Ruleset optimization through blocked and concurrent rule dispatch

• US 8,032,475 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kulack, Frederick Allyn, Arends, Mitchell Jon, Dettinger, Richard Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin; Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Lut
• Application Number:
  US11/937,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 706/46, 706/47, 707/102, 707/713
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

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 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 abstract rule, 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;

receiving a set of query results comprising a plurality of data records, each including one or more input values;

sorting the plurality of data records into one or more groups, wherein each group includes data records having a common set of input values; and

for each group of data records, processing the input values associated with the group against the abstract rule, wherein processing the input values comprises determining whether the abstract rule is deterministic, and setting, as an output of processing the input values, a result returned by the abstract rule for each data record in the group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the common set of input values is identical for each data record in one of the groups of data records.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sorting the plurality of data records into one or more groups comprises calculating a data block size and a number of data blocks for dispatching the plurality of data records to a rule engine.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transforming the abstract rule into an executable rule that is executable by a rule engine.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein transforming the abstract rule into an executable rule comprises:

retrieving a specification of the abstract rule in a first computer-readable language; and

transforming the specification into a language that is accepted by the rule engine.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to receiving the set of query results, executing an abstract query against a database to retrieve the set of query results.

7. A computer readable storage medium containing a program which, when executed, performs an operation 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 abstract rule, 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;

receiving a set of query results comprising a plurality of data records, each including one or more input values;

sorting the plurality of data records into one or more groups, wherein each group includes data records having a common set of input values; and

for each group of data records, processing the input values associated with the group against the abstract rule, wherein processing the input values comprises determining whether the abstract rule is deterministic, and setting, as an output of processing the input values, a result returned by the abstract rule for each data record in the group.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the common set of input values is identical for each data record in one of the groups of data records.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein sorting the plurality of data records into one or more groups comprises calculating a data block size and a number of data blocks for dispatching the plurality of data records to a rule engine.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operation further comprises transforming the abstract rule into an executable rule that is executable by a rule engine.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein transforming the abstract rule into an executable rule comprises:

retrieving a specification of the abstract rule in a first computer-readable language; and

transforming the specification into a language that is accepted by the rule engine.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising, prior to receiving the set of query results, executing an abstract query against a database to retrieve the set of query results.

13. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing a program, which, when executed on the processor, is configured to perform 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 abstract rule, 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,

receiving a set of query results comprising a plurality of data records, each including one or more input values,

sorting the plurality of data records into one or more groups, wherein each group includes data records having a common set of input values, and

for each group of data records, processing the input values associated with the group against the abstract rule, wherein processing the input values comprises determining whether the abstract rule is deterministic, and setting, as an output of processing the input values, a result returned by the abstract rule for each data record in the group.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the common set of input values is identical for each data record in one of the groups of data records.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein sorting the plurality of data records into one or more groups comprises calculating a data block size and a number of data blocks for dispatching the plurality of data records to a rule engine.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the steps further comprise transforming the received abstract rule into an executable rule that is executable by a rule engine.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein transforming the abstract rule into an executable rule comprises:

retrieving a specification of the abstract rule in a first computer-readable language; and

transforming the specification into a language that is accepted by the rule engine.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising, prior to receiving the set of query results, executing an abstract query against a database to retrieve the set of query results.