DATA AGGREGATION MODULE SUPPORTING DYNAMIC QUERY RESPONSIVE AGGREGATION DURING THE SERVICING OF DATABASE QUERY REQUESTS PROVIDED BY ONE OR MORE CLIENT MACHINES

• US 20120089563A1
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MEC Management, LLC (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota)
• Original Assignee: Yanicklo Technology LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: BAKALASH, REUVEN, SHAKED, GUY, CASPI, JOSEPH
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24556 Aggregation; Duplicate elimination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Improved method of and apparatus for aggregating data elements in multidimensional databases (MDDB). In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus is realized in the form of a high-performance stand-alone (i.e. external) aggregation server which can be plugged-into conventional MOLAP systems to achieve significant improvements in system performance. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the stand-alone aggregation server contains a scalable MDDB and a high-performance aggregation engine that are integrated into the modular architecture of the aggregation server. The stand-alone aggregation server of the present invention can uniformly distribute data elements among a plurality of processors, for balanced loading and processing, and therefore is highly scalable.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by a computer system comprising computer hardware;

receiving a multidimensional cube of data, wherein the cube of data is sparse;

determining a sequence for storing the multidimensional cube of data in a multidimensional database;

extracting, based at least in part on the determined sequence, a first slice of data for storage in the multidimensional database from the multidimensional cube of data;

determining non-null data points with the first slice of data; and

for a given non-null data point, storing the non-null data point in a first record of the multidimensional database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of non-null data points are stored in the first record indexed in an ascending order along an aggregation direction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising extracting, based at least in part on the determined sequence, a second slice of data for storage from the multidimensional cube of data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein non-null data points within the second slice are stored in a second record in the multidimensional database.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a length of the first record and second record are different and based at least in part on the number of non-null data points that were stored.

6. A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium storing machine-executable instructions including one or more modules configured for execution by the processor in order to cause the computing system to;

receive a multidimensional cube of data, wherein the cube of data is sparse;

determine a sequence for storing the multidimensional cube of data in a multidimensional database;

extract, based at least in part on the determined sequence, a first slice of data for storage in the multidimensional database from the multidimensional cube of data;

determine non-null data points with the first slice of data; and

for a given non-null data point, store the non-null data point in a first record of the multidimensional database.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a plurality of non-null data points are stored in the first record indexed in an ascending order along an aggregation direction.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to extract, based at least in part on the determined sequence, a second slice of data for storage from the multidimensional cube of data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein non-null data points within the second slice are stored in a second record in the multidimensional database.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a length of the first record and second record are different and based at least in part on the number of non-null data points that were stored.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions thereon, wherein the instructions are readable by a computing system in order to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a multidimensional cube of data, wherein the cube of data is sparse;

determining a sequence for storing the multidimensional cube of data in a multidimensional database;

extracting, based at least in part on the determined sequence, a first slice of data for storage in the multidimensional database from the multidimensional cube of data;

determining non-null data points with the first slice of data; and

for a given non-null data point, storing the non-null data point in a first record of the multidimensional database.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein a plurality of non-null data points are stored in the first record indexed in an ascending order along an aggregation direction.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further encoded to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising extracting, based at least in part on the determined sequence, a second slice of data for storage from the multidimensional cube of data.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein non-null data points within the second slice are stored in a second record in the multidimensional database.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein a length of the first record and second record are different and based at least in part on the number of non-null data points that were stored.