Systems and methods for generating an optimized output range for a data distribution in a hierarchical database

• US 8,396,880 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Williamson, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): LIAO, JASON G
• Application Number:
  US12/627,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/755
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/83 Querying

Abstract

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for generating an optimized output range for a data distribution in a hierarchical database. A data store can store data in a hierarchical format, for instance, in a tree. Higher-level data, such as yearly profit, may be desired to be spread from parent nodes to lower nodes, such as nodes representing quarters. A spreading tool can insert child nodes representing quarters, months, or other at insertion point(s) represented or encoded by a set of placeholder nodes, dividing quantities appropriately. In aspects, the spreading tool can access multiple sets of spreading rules which govern the distribution of data from higher level nodes to lower level nodes. In aspects, the spreading tool can conduct multiple passes of data distribution using different sets of spreading rules, capturing the outputs expressed in the child nodes and selecting rule sets which produce a desired deviation, range, or other characteristics.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data to be inserted in a hierarchical database, wherein the hierarchical database comprises at least one of an online analytical processing (OLAP) database or an extensible markup language (XML) database;

associating child nodes with at least one parent node in the hierarchical database;

distributing the data from the parent node to the corresponding child nodes based on spreading rules, wherein the spreading rules comprise a rule to divide a quantity stored as a number from the data in the parent node into multiple sub-quantities that each correspond to a different one of the child nodes, wherein distributing the data comprises distributing each of the sub-quantities to a corresponding one of the child nodes;

capturing a range of outputs extracted from the child nodes based on the distributing; and

generating, by a processing device, a selection of a subset of the spreading rules based on the range of outputs, wherein the selection of the subset of the spreading rules comprises an ordered sequence of the subset of the spreading rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the spreading rules comprise at least one of rules related to data dependencies in the data, rules related to formatting of the data, and rules related to routing of output of the child nodes to other nodes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the spreading rules comprises rules related to data dependencies in the data, and the rules related to data dependencies in the data comprises sequence rules specifying an order of distribution of the data to the child nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein distributing the data comprises distributing the data via placeholder nodes associated with the parent node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the placeholder nodes encode inheritance classes defining the child nodes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises at least one of medical, technical, scientific, or financial data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parent node comprises a plurality of parent nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the subset of the spreading rules comprises at least one set of spreading rules whose range of extracted outputs from the child nodes fall within a predetermined range.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined range is based on a deviation measure between the range of outputs extracted from the child nodes based on the distributing.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined range is based on a threshold applied to the range of outputs extracted from the child nodes based on the distributing.

11. A system comprising:

a processing device;

an interface to a hierarchical database, wherein the hierarchical database comprises at least one of an online analytical processing (OLAP) database or an extensible markup language (XML) database;

a database engine, communicating with the interface and executable by the processing device, the database engine being configured to;

receive a data to be inserted in the hierarchical database;

associate child nodes with at least one parent node in the hierarchical database;

distribute the data from the parent node to the child nodes based on spreading rules, wherein the spreading rules comprise a rule to divide a quantity stored as a number from the data in the parent node into multiple sub-quantities that each correspond to a different one of the child nodes, wherein distribute the data comprises distribute each of the sub-quantities to a corresponding one of the child nodes;

capture a range of outputs extracted from the child nodes based on the distributing; and

generate a selection of a subset of the spreading rules based on the range of outputs, wherein the selection of the subset of the spreading rules comprises an ordered sequence of the subset of the spreading rules.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein distribute the data comprises distribute the data via placeholder nodes associated with the parent node.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the selection of the subset of the spreading rules comprises at least one set of spreading rules whose range of extracted outputs from the child nodes fall within a predetermined range.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the predetermined range is based on a deviation measure between the range of outputs extracted from the child nodes based on the distributing.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the predetermined range is based on a threshold applied to the range of outputs extracted from the child nodes based on the distributing.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor device, cause the processor device to perform a method comprising:

receiving data to be inserted in a hierarchical database, wherein the hierarchical database comprises at least one of an online analytical processing (OLAP) database or an extensible markup language (XML) database;

associating child nodes with at least one parent node in the hierarchical database;

distributing the data from the parent node to the child nodes based on spreading rules, wherein the spreading rules comprise a rule to divide a quantity stored as a number from the data in the parent node into multiple sub-quantities that each correspond to a different one of the child nodes, wherein distributing the data comprises distributing each of the sub-quantities to a corresponding one of the child nodes;

capturing a range of outputs extracted from the child nodes based on the distributing; and

generating, by the processor device, a selection of a subset of the spreading rules based on the range of outputs, wherein the selection of the subset of the spreading rules comprises an ordered sequence of the subset of the spreading rules.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the spreading rules comprises at least one of rules related to data dependencies in the data, rules related to formatting of the data, and rules related to routing of output of the child nodes to other nodes.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein distributing the data comprises distributing the data via placeholder nodes associated with the parent node.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the selection of the subset of the spreading rules comprises at least one set of spreading rules whose range of extracted outputs from the child nodes fall within a predetermined range.