Relational emulation of a multi-dimensional database

• US 5,943,668 A
• Filed: 06/30/1997
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malloy, William Earl, Tomlyn, Craig Reginald, Robinson, Gary, Moore, Simon Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US08/885,417
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103, 707/205, 707/6, 707/104, 707/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• 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 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for using a relational database management system to support on-line analytical processing (OLAP) systems. A multi-dimensional database is defined having a set of multi-dimensional data blocks and a set of identifiers comprising selected dimensions of multi-dimensional data for identifying particular ones of the multi-dimensional data blocks. The set of identifiers provides an ordering of the multi-dimensional data blocks using multi-dimensional member identifiers and holds usage information and age information about the multi-dimensional data blocks. The data in the set of multi-dimensional data blocks is stored in a relational database that represents the multi-dimensional database. Then, a set of rows representing a multi-dimensional data block is accessed from the relational database.

Claims

1. A method of executing a command in a computer to perform a database operation on a relational database stored on a data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a multi-dimensional database having a set of multi-dimensional data blocks and a set of identifiers comprising selected dimensions of multi-dimensional data for identifying particular ones of the multi-dimensional data blocks, wherein the set of identifiers provides an ordering of the multi-dimensional data blocks using multi-dimensional member identifiers and holds usage information and age information about the multi-dimensional data blocks;

(b) storing the data in the set of multi-dimensional data blocks in a relational database, wherein the relational database represents the multi-dimensional database;

(c) accessing a set of rows representing a multi-dimensional data block from the relational database after receiving a multi-dimensional member identifier and determining a corresponding relational member identifier.

2. A method of executing a command in a computer to perform a database operation on a relational database stored on a data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a multi-dimensional database having a set of multi-dimensional data blocks and a set of identifiers comprising selected dimensions of multi-dimensional data for identifying particular ones of the multi-dimensional data blocks, wherein the set of identifiers provides an ordering of the multi-dimensional data blocks using multi-dimensional member identifiers and holds usage information and age information about the multi-dimensional data blocks;

(b) storing the data in the set of multi-dimensional data blocks in a relational database, wherein the relational database represents the multi-dimensional database; and

(c) accessing a set of rows representing a multi-dimensional data block from the relational database;

(d) receiving a relational member identifier; and

(e) determining a corresponding multi-dimensional member identifier.

3. An apparatus for executing a command to perform a database operation on a relational database, comprising:

(a) a computer having a data storage device coupled thereto, wherein the data storage device stores the relational database;

(b) one or more computer programs, performed by the computer, for defining a multi-dimensional database having a set of multi-dimensional data blocks and a set of identifiers comprising selected dimensions of multi-dimensional data for identifying particular ones of the multi-dimensional data blocks, wherein the set of identifiers provides an ordering of the multi-dimensional data blocks using multi-dimensional member identifiers and holds usage information and age information about the multi-dimensional data blocks, for storing the data in the set of multi-dimensional data blocks in a relational database, wherein the relational database represents the multi-dimensional database, and for accessing a set of rows representing a multi-dimensional data block from the relational database after receiving a multi-dimensional member identifier and determining a corresponding relational member identifier.

4. An apparatus for executing a command to perform a database operation on a relational database, comprising:

(a) a computer having a data storage device coupled thereto, wherein the data storage device stores the relational database;

(b) one or more computer programs, performed by the computer, for defining a multi-dimensional database having a set of multi-dimensional data blocks and a set of identifiers comprising selected dimensions of multi-dimensional data for identifying particular ones of the multi-dimensional data blocks, wherein the set of identifiers provides an ordering of the multi-dimensional data blocks using multi-dimensional member identifiers and holds usage information and age information about the multi-dimensional data blocks, for storing the data in the set of multi-dimensional data blocks in a relational database, wherein the relational database represents the multi-dimensional database, for accessing a set of rows representing a multi-dimensional data block from the relational database, for receiving a relational member identifier and for determining a corresponding multi-dimensional member identifier.

5. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for executing a command to perform a database operation on a relational database stored on a data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a multi-dimensional database having a set of multi-dimensional data blocks and a set of identifiers comprising selected dimensions of multi-dimensional data for identifying particular ones of the multi-dimensional data blocks, wherein the set of identifiers provides an ordering of the multi-dimensional data blocks using multi-dimensional member identifiers and holds usage information and age information about the multi-dimensional data blocks;

(b) storing the data in the set of multi-dimensional data blocks in a relational database, wherein the relational database represents the multi-dimensional database; and

(c) accessing a set of rows representing a multi-dimensional data block from the relational database after receiving a multi-dimensional member identifier and determining a corresponding relational member identifier.

6. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for executing a command to perform a database operation on a relational database stored on a data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a multi-dimensional database having a set of multi-dimensional data blocks and a set of identifiers comprising selected dimensions of multi-dimensional data for identifying particular ones of the multi-dimensional data blocks, wherein the set of identifiers provides an ordering of the multi-dimensional data blocks using multi-dimensional member identifiers and holds usage information and age information about the multi-dimensional data blocks;

(b) storing the data in the set of multi-dimensional data blocks in a relational database, wherein the relational database represents the multi-dimensional database;

(c) accessing a set of rows representing a multi-dimensional data block from the relational database;

(d) receiving a relational member identifier; and

(e) determining a corresponding multi-dimensional member identifier.