Automatic trend analysis data capture

• US 7,069,263 B1
• Filed: 02/19/2002
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Porter, Daryl Geoffrey, Yee, David Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US10/076,540
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 8, 707/10, 707100-1041, 707200-203, 382/109, 710 18- 20, 345/440, 345/440.2, 715/769, 715/765
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• 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

A method, system, computer program product, and database connectivity layer provides the capability to capture data over time so that trend analysis may be performed that does not require modifications to the data model and the data processing applications. A method of automatically capturing data for trend analysis comprises the steps of: receiving a query for data from a database application, issuing the received query to a database management system, receiving a response to the query from the database management system, the response indicating a result dataset, creating or updating a database table that is suitable for trend analysis, and populating or updating the database table with data from the result dataset.

Claims

1. A method of automatically capturing data for trend analysis in a database management system comprising the steps of:

receiving a query for data from a database application;

issuing the received query to a database management system;

receiving a response to the query from the database management system, wherein the response indicating a result dataset indicates a result data table;

automatically creating or updating a database table that is suitable for trend analysis, the database table comprising information upon which trend analysis is to be performed and information that is generated in order to perform the trend analysis, the database table arranged so that subsequent executions of the same query will cause the database table to be updated with the addition of a current retrieved result dataset so that multiple executions of the same database query cause database table to contain multiple retrieved result datasets upon which trend analysis is to be performed; and

populating or updating the database table with data from the result dataset and with timestamp information for each row of data in the result data table, wherein the populating or updating step comprises the steps of;

determining whether the result data table includes all rows of data in the result dataset;

retrieving all rows in the result dataset, if the result data table does not include all rows in the result dataset; and

for each row of data in the result data set, populating or updating a row in the database table with the row of data and with timestamp information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating step comprises the steps of:

analyzing a format of the result dataset; and

creating the database table based on the format of the result dataset or updating an existing database table based on the format of the result dataset.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether the result dataset is to be captured for trend analysis;

and wherein the creating or updating step comprises the step of creating or updating a database table that is suitable for trend analysis, if the result dataset is to be captured for trend analysis.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the creating or updating step comprises the steps of:

analyzing a format of the result dataset; and

creating the database table based on the format of the result dataset or updating an existing database table based on the format of the result dataset.

5. A trendable database connectivity layer in a database management system operable to perform the steps of:

receiving a query for data from a database application;

issuing the received query to a database management system;

receiving a response to the query from the database management system, wherein the response indicating a result dataset indicates a result data table;

automatically creating or updating a database table that is suitable for trend analysis, the database table comprising information upon which trend analysis is to be performed and information that is generated in order to perform the trend analysis, the database table arranged so that subsequent executions of the same query will cause the database table to be updated with the addition of a current retrieved result dataset so that multiple executions of the same database query cause database table to contain multiple retrieved result datasets upon which trend analysis is to be performed; and

populating or updating the database table with data from the result dataset and with timestamp information for each row of data in the result data table, wherein the populating or updating step comprises the steps of;

determining whether the result data table includes all rows of data in the result dataset;

retrieving all rows in the result dataset, if the result data table does not include all rows in the result dataset; and

for each row of data in the result data set, populating or updating a row in the database table with the row of data and with timestamp information.

6. The trendable database connectivity layer of claim 5, wherein the creating step comprises the steps of:

analyzing a format of the result dataset; and

creating the database table based on the format of the result dataset or updating an existing database table based on the format of the result dataset.

7. A database management system related to a database connectivity layer for trend analysis comprising:

a database operable to store and retrieve data;

a database application operable to utilize the database; and

a database connectivity layer operable to provide an interface between the database application and the database, wherein the database connectivity layer comprises;

a database connectivity layer component operable to provide an interface between a database application and a database; and

a cover layer between the database connectivity layer component and the database application operable to capture and implement invocations by the database application of functions included in database connectivity layer component that create or update a database table that is suitable for trend analysis, the database table comprising information upon which trend analysis is to be performed and information that is generated in order to perform the trend analysis, the database table arranged so that subsequent executions of the same query will cause the database table to be updated with the addition of a current retrieved result dataset so that multiple executions of the same database query cause database table to contain multiple retrieved result datasets upon which trend analysis is to be performed, but pass through to the database connectivity layer component invocations by the database application of functions that do not involve trend analysis;

wherein the cover layer is further operable to perform the steps of populating or updating the database table with data from the result dataset and with timestamp information wherein the populating or updating step comprises;

determining whether the result data table includes all rows of data in the result dataset;

retrieving all rows in the result dataset, if the result data table does not include all rows in the result dataset; and

for each row of data in the result data set, populating or updating a row in the database table with the row of data and with timestamp information.

