Optimization of abstract rule processing

• US 7,917,501 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2007
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arends, Mitchell Jon, Kulack, Frederick Allyn, Dettinger, Richard Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davanlou; Soheila
• Application Number:
  US11/938,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/999.003, 707/718, 707/752, 707/758, 711/1, 711/100
• US Class Current: 707/718
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24524 Access plan code generation and invalidation; Reuse of access plans
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for optimizing the processing of abstract rules. In general, the results of executing an abstract query may be used as data inputs for processing an abstract rule. In one embodiment, query results may be sorted according to input field values required for processing a deterministic abstract rule. If a record of the sorted query results includes the same input values as a preceding record, then the rule output of the preceding record may be reused, rather than processing the abstract rule again. Accordingly, the demand load placed on a rule engine may be reduced.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of processing an abstract rule, comprising:

receiving an abstract rule having (i) a conditional statement and (ii) a consequential statement defining a particular result returned by the abstract rule for a given set of input data supplied to the rule;

receiving a set of query results comprising a plurality of data records each including one or more input values, wherein the set of query results were produced by executing a query;

sorting the plurality of data records from the set of query results according to the one or more input values;

splitting the sorted plurality of data records from the set of query results into two or more data blocks;

for each record of a given data block from the two or more data blocks, determining whether the input values of a first record of the given data block match the input values of a previously processed record;

if so, setting, as an output of processing the first record, the result returned for processing the previously processed record against the abstract rule, and

otherwise, processing the input values of the first record against the abstract rule to produce a result.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditional statement is composed from one or more logical fields, and wherein the logical fields are defined in a data abstraction model modeling an underlying physical database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the input values of the first record match the input values of a previously processed record comprises determining whether the input values of the first record are within a specified range of the input values of a previously processed record.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the input values of the first record match the input values of a previously processed record comprises determining whether the input values of the first record are identical to the input values of a previously processed record.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the abstract rule is included in a rule set container, wherein the rule set container comprises one or more abstract rule sets, and wherein executing the rule set container comprises executing each of the one or more abstract rule sets with a set of input values.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the rule set container further comprises at least one of an abstract query and one or more dispatching rules, wherein the abstract query retrieves a set of query results for use as an input to the one or more abstract rule sets, and wherein the one or more dispatching rules specify the splitting of the sorted plurality of data records into two or more data blocks.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, prior to splitting the sorted plurality of records into two or more data blocks:

calculating, based on the dispatching rules, a maximum data block size.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more dispatching rules further specify the dispatching of each data block to different sites of a plurality of processing sites.

9. A computer readable storage medium containing a program which, when executed, performs an operation for processing an abstract rule, comprising:

receiving an abstract rule having (i) a conditional statement and (ii) a consequential statement defining a particular result returned by the abstract rule for a given set of input data supplied to the rule;

receiving a set of query results comprising a plurality of data records each including one or more input values, wherein the set of query results were produced by executing a query;

sorting the plurality of data records from the set of query results according to the one or more input values;

splitting the sorted plurality of data records from the set of query results into two or more data blocks;

for each record of a given data block from the two or more data blocks, determining whether the input values of a first record of the given data block match the input values of a previously processed record;

if so, setting, as an output of processing the first record, the result returned for processing the previously processed record against the abstract rule, and

otherwise, processing the input values of the first record against the abstract rule to produce a result.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the conditional statement is composed from one or more logical fields, and wherein the logical fields are defined in a data abstraction model modeling an underlying physical database.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining whether the input values of the first record match the input values of a previously processed record comprises determining whether the input values of the first record are within a specified range of the input values of a previously processed record.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining whether the input values of the first record match the input values of a previously processed record comprises determining whether the input values of the first record are identical to the input values of a previously processed record.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the abstract rule is included in a rule set container, wherein the rule set container comprises one or more abstract rule sets, and wherein executing the rule set container comprises executing each of the one or more abstract rule sets with a set of input values.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the rule set container further comprises at least one of an abstract query and one or more dispatching rules, wherein the abstract query retrieves a set of query results for use as an input to the one or more abstract rule sets, and wherein the one or more dispatching rules specify the splitting of the sorted plurality of data records into two or more data blocks.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising, prior to splitting the sorted plurality of records into two or more data blocks:

calculating, based on the dispatching rules, a maximum data block size.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more dispatching rules further specify the dispatching of each data block to different sites of a plurality of processing sites.

17. A system, comprising:

one or more processing nodes; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed on the one or more processing nodes, is configured to process an abstract rule by performing the steps of;

receiving an abstract rule having (i) a conditional statement and (ii) a consequential statement defining a particular result returned by the abstract rule for a given set of input data supplied to the rule;

receiving a set of query results comprising a plurality of data records each including one or more input values, wherein the set of query results were produced by executing a query;

sorting the plurality of data records from the set of query results according to the one or more input values;

splitting the sorted plurality of data records from the set of query results into two or more data blocks;

for each record of a given data block from the two or more data blocks, determining whether the input values of a first record of the given data block match the input values of a previously processed record;

if so, setting, as an output of processing the first record, the result returned for processing the previously processed record against the abstract rule, and

otherwise, processing the input values of the first record against the abstract rule to produce a result.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the conditional statement is composed from one or more logical fields, and wherein the logical fields are defined in a data abstraction model modeling an underlying physical database.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein determining whether the input values of the first record match the input values of a previously processed record comprises determining whether the input values of the first record are within a specified range of the input values of a previously processed record.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein determining whether the input values of the first record match the input values of a previously processed record comprises determining whether the input values of the first record are identical to the input values of a previously processed record.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the abstract rule is included in a rule set container, wherein the rule set container comprises one or more abstract rule sets, and wherein executing the rule set container comprises executing each of the one or more abstract rule sets with a set of input values.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the rule set container further comprises at least one of an abstract query and one or more dispatching rules, wherein the abstract query retrieves a set of query results for use as an input to the one or more abstract rule sets, and wherein the one or more dispatching rules specify the splitting of the sorted plurality of data records into two or more data blocks.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising, prior to splitting the sorted plurality of records into two or more data blocks:

calculating, based on the dispatching rules, a maximum data block size.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more dispatching rules further specify the dispatching of each data block to different nodes of the one or more processing nodes.