Performing a data analysis process

• US 20040267751A1
• Filed: 04/05/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Dill, Marcus, Ecker, Bernd, Weidner, Jens, Mahabal, Harish Hoskere, Bachmann, Torsten, Shankar, Lakshmi
• Application Number:
  US10/816,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20040267751A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/03 Data mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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

Abstract

A data analysis workbench enables a user to define a data analysis process that includes an extract sub-process to obtain transactional data from a source system, a load sub-process for providing the extracted data to a data warehouse or data mart, a data mining analysis sub-process to use the obtained transactional data, and a deployment sub-process to make the data mining results accessible by another computer program. Common settings used by each of the sub-processes are defined, as are specialized settings relevant to each of the sub-processes. The invention also enables a user to define an order in which the defined sub-processes are to be executed. The defined data analysis process then is able to be performed by one or more computer systems.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for performing a data analysis process, the method comprising:

accessing an input identifying a data analysis process;

accessing sub-process indicators, each sub-process indicator identifying a sub-process associated with the data analysis process, wherein;

at least one identified sub-process is a deployment sub-process for storing a data attribute created in another one of the identified sub-processes, and

at least one identified sub-process is (1) an extraction sub-process for extracting data from a transactional data source, (2) a transformation sub-process for transforming data extracted from the transaction data source from a data format used by the transactional data source to a data format used for analytical processing, (3) a loading sub-process for loading data into an analytical data source that is used for analytical processing, or (4) a data mining sub-process for creating a data attribute by performing an analytical process on data from the analytical processing data source; and

performing the sub-processes identified by accessed sub-process indicators.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the data source is a transactional data source, and

the deployment sub-process stores the created data attribute in the transactional data source.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the deployment sub-process stores the created data attribute in one of the data source, a second transactional data store other than the transactional data source, or a second analytical data store used for analytical processing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the accessed sub-process indicators is associated with a computer program that causes the indicated sub-process to be performed.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising accessing meta-data elements to be used in the data analysis process wherein each meta-data element is associated with 1) a corresponding data element in the transactional data source, 2) a corresponding data element in the analytical process data source, or 3) both a corresponding data element in the transactional data source and a corresponding data element in the analytical process data source.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the identified sub-processes are capable of sending messages that are sent using the same message format.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

having one of the identified sub-processes send a message to another of the identified sub-processes; and

having the identified sub-process that receives the message perform a process in response to receiving the message.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing an indication defining how a particular error is to be processed during the data analysis process; and

when the particular error is detected during the data analysis process, processing the particular error based on the indication defining how the particular error is to be processed.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing an indication identifying a computing device or a component of a computing device to be used during the execution of one of the identified sub-processes; and

using the identified computing device or the component of the computing device during the execution of the one of the identified sub-processes based on the accessed indication.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing an indication identifying an order for performing the identified sub-processes; and

controlling order of execution of the identified sub-processes such that the order is based on the accessed indication identifying the order for performing the identified sub-processes.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing an indication identifying when the data analysis process is to be initiated; and

controlling initiation of the data analysis process such that the initiation is based on the accessed indication.

12. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, perform a data analysis process, and is configured to:

access an input identifying a data analysis process;

access sub-process indicators, each sub-process indicator identifying a sub-process associated with the data analysis process, wherein;

at least one identified sub-process is a deployment sub-process for storing a data attribute created in another one of the identified sub-processes, and

at least one identified sub-process is (1) an extraction sub-process for extracting data from a transactional data source, (2) a transformation sub-process for transforming data extracted from the transaction data source from a data format used by the transactional data source to a data format used for analytical processing, (3) a loading sub-process for loading data into an analytical data source that is used for analytical processing, or (4) a data mining sub-process for creating a data attribute by performing an analytical process on data from the analytical processing data source; and

perform the sub-processes identified by accessed sub-process indicators.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein:

the data source is a transactional data source, and

the deployment sub-process stores the created data attribute in the transactional data source.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the deployment sub-process stores the created data attribute in one of the data source, a second transactional data store other than the transactional data source, or a second analytical data store used for analytical processing.

15. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein one of the accessed sub-process indicators is associated with a computer program that causes the indicated sub-process to be performed.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 is further configured to access meta-data elements to be used in the data analysis process wherein each meta-data element is associated with 1) a corresponding data element in the transactional data source, 2) a corresponding data element in the analytical process data source, or 3) both a corresponding data element in the transactional data source and a corresponding data element in the analytical process data source.

17. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein each of the identified sub-processes are capable of sending messages that are sent using the same message format.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 is further configured to:

send a message from one of the identified sub-processes to another of the identified sub-processes; and

have the receiving sub-process perform a process in response to receiving the message.

19. The computer program product of claim 12 further configured to:

access an indication defining how a particular error is to be processed during the data analysis process; and

when the particular error is detected during the data analysis process, process the particular error based on the indication defining how the particular error is to be processed.

20. The computer program product of claim 12 further configured to:

access an indication identifying a computing device or a component of a computing device to be used during the execution of one of the identified sub-processes; and

use the identified computing device or the component of the computing device during the execution of the one of the identified sub-processes based on the accessed indication.

21. A system for performing a data analysis process, the system comprising a processor connected to a storage device and one or more input/output devices, wherein the processor is configured to:

access an input identifying a data analysis process;

access sub-process indicators, each sub-process indicator identifying a sub-process associated with the data analysis process, wherein;

at least one identified sub-process is a deployment sub-process for storing a data attribute created in another one of the identified sub-processes, and

at least one identified sub-process is (1) an extraction sub-process for extracting data from a transactional data source, (2) a transformation sub-process for transforming data extracted from the transaction data source from a data format used by the transactional data source to a data format used for analytical processing, (3) a loading sub-process for loading data into an analytical data source that is used for analytical processing, or (4) a data mining sub-process for creating a data attribute by performing an analytical process on data from the analytical processing data source; and

perform the sub-processes identified by accessed sub-process indicators.