8. The database management system of claim 7, wherein the populating or updating the database table with data from the result dataset comprises:

receiving a query for data from a database application;

issuing the received query to a database management system;

receiving a response to the query from the database management system, the response indicating a result dataset;

determining whether the result dataset is to be captured for trend analysis;

creating or updating a database table that is suitable for trend analysis; and

populating or updating the database table with data from the result dataset.

9. The database management system of claim 8, wherein the creating step comprises the steps of:

analyzing a format of the result dataset; and

creating the database table based on the format of the result dataset or updating an existing database table based on the format of the result dataset.

10. A database management system related to a database connectivity layer, comprising:

a database operable to store and retrieve data;

a database application operable to utilize the database; and

a trendable database connectivity layer operable to perform the steps of;

receiving a query for data from a database application;

issuing the received query to a database management system;

receiving a response to the query from the database management system, wherein the response indicating a result dataset indicates a result data table;

automatically creating or updating a database table that is suitable for trend analysis, the database table comprising information upon which trend analysis is to be performed and information that is generated in order to perform the trend analysis, the database table arranged so that subsequent executions of the same query will cause the database table to be updated with the addition of a current retrieved result dataset so that multiple executions of the same database query cause database table to contain multiple retrieved result datasets upon which trend analysis is to be performed; and

populating or updating the database table with data from the result dataset and with timestamp information for each row of data in the result data table, wherein the populating or updating step comprises the steps of;

determining whether the result data table includes all rows of data in the result dataset;

retrieving all rows in the result dataset, if the result data table does not include all rows in the result dataset; and

for each row of data in the result data set, populating or updating a row in the database table with the row of data and with timestamp information.

11. The database management system of claim 10, wherein the creating step comprises the steps of:

analyzing a format of the result dataset; and

creating the database table based on the format of the result dataset or updating an existing database table based on the format of the result dataset.

12. A computer program product for automatically capturing data for trend analysis in an electronic data processing system, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

computer program instructions, recorded on the computer readable storage medium, executable by a processor, comprising;

instructions for receiving a query for data from a database application;

instructions for issuing the received query to a database management system;

instructions for receiving a response to the query from the database management system, wherein the response indicating a result dataset indicates a result data table;

instructions for automatically creating or updating a database table that is suitable for trend analysis, if the database table does not already exist, the database table comprising information upon which trend analysis is to be performed and information that is generated in order to perform the trend analysis, the database table arranged so that subsequent executions of the same query will cause the database table to be updated with the addition of a current retrieved result dataset so that multiple executions of the same database query cause database table to contain multiple retrieved result datasets upon which trend analysis is to be performed; and

instructions for populating or updating the database table with data from the result dataset and with timestamp information for each row of data in the result data table, wherein the instructions for populating or updating comprises;

instructions for determining whether the result data table includes all rows of data in the result dataset;

instructions for retrieving all rows in the result dataset, if the result data table does not include all rows in the result dataset; and

for each row of data in the result data set, instructions for populating or updating a row in the database table with the row of data and with timestamp information.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the instructions for creating comprises:

instructions for analyzing a format of the result dataset; and

instructions for creating the database table based on the format of the result dataset or updating an existing database table based on the format of the result dataset.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising instructions for determining whether the result dataset is to be captured for trend analysis;

and wherein the instructions for creating or updating comprises instructions for creating or updating a database table that is suitable for trend analysis, if the result dataset is to be captured for trend analysis.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for creating or updating comprises:

instructions for analyzing a format of the result dataset; and

instructions for creating the database table based on the format of the result dataset or updating an existing database table based on the format of the result dataset.