TECHNIQUES FOR INTEGRATING DISPARATE DATA ACCESS MECHANISMS

• US 20090024594A1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Inventors: Eschwege, Michael, Nolan, Ellen
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems

Abstract

Techniques for integrating disparate data access mechanisms are provided. A user attempts data access against an infocube and its data access mechanism. Transparently, that access attempt is translated into a format recognized and processed by a relational database access mechanism to produce results. The results are then translated from a relational database format back to an infocube format and presented to the user within the infocube'"'"'s data access mechanism.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a search criteria via an infocube interface from a user, wherein the search query includes a time-dependent constraint;

automatically transitioning from the infocube interface to a relational database;

using a relational database interface to search the relational database and to acquire an answer set that conforms to the search criteria having the time-dependent constraint; and

automatically translating the answer set to a data format used and recognized by the infocube interface and presenting to the user within the infocube interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein automatically transitioning further includes evaluating the search query for key figures and filtering criteria defined therein and querying metadata tables of the relational database to map infocube constructs found in the search criteria to relational database constructs.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein using further includes assembling the relational database constructs into a SQL query and processing the SQL query as the search against the relational database.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein assembling further includes producing the SQL query with a SELECT clause for characteristics and select aggregations of the key figures.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein assembling further includes producing the SQL query with a FROM clause that resolves a fact table and dimension tables that the SELECT clause is to process against.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein assembling further includes producing the SQL query with a WHERE clause that enforces the filtering criteria.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein automatically translating further includes wrapping the answer set with one or more SQL OUTER SELECT clauses to process transformation actions on the answer set and automatically place it in the data format used by the infocube interface.

8. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an infocube formatted query request for target data;

evaluating the infocube formatted query request for key figures and characteristics, wherein at least one key figure is a non-cumulative key figure;

searching metadata of a relational database for mappings to the key figures and the characteristics;

assembling a relational query using constructs found in the mappings to the metadata of the relational database; and

processing the relational query against the relational database to receive an answer set.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising, translating the answer set from a relational database format to an infocube format.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising, presenting the answer set in the infocube format to a user that initially made the infocube formatted query request within an infocube interface and within a context of a particular infocube.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein evaluating further includes evaluating the infocube formatted query request for filtering criteria and using the filtering criteria in assembling the relational query.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein evaluating further includes recognizing the characteristics as including one or more of the following attributes:

time constraints and hierarchical relationship constraints.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein evaluating further includes recognizing the key figures as quantifiable measures or values for the target data as defined by a user using an infocube interface.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving an update operation from a user in an infocube interface format for data defined within the infocube;

using the metadata to translate the operation to a relational database update operation for relational data that maps to the data; and

updating the relational data within the relational database in response to processing the relational database update operation.

15. A machine-implemented system comprising:

a bridging interface implemented within a machine-accessible medium and processed on a machine; and

a relational database interface implemented in a machine-accessible and readable medium and processed on the machine;

wherein the bridging interface is activated within an infocube when an infocube interface attempts to access data, and wherein the bridging interface translates infocube formatted data operations and infocube data constructs into relational database formatted data operations and relational database data constructs recognized by the relational database interface, and wherein the infocube data constructs include key figures and characteristics and at least one key figure is a non-cumulative key figure, and the relational database interface processes the data operations and data constructs against a relational database and returns results that the bridging interface translates from a relational data format to an infocube data format.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data operations include one or more of the following:

infocube create operations, infocube delete operations, update operations, query operations, statistic gathering operations, and status operations.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one characteristic includes a temporal-based limitation.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the bridging interface produces SQL statements for the infocube formatted operations using metadata associated with the relational database and the key figures and the characteristics associated with the infocube data constructs.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the bridging interface is implemented as a Java service that monitors the infocube interface for events indicating that attempts are being made to access the data of the infocube.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the infocube is logically represented as a virtual infocube to a user, and wherein the user produces the infocube formatted data operations and directs them to the infocube and the bridging interface, in a process that is transparent to the user, transforms the infocube formatted data operations into relational database formatted data operations for access to the relational database.