INTELLIGENT CONDITION PRUNING FOR SIZE MINIMIZATION OF DYNAMIC, JUST IN TIME TABLES

• US 20080016048A1
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Kulack, Frederick A.
• Application Number:
  US11/456,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016048A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries

Abstract

A method, system and article of manufacture for managing execution of queries against heterogeneous data structures are disclosed. One embodiment provides a method of processing a database query. The method comprises receiving, from a requesting entity, an abstract query of data contained in a database and an external data source. From the abstract query, an executable query is generated that is configured to access the database and a temporary data structure generated using data from the external data source. From the executable query, a data request configured to identify the data from the external data source to be included with the temporary data structure is generated. Then, the temporary data structure is generated using the data request. The executable query is executed against the database and the temporary data structure to obtain a result set. The obtained result set is returned to the requesting entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of processing a database query, comprising:

receiving, from a requesting entity, an abstract query of data contained in a database and an external data source, wherein the abstract query is composed from one or more logical fields of a data abstraction model;

generating, from the abstract query, an executable query capable of being executed by a query engine, wherein the executable query includes a reference to a temporary data structure to be generated using data from the external data source and wherein the executable query includes one or more query conditions;

generating a data request specifying data from the external data source required to execute the database query, wherein the data request includes at least one of the plurality of conditions;

generating the temporary data structure using the data request to retrieve data from the external data source consistent with the at least one condition; and

executing the executable query against the database and the temporary data structure to obtain a result set.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a template for the temporary data structure, the template defining a configuration of the temporary data structure and specifying a location of the external data source;

retrieving data from the external data source using the location specified by the template;

creating the temporary data structure according to the configuration defined by the template; and

inserting data retrieved from the external data source using the data request into the temporary data structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the database includes one or more database tables and wherein creating the temporary data structure comprises creating a temporary database table in the database containing data retrieved from the external data source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable query includes a reference to the temporary data structure, and wherein the executable query and the data request are generated prior to the generation of the temporary data structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data abstraction model is configured to generate the executable query in a form consistent with a physical representation of the data in the database and the temporary data structure on the basis of the one or more logical fields of the abstract query.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a tree structure having a plurality of nodes representing the plurality of query conditions included with the executable query; and

modifying the tree structure to create a modified tree structure having only nodes related to query conditions to select the data from the external data source.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying the tree structure comprises:

identifying query conditions from the plurality of query conditions that relate to data available from the database; and

removing all nodes related to the query condition from the tree structure.

8. A computer-readable medium containing a program which, when executed by a processor, performs operations for processing a database query, the operations comprising:

receiving, from a requesting entity, an abstract query of data contained in a database and an external data source, wherein the abstract query is composed from one or more logical fields of a data abstraction model;

generating, from the abstract query, an executable query capable of being executed by a query engine, wherein the executable query includes a reference to a temporary data structure to be generated using data from the external data source and wherein the executable query includes one or more query conditions;

generating a data request specifying data from the external data source required to execute the database query, wherein the data request includes at least one of the plurality of conditions;

generating the temporary data structure using the data request to retrieve data from the external data source consistent with the at least one condition; and

executing the executable query against the database and the temporary data structure to obtain a result set.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

retrieving a template for the temporary data structure, the template defining a configuration of the temporary data structure and specifying a location of the external data source;

retrieving data from the external data source using the location specified by the template;

creating the temporary data structure according to the configuration defined by the template; and

inserting data retrieved from the external data source using the data request into the temporary data structure.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the database includes one or more database tables and wherein creating the temporary data structure comprises creating a temporary database table in the database containing data retrieved from the external data source.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the executable query includes a reference to the temporary data structure, and wherein the executable query and the data request are generated prior to the generation of the temporary data structure.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the data abstraction model is configured to generate the executable query in a form consistent with a physical representation of the data in the database and the temporary data structure on the basis of the one or more logical fields of the abstract query.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a tree structure having a plurality of nodes representing the plurality of query conditions included with the executable query; and

modifying the tree structure to create a modified tree structure having only nodes related to query conditions to select the data from the external data source.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein modifying the tree structure comprises:

identifying a query condition from the plurality of query conditions that relates to data available from the database; and

removing all nodes related to the query condition from the tree structure.

15. A computing device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing a program for optimizing a database query, which, when executed, performs an operation for processing a database query, comprising;

receiving, from a requesting entity, an abstract query of data contained in a database and an external data source, wherein the abstract query is composed from one or more logical fields of a data abstraction model;

generating, from the abstract query, an executable query capable of being executed by a query engine, wherein the executable query includes a reference to a temporary data structure to be generated using data from the external data source and wherein the executable query includes one or more query conditions;

generating a data request specifying data from the external data source required to execute the database query, wherein the data request includes at least one of the plurality of conditions;

generating the temporary data structure using the data request to retrieve data from the external data source consistent with the at least one condition; and

executing the executable query against the database and the temporary data structure to obtain a result set.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

retrieving a template for the temporary data structure, the template defining a configuration of the temporary data structure and specifying a location of the external data source;

retrieving data from the external data source using the location specified by the template;

creating the temporary data structure according to the configuration defined by the template; and

inserting data retrieved from the external data source using the data request into the temporary data structure.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the database includes one or more database tables and wherein creating the temporary data structure comprises creating a temporary database table in the database containing data retrieved from the external data source.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the executable query includes a reference to the temporary data structure, and wherein the executable query and the data request are generated prior to the generation of the temporary data structure.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the data abstraction model is configured to generate the executable query in a form consistent with a physical representation of the data in the database and the temporary data structure on the basis of the one or more logical fields of the abstract query.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a tree structure having a plurality of nodes representing the plurality of query conditions included with the executable query; and

modifying the tree structure to create a modified tree structure having only nodes related to query conditions to select the data from the external data source.

21. The computing device of claim 20, wherein modifying the tree structure comprises:

identifying query conditions from the plurality of query conditions that relate to data available from the database; and

removing all nodes related to the query condition from the tree structure.