Secure virtual data warehousing system and method
First Claim
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1. A computer implementing a virtual data warehouse stored on a computer-useable medium, comprising:
- a plurality of virtual tables, each including one or more records, each virtual table representative of a conventional table in a remote database and each record within the virtual tables corresponding to a record within the represented conventional table and containing an identity value for accessing the corresponding record;
a plurality of hyper-keys, each able to be resolved from look-up values into direct virtual links to target records as soon as the look-up values are entered into the warehouse, each hyper-key being used for linking records in one of the plurality of virtual tables to one or more records in a specified other virtual table from the plurality of virtual tables;
at least one virtual table with one or more records, each record containing one or more hyper-keys, each hyper-key used to access one or more records in one of the virtual tables from the plurality of virtual tables representing a conventional table in a remote database;
at least one virtual table index that is a conventional index created from data extracted from the records within a conventional table in a remote database and used to access the corresponding records within the virtual table representing the conventional table; and
at least one hyper-index, which is a conventional index, derived from data exported from a virtual table index and used to access records within a virtual table other than the virtual table associated with the virtual table index by replacing, within a list of record identity values or similar structure associated with an indexed record, the record identity values from a first virtual table with record identity values for the records within a second virtual table that are linked by hyper-keys to the records in the first virtual table.
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Abstract
The invention advances the technology of virtual data warehousing: by allowing data to be organized in any of a number of virtual structures without the need for replication; by allowing the data to be accessed through the virtual structure at speeds in excess of those for conventional methods; by allowing data to be searched at significantly higher speeds, using a new indexing technology that enables tables to be indexed by data external to themselves, thus removing the need for complex joins; and by providing a workable security model for compartmenting access to both the data and the indices used to support searching.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A computer implementing a virtual data warehouse stored on a computer-useable medium, comprising:
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a plurality of virtual tables, each including one or more records, each virtual table representative of a conventional table in a remote database and each record within the virtual tables corresponding to a record within the represented conventional table and containing an identity value for accessing the corresponding record; a plurality of hyper-keys, each able to be resolved from look-up values into direct virtual links to target records as soon as the look-up values are entered into the warehouse, each hyper-key being used for linking records in one of the plurality of virtual tables to one or more records in a specified other virtual table from the plurality of virtual tables; at least one virtual table with one or more records, each record containing one or more hyper-keys, each hyper-key used to access one or more records in one of the virtual tables from the plurality of virtual tables representing a conventional table in a remote database; at least one virtual table index that is a conventional index created from data extracted from the records within a conventional table in a remote database and used to access the corresponding records within the virtual table representing the conventional table; and at least one hyper-index, which is a conventional index, derived from data exported from a virtual table index and used to access records within a virtual table other than the virtual table associated with the virtual table index by replacing, within a list of record identity values or similar structure associated with an indexed record, the record identity values from a first virtual table with record identity values for the records within a second virtual table that are linked by hyper-keys to the records in the first virtual table. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer program product, comprising:
- a computer-useable medium upon which computer program logic is recorded, the computer program logic configured to create and maintain a virtual data warehouse stored on said computer-useable medium, comprising;
virtual tables, each representative of a conventional table in a remote database accessible by the computer upon which the virtual data warehouse is created, with each record within the virtual table corresponding to a record within the represented conventional table and containing an identity value for accessing the corresponding record; hyper-keys, which can be resolved from look-up values into direct virtual links to target records as the look-up values are entered into the warehouse, each hyper-key being used for linking records in one of the virtual tables to one or more records in a specified other virtual table; at least one virtual table with one or more records, each record containing one or more hyper-keys, each hyper-key used to access one or more records in a virtual table representing a conventional table in a remote database; a virtual table index that is a conventional index created from data extracted from the records within a conventional table in a remote database and used to access the corresponding records within the virtual table representing that conventional table; and a hyper-index, which is a conventional index, derived from data exported from a virtual table index and used to access records within a virtual table other than the virtual table associated with the virtual table index by replacing, within a list of record identity values or similar structure associated with an indexed record, the record identity values from a first virtual table with record identity values for the records within a second virtual table that are linked by hyper-keys to the records in the first virtual table. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- a computer-useable medium upon which computer program logic is recorded, the computer program logic configured to create and maintain a virtual data warehouse stored on said computer-useable medium, comprising;
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21. A method for building a virtual data warehouse, the method comprising:
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building virtual tables that each include one or more records, each virtual table representative of a conventional table in a remote database and each record within the virtual tables corresponding to a record within the represented conventional table and containing an identity value for accessing the corresponding record; building virtual tables that each include one or more records, each record containing one or more hyper-keys, each hyper-key used to access one or more records in a virtual table representing a conventional table in a remote database; linking records from different virtual tables via one or more hyper-keys which are resolved into virtual links for fast access; building one or more virtual table indexes to allow indexing and searching of data represented in the records of a virtual table without requiring storage of or access to data in the corresponding conventional table, each virtual table index being derived from data extracted from records within the conventional table represented by the virtual table, the records having corresponding records within the virtual table; and building at least one hyper-index to allow searching of data represented by records in various virtual tables linked to records in a single virtual table by the hyper-keys as though the data was actually within the records of the single virtual table, each hyper-index being derived from data exported from a virtual table index and used to access records within a virtual table other than the virtual table associated with the virtual table index by replacing, within the list of record identity values or similar structure associated with an indexed record, the record identity values from a first virtual table with record identity values for the records within a second virtual table that are linked by hyper-keys to the records in the first table. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of searching a virtual data warehouse according to a user'"'"'s search request in order to return and display data to the user via a computer in response to the search request, the method comprising:
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using one or more virtual table indexes to retrieve records from a single virtual table, the single virtual table corresponding to a conventional table in a remote database where actual data is stored; using one or more hyper-indexes to retrieve records from the virtual table, each hyper-index allowing the searching of data represented by records in various virtual tables linked to records in the single virtual table by hyper-keys as though the data was actually within the records of the single virtual table; and using one or more hyper-keys to link records from one or more virtual tables, the one or more virtual tables corresponding to one or more conventional tables in remote databases where actual data is stored. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification