Secure virtual data warehousing system and method

• US 20050210049A1
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sliccware
• Original Assignee: Sliccware
• Inventors: Foster, Randall J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

The invention advances the technology of virtual data warehousing: by allowing data to be organized in any of a number of virtual structures without the need for replication; by allowing the data to be accessed through the virtual structure at speeds in excess of those for conventional methods; by allowing data to be searched at significantly higher speeds, using a new indexing technology that enables tables to be indexed by data external to themselves, thus removing the need for complex joins; and by providing a workable security model for compartmenting access to both the data and the indices used to support searching.

Claims

1. A virtual data warehouse, comprising:

a plurality of virtual tables each comprising at least one virtual record with accompanying virtual fields corresponding to at least one record and fields located in at least one remote database table or file system;

a plurality of local hyper-keys identifying unique virtual fields within the plurality of virtual tables; and

,

a plurality of foreign hyper-keys that link virtual records to the plurality of local hyper-keys.

2. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of foreign hyper-keys identifies both a specific local hyper-key of the plurality of local hyper-keys and a specific virtual table of the plurality of virtual tables, the specific local hyper-key located on the specific virtual table.

3. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of local hyper-keys includes both primary hyper-keys that identify a single unique virtual field, and secondary hyper-keys that identify multiple virtual fields that are collectively unique.

4. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of virtual tables comprises only one primary hyper-key.

5. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of virtual linking tables, each comprising at least one local hyper-key and one foreign hyper-key, but containing no virtual records, each of the plurality of virtual linking tables configured as a link between the plurality of foreign hyper-keys on ones of the plurality of virtual tables and the plurality of local hyper-keys on either other ones of the plurality of virtual tables or other ones of the plurality of virtual linking tables.

6. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of hyper-indices, each comprising one primary hyper-key and one foreign hyper-key so as to directly link the at least one virtual record from a virtual table of the plurality of virtual tables to one of the plurality of local hyper-keys on another virtual table of the plurality of virtual tables.

7. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of foreign hyper-keys may be replaced by hyper-IDs which directly reference the at least one record and fields linked via local hyper-keys and virtual records and virtual fields.

8. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of virtual tables further comprise an access mask configured to indicate a plurality of user groups that have access to the plurality of virtual tables.

9. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 8, wherein requests for data are accompanied by a group mask indicating from which ones of the plurality of user groups the requests originated,

10. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 9, wherein access to a virtual table is only granted if a match occurs between an associated access mask and a requesting group mask.

11. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of hyper-indices contains information concerning access rights to each of the plurality of virtual tables linked by the plurality of hyper-indices.

12. A virtual data warehouse, comprising:

storage means to store a plurality of virtual records with accompanying virtual fields, the plurality of virtual records corresponding to a plurality of records and accompanying fields located in at least one remote database table or file system;

identifying means to identifying unique virtual fields stored by the storage means; and

,

linking means to link the plurality of virtual records to the unique virtual fields identified by the identifying means.

13. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 12, wherein the linking means is configured to link a specific virtual record of the plurality of virtual records to a unique virtual field identified by the identifying means and stored by an identified storage means.

14. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 13, wherein the identifying means is configured to identify both a single unique virtual field and multiple virtual fields that are collectively unique.

15. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 14, wherein each of the each of the specific storage means comprises only one unique virtual field identified by the identifying means.

16. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 13, further comprising:

indexing means to index ones of the plurality of virtual records to the unique virtual fields identified by the identifying means.

17. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 13, further comprising:

security means to restrict user access to the plurality of virtual records.

18. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 17, wherein the security means include a comparison of user group data submitted with an access request to access data stored by the storage means.

19. The virtual data warehouse as described in claim 16, wherein the indexing means is configured to contain access rights for each of the plurality of virtual records.

20. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer useable medium upon which computer program logic is recorded, the computer program logic configured to create a virtual data warehouse comprising;

a plurality of virtual tables each comprising at least one virtual record with accompanying virtual fields corresponding to at least one record and fields located in at least one remote database table or file system;

a plurality of local hyper-keys identifying unique virtual fields within the plurality of virtual tables; and

,

a plurality of foreign hyper-keys that link virtual records to the plurality of local hyper-keys.

21. The computer program product as described in claim 20, wherein the computer logic is configured to ensure that each of the plurality of foreign hyper-keys identifies both a specific local hyper-key of the plurality of local hyper-keys and a specific virtual table of the plurality of virtual tables, the specific local hyper-key located on the specific virtual table.

22. The computer program product as described in claim 21, wherein the computer logic is configured to ensure that the plurality of local hyper-keys includes both primary hyper-keys that identify a single unique virtual field, and secondary hyper-keys that identify multiple virtual fields that are collectively unique.

23. The computer program product as described in claim 22, wherein the computer logic is configured to ensure that each of the plurality of virtual tables comprises only one primary hyper-key.

24. The computer program product as described in claim 21, the computer program logic configured to create a virtual data warehouse further comprising:

a plurality of virtual linking tables, each comprising at least one local hyper-key and one foreign hyper-key, but containing no virtual records, each of the plurality of virtual linking tables configured as a link between the plurality of foreign hyper-keys on ones of the plurality of virtual tables and the plurality of local hyper-keys on either other ones of the plurality of virtual tables or other ones of the plurality of virtual linking tables.

25. The computer program product as described in claim 21, the computer program logic configured to create a virtual data warehouse further comprising:

a plurality of hyper-indices, each comprising one primary hyper-key and one foreign hyper-key so as to directly link the at least one virtual record from a virtual table of the plurality of virtual tables to one of the plurality of local hyper-keys on another virtual table of the plurality of virtual tables.

26. The computer program product as described in claim 21, wherein the computer logic is configured to ensure that the plurality of foreign hyper-keys may be replaced by hyper-IDs which directly reference the at least one record and fields linked via local hyper-keys and virtual records and virtual fields.

27. The computer program product as described in claim 21, wherein the computer logic is configured to ensure that each of the plurality of virtual tables further comprise an access mask configured to indicate a plurality of user groups that have access to the plurality of virtual tables.

28. The computer program product as described in claim 27, wherein the computer logic is configured to ensure that requests for data are accompanied by a group mask indicating from which ones of the plurality of user groups the requests originated,

29. The computer program product as described in claim 28, wherein the computer logic is configured to ensure that access to a virtual table is only granted if a match occurs between an associated access mask and a requesting group mask.

30. The computer program product as described in claim 25, wherein the computer logic is configured to ensure that each of the plurality of hyper-indices contains information concerning access rights to each of the plurality of virtual tables linked by the plurality of hyper-indices.