Very large dataset representation system and method

• US 7,333,995 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cognos Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Desbiens, Marc A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US10/884,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 707100-1041, 707/1, 707/4, 707/10, 707/200, 705/7, 717/120
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A system and method for representing a very large dataset that enables a plan manager to define, based upon an organization modelling object, a delegation modelling object for a very large dataset. A very large dataset delegation of multiple subplans is created whose subplans can then be individually filtered for specific size restrictions. This enables a plan manager to filter the definition of each subplan prior to the execution of the delegation modelling object, precluding any need for higher-level subplans to contain all the data contained in their subordinate subplans. This allows subplans to contain increased levels of detail not included in their superior subplans, detail that will instead only be summarized in higher-level subplans. A subsequent consolidation process will then extract data not found at higher levels from each delegated subplan, and return that data to its original dataset.

Claims

1. A dataset representation system for delivering subplans representing very large dataset, the system comprising:

means for running a delegation process defined by a delegation modelling object, the elegation modelling object including;

a definition of a master dataset;

a subplan definition for generating subplans from the master dataset, based on an organization hierarchy; and

an organization modelling object defining contents of the subplans, and the organization hierarchy; and

associating the subplan with a data dimension-to-user mapping;

a subplan manager for filtering the subplan definition in accordance with a predetermined data size limitation, based on the organization hierarchy defined in the organization modelling object;

means for executing the delegation modelling object with the filtered subplan definition;

means for extracting and generating a deliverable subplan; and

means for delivering the deliverable subplan to a designated user.

2. The dataset representation system according to claim 1, wherein subplans in a lower level of the hierarchy have increased level of detail not included in subplans in a superior level.

3. The dataset representation system according to claim 2, further including a consolidator for extracting data from each delegated subplan not found in the subplans in the superior level and consolidating the extracted data to an original source dataset.

4. The dataset representation system according to claim 1, wherein the organizational hierarchy defined by the organization modelling object includes

a data dimension reference;

a user identifier defining intended recipients; and

a mapping between the data dimension reference and the user identifier.

5. The dataset representation system according to claim 1, wherein the delegation modelling object controls the shutdown of a delegation process.

6. The dataset representation system according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the subplan definitions is a proposal to aid in a planning process.

7. A method of delivering subplans representing very large datasets, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a master dataset;

generating subplans from the master dataset, based on an organization hierarchy, the organization hierarchy defined by an organization modelling object;

extracting contents for the subplan from the master dataset based on the organization modelling object;

associating the subplans with a data dimension-to-user mapping;

filtering data from the subplans in accordance with a predetermined data size limitation;

executing the delegation modelling object with a filtered subplan definition;

extracting and generating a deliverable subplan; and

delivering the deliverable subplan to a designated user.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein subplans in a lower level of the hierarchy have increased level of detail not included in subplans in a superior level.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of constructing an organization modelling object.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of constructing an organization modelling object further comprises the steps of:

referencing a data dimension;

defining intended recipients with an user identifier; and

mapping the referenced data dimension to the user identifier.

11. The method according claim 8, further including the step of consolidating data from the delegated subplans.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the consolidation step includes the steps of:

extracting data from each delegated subplan not found in the subplans in the superior level; and

returning the extracted data to an original source dataset.

13. A storage memory readable by a computer encoding a computer program for delivering subplans representing a very large dataset, the computer program comprising the steps of instructions for:

providing a master dataset;

generating subplans from the master dataset, based on an organization hierarchy, the organization hierarchy defined by an organization modelling object;

extracting contents for the subplans from the master dataset based on the organization modelling object;

associating the subplans with a data dimension-to-user mapping;

filtering data from the subplans in accordance with a predetermined data size limitation;

executing the delegation modelling object with a filtered subplan definition;

extracting and generating a deliverable subplan; and

delivering the deliverable subplan to a designated user.