SYSTEMS AND/OR METHODS FOR INTRODUCING SEMANTIC CONCEPTS INTO COMPLEX EVENT PROCESSING ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20140025700A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software AG
• Original Assignee: Software AG
• Inventors: SCHNING, Harald
• Granted Patent: US 9,697,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24568 Data stream processing; Continuous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/367 Ontology

Abstract

Certain example embodiments described herein relate to techniques for introducing semantic concepts into complex event processing (CEP) systems and/or methods. In an event processing system, for example, an event bus is configured to receive a stream of events, each having a predefined event type. An event processing agent is configured to execute predefined queries on the events, with each query conforming to a query language, and with the query language being enhanced via a semantic extension corresponding to an ontology. An ontology management component in communication with the event processing agent stores mappings (optionally specified at design time) between concepts of the query language and concepts of the ontology that enhances the query language. Processing resources of the component translate (optionally at compile time) references to ontology concepts into translated queries processable by the event processing agent in accordance with the query language, without the semantic extension enhancement.

Claims

1. An event processing system, comprising:

an event bus configured to receive a stream of events, each said event having a predefined event type;

an event processing agent including at least one first processor, the event processing agent being configured to execute predefined queries on the events, each said query conforming to a query language, the query language being enhanced via a semantic extension corresponding to an ontology; and

an ontology management component in communication with the event processing agent, the ontology management component including;

a first storage location storing mappings between concepts of the query language and concepts of the ontology that enhances the query language, and

processing resources, including at least one second processor and a memory, configured to translate references to ontology concepts into translated queries processable by the event processing agent in accordance with the query language, without the semantic extension enhancement.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ontology management component further comprises a second storage location storing the ontology that enhances the query language.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing resources translate only a partial subset of possible references to ontology concepts into translated queries processable by the event processing agent in accordance with the query language, without the semantic extension enhancement.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing resources are configured to create translations at compile time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein concepts of the query language include events, event types, and channels, and/or concepts of the ontology include classes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein attributes of event types are mappable to properties of classes.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein events of a certain event type are considered instances of corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain event type is mapped, and/or events communicated via a certain channel are considered instances of corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain channel is mapped.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein events of a certain event type are considered instances of any superclass(es) to which the corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain event type is mapped belong.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a user interface is configured to accept, at design time, input specifying mappings.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein translated queries are free from, and lack any reference to, any ontology concepts.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein individual events are classifiable as being instances of a corresponding ontology class.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the events comprise respective headers and payloads, and wherein at least some of the events include, in their headers, ontology mapping information.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the ontology management component is further configured to determine when an ontology has changed and, in response, recompile and redeploy affected queries in order to reflect a most recent state of the changed ontology.

14. An event processing agent, comprising:

processing resources including at least one first processor and a memory;

a first connection to a channel on an event bus configured to receive a stream of events, each said event having a predefined event type; and

a second connection to an ontology management component;

wherein the event processing agent, in cooperation with the processing resources, is configured to execute predefined queries on events received over the first connection, each said query conforming to a query language, the query language being enhanced via a semantic extension corresponding to an ontology; and

wherein the ontology management includes a first storage location storing mappings between concepts of the query language and concepts of the ontology that enhances the query language, and is configured to translate references to ontology concepts into translated queries processable by the event processing agent in accordance with the query language, without the semantic extension enhancement.

15. The agent of claim 14, wherein concepts of the query language include events, event types, and channels, and/or concepts of the ontology include classes.

16. The agent of claim 14, wherein attributes of event types are mappable to properties of classes.

17. The agent of claim 14, wherein events of a certain event type are considered instances of corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain event type is mapped, and/or events communicated via a certain channel are considered instances of corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain channel is mapped.

18. The agent of claim 14, wherein events of a certain event type are considered instances of any superclass(es) to which the corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain event type is mapped belong.

19. The agent of claim 14, wherein translated queries are free from, and lack any reference to, any ontology concepts.

20. A method of processing events in a complex event processing (CEP) system, the method comprising:

receiving, via an event bus, a stream of events, each said event having a predefined event type;

determining, in connection with an event processing agent including at least one processor, when a particular query out of a plurality of possible queries is to be executed on an event, each said query either initially conforming to a CEP query language executable by the event processing agent and thus being executable by the event processing agent, or being translated into a translated query executable via the event processing agent from an enhanced query that conforms to a version of the CEP query language that has been enriched so that semantics thereof are represented in accordance with an ontology; and

executing the particular query in connection with the at least one processor of the event processing agent.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a first data store stores mappings as between elements of the CEP query language, and elements of the ontology.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein translated queries are generated in accordance with the mappings stored in the first data store.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein translated queries are generated at compile time.

34. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing a program comprising instructions that, when executed, perform a method according to claim 20.

24. A method of configuring a complex event processing (CEP) system in which a stream of events is received via an event bus, each said event having a predefined event type, the method comprising:

receiving queries that are to be executable in connection with the CEP system;

determining, in connection with at least one processor, whether a received query either initially conforms to a CEP query language executable by an event processing agent, or must be translated from an enhanced query that conforms to a version of the CEP query language that has been enriched so that semantics thereof are represented in accordance with an ontology in order to render it executable via the event processing agent;

when the received query must be translated, generating a translated query from the enhanced query in accordance with mappings between concepts of the CEP system and concepts of the ontology; and

deploying all queries that initially conform to the CEP query language and all translated queries for possible subsequent execution.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the generating of the translated queries is practiced at compile time.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein concepts of the CEP query language include events, event types, and channels, and/or concepts of the ontology include classes.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein attributes of event types are mappable to properties of classes.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein events of a certain event type are considered instances of corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain event type is mapped;

events communicated via a certain channel are considered instances of corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain channel is mapped; and

/or events of a certain event type are considered instances of any superclass(es) to which the corresponding ontology class(es) to which that certain event type is mapped belong.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising receiving, via a user interface, user input identifying at least some of the mappings.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the user input identifying the mappings is received at design time.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the translated queries are free from, and lack any reference to, any ontology concepts.

32. The method of claim 24, further comprising detecting when an ontology has changed and, in response, to a detection of a change, recompiling and redeploying any affected enriched queries in order to reflect a most recent state of the changed ontology.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein the concepts of the ontology are classes, and wherein the generating of the translated query comprises, for the enhanced query:

(a) retrieving a class definition for all referenced classes from a corresponding ontology;

(b) determining whether the referenced classes are marked as being handled;

(c) when the referenced classes are marked as being handled;

for each class, inferring needed attributes A,

transforming the respective class definition to the query language, referencing any mapped concepts of the CEP system C using class restriction R to create the translated query having a general format of “

SELECT A FROM C WHERE R”

, and

compiling the translated query; and

(d) when the referenced classes are not marked as being handled, for each class;

determining whether the respective class has a corresponding mapping,

when the respective class does not have a corresponding mapping, replacing the class with a union of all of its sub-classes, and returning to (a),

when the respective class has a corresponding mapping, determining whether the respective class has any sub-classes,

when the respective class has a corresponding mapping but no sub-classes, removing the reference to the class, and returning to (a), and

when the respective class has a corresponding mapping and any sub-classes, adding a union with all sub-classes to the class, marking the class as handled, and returning to (a).

35-49. -49. (canceled)