Pricing Access to Data Using Contribution Analysis

• US 20110119252A1
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Novik, Lev, Khosravy, Moe
• Application Number:
  US12/620,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119252A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/720
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Techniques are described herein for pricing access to data using contribution analysis. A user may issue a query to a store that stores data. The store may analyze a subset of the data to determine a result that is to be provided to the user in response to the query. The subset is referred to as contribution data. A data access price calculator performs a contribution analysis to determine a price to be charged to the user to access the result. The contribution analysis takes into consideration a number of rows and/or columns of data in the contribution data, a number of rows and/or columns of data in the result, functions used during the store'"'"'s analysis of the contribution data, or a combination thereof. The data access price calculator may derive such information from an indicator that is received from the store and/or to some extent from the result itself.

Claims

1. A method of pricing access to data in a networked environment, comprising:

executing a query against a store that stores data among a plurality of tables, each table including respective rows and columns of the data;

receiving a result based on the query, the result including a subset of the data;

determining a number of rows of the data in the subset; and

determining a price to charge a user who issues the query to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the subset.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of columns of the data in the subset;

wherein determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the subset comprises;

determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the subset and the determined number of the columns of the data in the subset.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an indicator that specifies a number of rows and a number of columns of the data that are included in a second subset of the data that is analyzed with respect to execution of the query;

wherein the second subset includes more of the data that is stored in the store than the first subset; and

wherein determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the subset comprises;

determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the first subset, the determined number of the columns of the data in the first subset, and the number of the rows and the number of the columns of the data that are included in the second subset.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a base price for the number of the columns of the data in the first subset; and

determining a premium price associated with at least one of the columns of the data in the first subset that is to be charged in addition to the base price;

wherein determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the subset comprises;

determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the first subset, the determined number of the columns of the data in the first subset, the number of the rows and the number of the columns of the data that are included in the second subset, the base price, and the premium price.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first price of a first column of the data in the subset; and

determining a second price of a second column of the data in the subset;

wherein the second price is greater than the first price; and

wherein determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the subset comprises;

determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the subset, the first price, and the second price.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indicator that specifies a number of the rows of the data that are included in a second subset of the data that is analyzed with respect to execution of the query;

wherein the second subset includes more of the data that is stored in the store than the first subset; and

wherein determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the subset comprises;

determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the determined number of the rows of the data in the first subset and the number of the rows of the data that are included in the second subset.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a price indicator to the user that specifies the price to charge the user to access the result.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the query against the store comprises:

executing a stored procedure against the store; and

wherein receiving the result based on the query comprises;

receiving the result based on the stored procedure.

9. A method of pricing access to data in a networked environment, comprising:

requesting a non-inline query plan regarding a query from a store;

determining that the query plan includes a function to be executed with respect to the query;

determining a function price of the function; and

determining a price to charge a user who issues the query to access a result that corresponds to the query based on the function price.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

executing the query against the store, which stores data among a plurality of tables, each table including respective rows and columns of the data;

receiving the result based on the query, the result including a subset of the data; and

determining a number of rows of the data in the subset;

wherein determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the function price comprises;

determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the function price and the number of the rows of the data in the subset.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a number of columns of the data in the subset;

wherein determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the function price comprises;

determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the function price, the number of the rows of the data in the subset, and the number of the columns of the data in the subset.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a base price for the number of the columns of the data in the subset; and

determining a premium price associated with at least one of the columns of the data in the subset that is to be charged in addition to the base price;

wherein determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the function price comprises;

determining the price to charge the user to access the result based on the function price, the number of the rows of the data in the subset, the number of the columns of the data in the subset, the base price, and the premium price.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing a price indicator to the user that specifies the price to charge the user to access the result.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein requesting the non-inline query plan regarding the query comprises:

requesting the non-inline query plan regarding a stored procedure; and

wherein determining that the query plan includes the function to be executed with respect to the query comprises;

determining that the query plan includes the function to be executed with respect to the stored procedure.

15. A data access price calculator, comprising:

a query execution module configured to execute a query against a store that stores data among a plurality of tables, each table including respective rows and columns of the data;

a result row determination module configured to determine a number of rows of the data in a result that is received in response to execution of the query, the result including a subset of the data;

a result column determination module configured to determine a number of columns of the data in the result; and

an access price determination module configured to determine a price to charge a user who issues the query to access the result based on the number of the rows and the number of the columns of the data in the result.

16. The data access price calculator of claim 15, further comprising:

a base price determination module configured to determine a base price for the number of the columns of the data in the result; and

a premium price determination module configured to determine a premium price associated with at least one of the columns of the data in the result that is to be charged in addition to the base price;

wherein the price to charge the user to access the result takes into consideration the base price and the premium price.

17. The data access price calculator of claim 15, further comprising:

a contribution row determination module configured to determine a number of rows of the data that are included in a second subset of the data that is analyzed with respect to execution of the query based on an indicator received from the store;

wherein the second subset includes more of the data that is stored in the store than the first subset; and

wherein the price to charge the user to access the result is further based on the number of the rows of the data that are included in the second subset.

18. The data access price calculator of claim 17, further comprising:

a contribution column determination module configured to determine a number of columns of the data that are included in the second subset;

wherein the price to charge the user to access the result is further based on the number of the columns of the data that are included in the second subset.

19. The data access price calculator of claim 15, further comprising:

a query plan request module configured to request a non-inline query plan regarding the query from the store;

a function determination module configured to determine that the query plan includes a function to be executed with respect to the query; and

a function price determination module configured to determine a function price of the function;

wherein the price to charge the user to access the result is further based on the function price.

20. The data access price calculator of claim 15, further comprising:

a price indication module configured to provide a price indicator to the user that specifies the price to charge the user to access the result.