System and method for providing cross-dimensional computation and data access in an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) environment

• US 6,574,619 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2000
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: i2 Technologies US Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Reddy, Venugopal P., Matharu, Harmindar S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/535,905
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/100, 707/102, 707/103, 707/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• 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 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system for generating a value for a first attribute includes a database having one or more dimensions that each include one or more members. The database includes one or more storage locations that are each associated with one member from each dimension in a set of one or more of the dimensions. A server evaluates an expression including at least one second attribute that depends on a set of one or more of the dimensions, the expression mapping at least one member of a first dimension on which the first attribute depends to at least one member of a second dimension on which the second attribute depends. The value for the first attribute is generated according to the expression. The server and database may operate in an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) environment.

Claims

1. A system for generating a value for a first attribute, comprising:

a database having one or more dimensions each comprising one or more members, the database comprising one or more storage locations that are each associated with one member from each dimension in a set of one or more of the dimensions; and

a server operable to evaluate an expression comprising at least one second attribute that depends on a set of one or more of the dimensions, the expression mapping at least one member of a first dimension on which the first attribute depends to at least one member of a second dimension on which the second attribute depends, the value for the first attribute being generated according to the expression.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server and database operate in an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) environment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second dimensions are aliases of at least one base dimension.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first attribute does not depend on the second dimension.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the value for the first attribute is generated using cross-dimensional computation according to the mapping.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computation is selected from the group consisting of:

a historical substitution computation;

an ancestor look-up computation; and

a dependent data computation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a value for the second attribute is generated using cross-dimensional data access according to the mapping.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is operable to communicate to the database a mapping set comprising a plurality of mappings.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping is an arbitrary mapping between one or more specified members of the first dimension and one or more specified members of the second dimension.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first dimension and the second dimension are the same dimension and the mapping is a relative mapping between related members of that dimension.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping is an absolute mapping between at least one member of the second dimension and all members of the first dimension, such that the member of the second dimension is mapped to irrespective of which member of the first dimension is selected.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second dimensions are aliases of the same base dimension and the mapping is an identity mapping between the member of the first dimension and the same member of the second dimension.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the expression comprises multiple mapping sets between multiple sets of dimensions according to multiple mappings, each mapping being one of:

an arbitrary mapping;

a relative mapping;

an absolute mapping; and

an identity mapping.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the expression comprises an aggregation function over a plurality of mapped members of the second dimension, the value for the first attribute being generated according to the aggregation function.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the expression maps multiple members of multiple dimensions on which the first attribute depends to multiple members of multiple dimensions on which the second attribute depends.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the second attribute has an associated storage location in the database but the first attribute does not.

17. A method of generating a value for a first attribute, comprising:

evaluating an expression comprising at least one second attribute that depends on a set of one or more dimensions of a database that each comprise one or more members, the expression mapping at least one member of a first dimension on which the first attribute depends to at least one member of a second dimension on which the second attribute depends; and

generating the value for the first attribute according to the expression.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method is performed in an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) environment.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second dimensions are aliases of at least one base dimension.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first attribute does not depend on the second dimension.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the value for the first attribute is generated using cross-dimensional computation according to the mapping.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the computation is selected from the group consisting of:

a historical substitution computation;

an ancestor look-up computation; and

a dependent data computation.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a value for the second attribute using cross-dimensional data access according to the mapping.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising communicating to the database a mapping set comprising a plurality of mappings.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the mapping is an arbitrary mapping between one or more specified members of the first dimension and one or more specified members of the second dimension.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second dimensions are the same dimension and the mapping is a relative mapping between related members of that dimension.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the mapping is an absolute mapping between at least one member of the second dimension and all members of the first dimension, such that the member of the second dimension is mapped to irrespective of which member of the first dimension is selected.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the first and second dimensions are aliases of the same base dimension and the mapping is an identity mapping between the member of the first dimension and the same member of the second dimension.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the expression comprises multiple mapping sets between multiple sets of dimensions according to multiple mappings, each mapping being one of:

an arbitrary mapping;

a relative mapping;

an absolute mapping; and

an identity mapping.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein the expression comprises an aggregation function over a plurality of mapped members of the second dimension, the value for the first attribute being generated according to the aggregation function.

