Systems and methods for policy based execution of time critical data warehouse triggers

• US 8,135,666 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Rajeev, Mohania, Mukesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hung
• Application Number:
  US12/722,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention broadly contemplate systems, methods, apparatuses and program products that employ a policy based method of timely execution of triggers over a data warehouse. Embodiments of the invention utilize methods to convert a trigger condition into differential queries over data sources, to decide when to send queries to data sources, and determine to which data sources to send queries.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith and executable by the at least one processor, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to send at least one query to a data warehouse;

computer readable program code configured to evaluate a trigger condition;

computer readable program code configured to, responsive to a determination that the trigger condition is not satisfied by a query result obtained from the at least one query sent to the data warehouse and the trigger condition is close to being true, send at least one differential query to at least one remote data source; and

computer readable program code configured to determine an aggregate query result, the aggregate query result comprising an aggregation of the query result obtained from the at least one query sent to the data warehouse and at least one query result obtained from the at least one differential query.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to execute the trigger condition responsive to a determination that the aggregate query result exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code configured to send the at least one query to the data warehouse is further configured to send periodic queries to the data warehouse.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising computer readable program code configured to determine if an aggregate result of the periodic queries is within a predetermined threshold of the trigger condition;

wherein if the aggregate result of the periodic queries is within the predetermined threshold of the trigger condition, the at least one differential query is sent to the at least one remote data source.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected such that the trigger condition will be satisfied prior to a next periodic query of the data warehouse.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to employ at least one query template to define the at least one differential query.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to implement a policy for sending the at least one differential query to the at least one remote data source.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the policy determines a timing of the at least one differential query.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the policy determines which of the at least one remote data sources is to be sent the at least one differential query.

10. A method comprising:

sending at least one query to a data warehouse;

evaluating a trigger condition;

responsive to determining that the trigger condition is not satisfied by a query result obtained from the at least one query sent to the data warehouse and the trigger condition is close to being true, sending at least one differential query to at least one remote data source; and

determining an aggregate query result, the aggregate query result comprising an aggregation of the query result obtained from the at least one query sent to the data warehouse and at least one query result obtained from the at least one differential query.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising executing the trigger condition responsive to determining that the aggregate query result exceeds a predetermined threshold.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein sending the at least one query to the data warehouse further comprises sending periodic queries to the data warehouse.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising determining if an aggregate result of the periodic queries is within a predetermined threshold of the trigger condition;

wherein if the aggregate result of the periodic queries is within the predetermined threshold of the trigger condition, the at least one differential query is sent to the at least one remote data source.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected such that the trigger condition will be satisfied prior to a next periodic query of the data warehouse.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising employing at least one query template to define the at least one differential query.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising implementing a policy for sending the at least one differential query to the at least one remote data source.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the policy determines a timing of the at least one differential query.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the policy determines which of the at least one remote data source is to be sent the at least one differential query.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the policy comprises a predetermined threshold, and further wherein, responsive the query result obtained from the at least one query sent to the data warehouse exceeding the predetermined threshold, the at least one differential issued.

20. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to send at least one query to a data warehouse;

computer readable program code configured to evaluate a trigger condition;

computer readable program code configured to, responsive to a determination that the trigger condition is not satisfied by a query result obtained from the at least one query sent to the data warehouse and the trigger condition is close to being true, send at least one differential query to at least one remote data source; and

computer readable program code configured to determine an aggregate query result, the aggregate query result comprising an aggregation of the query result obtained from the at least one query sent to the data warehouse and at least one query result obtained from the at least one differential query.