Use of online analytical processing (OLAP) in a rules based decision management system

• US 6,430,545 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1998
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CGI Technologies and Solutions Incorporated (CGI Group)
• Original Assignee: American Management Systems, Incorporated (CGI, Inc.)
• Inventors: Campbell, Steve, Honarvar, Laurence, Showalter, Traci
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, George B.
• Application Number:
  US09/217,016
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47, 707/100, 705/35
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A rules based decision management system using online analytical processing (OLAP) technology for dynamic assessment of strategy results. Generally, a rules based decision management system applies strategies which produce results. The results are aggregated over time, typically in accordance with values of a discrete dimension and ranges of a continuous dimension, to prepare for the application of OLAP technology. Date stamping can be used so that, when aggregating the results, different values and different ranges can be valid for different periods of time. OLAP technology is then applied to the aggregated results, to evaluate the applied strategies.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented rules based decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the applied strategies producing results;

aggregating the results over time in accordance with values of a discrete dimension so that the values are changeable without technical intervention;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to evaluate the aggregated results; and

modifying the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated results.

2. A process as in claim 1, wherein said aggregating further comprises:

aggregating the results over time in accordance a continuous dimension so that ranges of the continuous dimension are changeable without technical intervention.

3. A process as in claim 1, wherein the values are date stamped to allow the values to be changed without technical intervention.

4. A process as in claim 1, wherein said aggregating includes:

forming a data structure conceptually representable as rows, each row including a unique combination of dimensions and their respective values relative to the other rows and including data corresponding to accumulated results over time for the combination of dimensions of the row.

5. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented rules based decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the applied strategies producing results;

aggregating the results over time in accordance a continuous dimension so that ranges of the continuous dimension are changeable without technical intervention;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to evaluate the aggregated results; and

modifying the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated results.

6. A process as in claim 5, wherein the ranges are date stamped to allow the ranges to be changed without technical intervention.

7. A process as in claim 5, wherein said aggregating includes:

forming a data structure conceptually representable as rows, each row including a unique combination of dimensions and their respective values relative to the other rows and including data corresponding to accumulated results over time for the combination of dimensions of the row.

8. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented rules based decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the applied strategies producing results;

date stamping values of discrete dimensions to allow the values to be valid for different periods of time;

aggregating the results over time in accordance with the date stamped values;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to evaluate the aggregated results; and

modifying the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated results.

9. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization;

forming a data structure conceptually representable as rows, each row including a unique combination of dimensions and their values relative to the other rows and including data corresponding to accumulated results over time for the combination of dimensions of the row;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to evaluate the data in the data structure; and

modifying the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated data.

10. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented rules based decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the applied strategies producing results;

determining an observation point corresponding to a point in time when a strategy decision was made;

correlating dimensions to the observation point;

aggregating the results over time in accordance with the observation point and the correlated dimensions, the correlation of dimensions to the observation point over different periods of time being changeable without technical intervention;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to evaluate the aggregated results; and

modifying the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated results.

11. A process as in claim 10, wherein, in preparation for said applying OLAP technology, the process further comprises:

date stamping the correlation of dimensions to the observation point, so that the correlation of dimensions to the observation point are changeable without technical intervention.

12. A process as in claim 11, further comprising, before the results are aggregated:

formatting the results without technical intervention, to place the results in a format for aggregating by said aggregating.

13. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented rules based decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the applied strategies producing results;

determining an observation point corresponding to a point in time when a strategy decision was made;

correlating dimensions to the observation point;

aggregating the results in accordance with the observation point and the correlated dimensions;

changing the correlation of dimensions to the observation point;

aggregating the results in accordance with the observation point having the changed, correlated dimensions;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to said results aggregated in accordance with the observation point have the changed, correlated dimensions, to evaluate said results; and

modifying the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated results.

14. A process as in claim 13, wherein, in preparation for said applying OLAP technology, the process further comprises:

date stamping the correlation of dimensions to the observation point, so that the correlation of dimensions to the observation point are changeable without technical intervention.

15. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented rules based decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the applied strategies producing results;

aggregating the results over time;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to evaluate the aggregated results; and

modifying the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated results.

16. A process as in claim 15, wherein said aggregating comprises:

aggregating the results over time in accordance with values of a discrete dimension so that the values are changeable without technical intervention.

17. A process as in claim 15, wherein said aggregating comprises:

aggregating the results over time in accordance a continuous dimension so that ranges of the continuous dimension are changeable without technical intervention.

18. A process as in claim 15, further comprising, before the results are aggregated:

formatting the results without technical intervention, to place the results in a format for aggregating by said aggregating.

19. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the applied strategies producing results;

time stamping initial values of a discrete dimension;

changing a value of the discrete dimension, and time stamping the changed value;

aggregating the results in accordance with the time stamped initial values and the time stamped changed value;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to evaluate the aggregated results; and

refining the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated results.

20. A computer-implemented process comprising:

applying strategies by a computer-implemented decision management system to determine actions to be taken with respect to clients of an organization, the applied strategies producing results;

time stamping initial ranges of a continuous dimension;

changing a range of the continuous dimension, and time stamping the changed range;

aggregating the results in accordance with the time stamped initial ranges and the time stamped changed range;

applying online analytical processing (OLAP) technology to evaluate the aggregated results; and

modifying the applied strategies by the decision management system in accordance with the evaluated results.