31. The method of claim 17, wherein the expression maps multiple members of multiple dimensions on which the first attribute depends to multiple members of multiple dimensions on which the second attribute depends.

32. The method of claim 17, wherein the second attribute has an associated storage location in the database but the first attribute does not.

33. An expression for generating a value for a first attribute, the expression being stored in a computer-readable medium, the expression comprising:

at least one second attribute that depends on a set of one or more dimensions of a database, each dimension having one or more members; and

a mapping for mapping at least one member of a first dimension on which the first attribute depends to at least one member of a second dimension on which the second attribute depends.

34. The expression of claim 33, wherein the expression is suitable for use in an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) environment.

35. The expression of claim 33, wherein the first and second dimensions being aliases of at least one base dimension.

36. The expression of claim 33, wherein the first attribute does not depend on the second dimension.

37. The expression of claim 33, wherein the mapping is an arbitrary mapping between one or more specified members of the first dimension and one or more specified members of the second dimension.

38. The expression of claim 33, wherein the first dimension and the second dimension are the same dimension and the mapping is a relative mapping between related members of that dimension.

39. The expression of claim 33, wherein the mapping is an absolute mapping between at least one member of the second dimension and all members of the first dimension, such that the member of the second dimension is mapped to irrespective of which member of the first dimension is selected.

40. The expression of claim 33, wherein the first and second dimensions are aliases of the same base dimension and the mapping is an identity mapping between the member of the first dimension and the same member of the second dimension.

41. The expression of claim 33, wherein the expression comprises multiple mapping sets between multiple sets of dimensions according to multiple mappings, each mapping being one of:

an arbitrary mapping;

a relative mapping;

an absolute mapping; and

an identity mapping.

42. The expression of claim 33, wherein the expression comprises an aggregation function over a plurality of mapped members of the second dimension, the value for the first attribute being generated according to the aggregation function.

43. The expression of claim 33, wherein the expression maps multiple members of multiple dimensions on which the first attribute depends to multiple members of multiple dimensions on which the second attribute depends.

44. Software for generating a value for a first attribute, the software being embodied in computer readable media and when executed operable to:

evaluate an expression comprising at least one second attribute that depends on a set of one or more dimensions of a database that each comprise one or more members, the expression mapping at least one member of a first dimension on which the first attribute depends to at least one member of a second dimension on which the second attribute depends; and

generate the value for the first attribute according to the expression.

45. The software of claim 44, wherein the software is executed in an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) environment.

46. The software of claim 44, wherein the first and second dimensions are aliases of at least one base dimension.

47. The software of claim 44, wherein the first attribute does not depend on the second dimension.

48. The software of claim 44, wherein the value for the first attribute is generated using cross-dimensional computation according to the mapping.

49. The software of claim 48, wherein the computation is selected from the group consisting of:

a historical substitution computation;

an ancestor look-up computation; and

a dependent data computation.

50. The software of claim 44, further operable to generate a value for the second attribute using cross-dimensional data access according to the mapping.

51. The software of claim 44, further operable to communicate to the database a mapping set comprising a plurality of mappings.

52. The software of claim 44, wherein the mapping is an arbitrary mapping between one or more specified members of the first dimension and one or more specified members of the second dimension.

53. The software of claim 44, wherein the first and second dimensions are the same dimension and the mapping is a relative mapping between related members of that dimension.

54. The software of claim 44, wherein the mapping is an absolute mapping between at least one member of the second dimension and all members of the first dimension, such that the member of the second dimension is mapped to irrespective of which member of the first dimension is selected.

55. The software of claim 44, wherein the first and second dimensions are aliases of the same base dimension and the mapping is an identity mapping between the member of the first dimension and the same member of the second dimension.

56. The software of claim 44, wherein the expression comprises multiple mapping sets between multiple sets of dimensions according to multiple mappings, each mapping being one of:

an arbitrary mapping;

a relative mapping;

an absolute mapping; and

an identity mapping.

57. The software of claim 44, wherein the expression comprises an aggregation function over a plurality of mapped members of the second dimension, the value for the first attribute being generated according to the aggregation function.

58. The software of claim 44, wherein the expression maps multiple members of multiple dimensions on which the first attribute depends to multiple members of multiple dimensions on which the second attribute depends.

59. The software of claim 44, wherein the second attribute has an associated storage location in the database but the first attribute does not.