Computer-Implemented Multidimensional Database Processing Method And System

• US 20110035353A1
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher D. Bailey
• Original Assignee: Christopher D. Bailey
• Inventors: Bailey, Christopher D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

A computer-implemented system and method are provided to handle operations dealing with a multidimensional database. Information about the hierarchical structure of a multidimensional database is used when performing the operations upon the database. Operations such as update, select and others are performed using the hierarchical structural information. Keys and indexes may be used in accessing the hierarchical structural information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for scanning a plurality of data records to locate one or more data records that fulfill a query, comprising:

a MOLAP multidimensional database stored in a computer-readable storage medium and containing a plurality of data records, wherein a data record includes a plurality of dimensions, a dimension further having a dimensional hierarchy, the dimensional hierarchy further having a plurality of elements;

a dimensional hierarchy vector stored in the computer-readable storage medium and corresponding to structural characteristics of the dimensional hierarchy, the dimensional hierarchy vector describing a structural relationship indicating where an element appears in the dimensional hierarchy with respect to other elements within the dimensional hierarchy;

a first index vector stored in the computer-readable storage medium and comprising a key assigned to each element in the dimensional hierarchy, the first index vector being an index to the dimensional hierarchy vector, the keys in the first index vector being associated with the dimensional hierarchy vector in order to perform a search based on a received query, wherein a logical expression is formulated based upon the query and the dimensional hierarchy vector;

a second index vector generated using the logical expression and the keys assigned to the elements in the dimensional hierarchy, the second index vector being used to scan the plurality of data records in the MOLAP multidimensional database in O(N) time in order to locate one or more data records that fulfill the query.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable storage medium comprises random access memory.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the dimensional hierarchy is defined as a directed acyclic graph.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the dimensional hierarchy vector includes a preorder value, a post order value, and an ordinal value for each element.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the key for each element matches the ordinal value for that element.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the dimensional hierarchy vector includes a containment vector defining a containment relationship between a particular element with respect to other elements.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the logical expression includes one or more operators and a plurality of terms based upon the dimensional hierarchy vector.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the dimensional hierarchy vector is used to compute an answer matrix in a single scan of the MOLAP multidimensional database for one or more data records that fulfill the query.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the MOLAP multidimensional database contains one or more cubes, and wherein each of the cubes represents a set of dimensions containing at least a portion of the plurality of data records.

10. A computer-implemented method for analyzing data records in a MOLAP multidimensional database, comprising:

identifying one or more data records in the MOLAP multidimensional database, wherein a data record includes a plurality of dimensions, and wherein a dimension includes a dimensional hierarchy having a plurality of elements;

generating a dimensional hierarchy vector corresponding to the structural characteristics of a dimensional hierarchy, wherein the dimensional hierarchy vector describes a structural relationship indicating where an element appears in the dimensional hierarchy with respect to other elements within the dimensional hierarchy;

creating one or more keys, wherein each key is assigned to an element in the dimensional hierarchy, wherein each key is stored in a first index vector, and wherein the keys in the first index vector are associated with the dimensional hierarchy vector and are used to perform a search based upon a query;

receiving a query, wherein the query is used to formulate a logical expression based upon the dimensional hierarchy vector; and

using the logical expression and the one or more keys in the first index vector to generate a second index vector, wherein the second index vector is used to scan the plurality of data records in the MOLAP multidimensional database in O(N) time in order to locate one or more data records that fulfill the query.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein assigning a key to each element uniquely identifies each element within each dimensional hierarchy.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein each dimensional hierarchy is defined as a directed acyclic graph (DAG).

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein each dimensional hierarchy vector includes the preorder value, the ordinal value, and the postorder value for each element.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the a value corresponding to the key is the ordinal value.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein each dimensional hierarchy is defined as a containment structure.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the dimensional hierarchy vector is a containment vector defining a containment relationship between a particular element with respect to other elements within the dimensional hierarchy.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the numeric value corresponding to the key is an enumerating sequential number of an element within the dimensional hierarchy vector.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the dimensional hierarchy vector includes a key corresponding to each dimension in a plurality of dimensions.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the logical expression includes one or more operators and a plurality of terms based upon the dimensional hierarchy vector.

20. A computer implemented system for analyzing data records in a MOLAP multidimensional database, wherein each data record includes a plurality of dimensional hierarchies, wherein each data record includes a discrete value representing an element in a dimensional hierarchy, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

identifying one or more data records in the MOLAP multidimensional database, wherein a data record includes a plurality of dimensions, and wherein a dimension includes a dimensional hierarchy having a plurality of elements;

generating a dimensional hierarchy vector corresponding to the structural characteristics of a dimensional hierarchy, wherein the dimensional hierarchy vector describes a structural relationship indicating where an element appears in the dimensional hierarchy with respect to other elements within the dimensional hierarchy;

creating one or more keys, wherein each key is assigned to an element in the dimensional hierarchy, wherein each key is stored in a first index vector, and wherein the keys in the first index vector are associated with the dimensional hierarchy vector and are used to perform a search based upon a query;

receiving a query, wherein the query is used to formulate a logical expression based upon the dimensional hierarchy vector; and

using the logical expression and the one or more keys in the first index vector to generate a second index vector, wherein the second index vector is used to scan the plurality of data records in the MOLAP multidimensional database in O(N) time in order to locate one or more data records that fulfill the query.