the fact table according to selection constraints and aggregate groupings specified in the metadata.
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Abstract
Disclosed is a method for determining database queries to be sent by an analytical server to a Relational Dababase Monitoring System (RDBMS) by using hierarchical level metadata to describe the various structures within the database.
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Citations
20 Claims
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2. The method of claim 1 wherein a star schema is defined in the relational database, wherein the star schema comprises a single fact table and zero or more dimension tables which can be joined to the fact table according to selection constraints and aggregate groupings specified in the metadata.
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11. A method of operating an analytical server which is positioned between a client and a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), the method operable to provide an interface between the client and a relational database located on the RDBMS, the relational database having fact tables, dimension tables, and metadata describing the relationships between the fact and dimension tables, wherein the fact tables include measures which can be additive or non-additive, and wherein the metadata includes a designation of which measures are additive and which measures are non-additive, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving in the analytical server, from the RDBMS, at least a portion of the metadata information regarding the relational database and its organization, including information about whether certain measures are additive and information about a logical hierarchy of the fact and dimension tables;
(b) receiving in the analytical server, from the client, a metric query, the metric query calling for a metric broken down across a dimension and also calling for a roll-up of that metric;
(c) determining, based on the metric query received from the client and based on the received information from the RDBMS regarding the logical hierarchy of the fact and dimension tables and whether the measures of the requested metric are additive, which hierarchical levels of the fact and dimension tables are available in the relational database for responding to the metric query;
(d) determining at least one database query according to the available hierarchical levels of the fact and dimension tables; and
(e) sending the determined at least one database query to the RDBMS whereby the metric query can be responded to by the analytical server based on the responses of the RDBMS to the determined at least one database query, whereby the response is tailored to the most efficient hierarchical level necessary depending on whether the measures of the requested metric are additive. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14-1. The method of claim 14 wherein the client'"'"'s security level is set according to a user'"'"'s log-in.
- 15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising determining whether any response to the metric query is possible for the client'"'"'s configured security level.
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15-2. A method of operating an analytical server which is positioned between a client and a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), the method operable to provide an interface between the client and a relational database located on the RDBMS, the relational database having fact tables, dimension tables, and metadata describing the relationships between the fact and dimension tables, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving in the analytical server, from the RDBMS, at least a portion of the metadata information regarding the relational database and its organization, including information about a logical hierarchy of the fact and dimension tables;
(b) receiving in the analytical server, from the client, a metric query;
(c) determining, based on the received information regarding the logical hierarchy of the fact and dimension tables and based on the metric query received from the client, which hierarchical levels of the fact and dimension tables are available in the relational database for responding to the metric query, wherein at least one measure within the fact and dimension tables are insufficiently fine in a requested dimension in order to respond to the metric query;
(d) determining, according to the available hierarchical levels of the fact and dimension tables, at least one metric by which the at least one measure which was unavailable at the requested fineness can be approximated by the using the measure along the requested dimension at a higher hierarchical level than the one needed to directly respond to the metric query; and
(e) sending a database query to the RDBMS based on the determining of available hierarchical levels of the fact and data tables and upon the at least one higher hierarchical level for the needed measure along the dimension which was unavailable at the needed hierarchical level.
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16-3. The method of claim 15 wherein the measure which was unavailable at the requested fineness was a time measure.
Specification