Relational database management system having integrated non-relational multi-dimensional data store of aggregated data elements

• US 8,463,736 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Assets 114 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC), MEC Management, LLC (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota)
• Original Assignee: Yanicklo Technology LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bakalash, Reuven, Shaked, Guy, Caspi, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Badawi, Sherief
• Application Number:
  US12/384,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 707/661, 707/602, 707/603, 707/802, 707/601, 707/605, 707/759, 707/770
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2203/36 Dispersion modified fibres, e.g. wavelength or polarisation shifted, flattened or compensating fibres (DSF, DFF, DCF)
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2205/42 Drawing at high speed, i.e. > 10 m/s
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2205/55 Cooling or annealing the drawn fibre prior to coating using a series of coolers or heaters
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/02718 Thermal treatment of the fibre during the drawing process, e.g. cooling coating C03C25/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Improved method of and apparatus for joining and aggregating data elements integrated within a relational database management system (RDBMS) using a non-relational multi-dimensional data structure (MDD). The improved RDBMS system of the present invention can be used to realize achieving a significant increase in system performance (e.g. decreased access/search time), user flexibility and ease of use. The improved RDBMS system of the present invention can be used to realize an improved Data Warehouse for supporting on-line analytical processing (OLAP) operations or to realize an improved informational database system or the like.

Claims

1. A database management system comprising:

a relational data store storing fact data;

a multi-dimensional data store configured to store aggregated fact data in a multi-dimensional data structure;

a communication interface operably connected between the relational data store and the multi-dimensional data store for the communication of fact data from the relational data store to the multi-dimensional data store and for the communication of aggregated fact data from the multi-dimensional data store to the relational data store; and

a computer system comprising computer hardware, the computer system programmed to implement;

a multi-dimensional data store generation mechanism configured to generate the multi-dimensional data store by calculating aggregated fact data from data stored in the relational data store according to a multi-dimensional data aggregation process, and store the aggregated fact data in the multi-dimensional data store;

a query servicing mechanism configured to service one or more natural language queries from a user, the query servicing mechanism comprising;

a query processing mechanism configured to process a given natural language query, the query processing mechanism configured to;

make a determination of whether servicing the given natural language query needs data stored in the relational data store or the multi-dimensional data store; and

generate one or more structured query language (“

SQL”

) statements, wherein the SQL statements refer to the relational data store or the multi-dimensional data store based on said determination,

wherein the multi-dimensional data aggregation process comprises;

(i) determining if the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, and

in response to determining that the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store,

retrieving the pre-calculated fact data and returning the retrieved pre-calculated fact data to the query processing mechanism; and

(ii) in response to determining that the needed fact data is not already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, calculating the needed aggregated fact data on demand, and automatically forwarding the aggregated fact data to the query processing mechanism.

2. The database management system of claim 1, wherein the query servicing mechanism is implemented in a module within the database management system.

3. The database management system of claim 2, wherein the database management system is configured to receive the given natural language query from a user via a web-enabled browser, and the database management system is configured to communicate the given natural language query to the query servicing mechanism.

4. A method comprising:

by a computer system comprising computer hardware, including

a relational data store storing fact data, and

a multi-dimensional data store configured to store aggregated fact data in a multi-dimensional data structure;

generating the multi-dimensional data store by calculating aggregated fact data from data stored in the relational data store according to a multi-dimensional data aggregation process, and storing the aggregated fact data in the multi-dimensional data store,

receiving one or more natural language queries from a user;

determining whether servicing a given natural language query of the one or more natural language queries needs data stored in the relational data store or in the multi-dimensional data store, wherein the relational data store is configured to communicate fact data to the multi-dimensional data store and the multi-dimensional data store is configured to communicate aggregated fact data to the relational data store; and

generating one or more SQL statements, wherein the SQL statements refer to the relational data store or the multi-dimensional data store based on said determining,

wherein the multi-dimensional data aggregation process comprises;

(i) in response to determining that the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, then the pre-calculated aggregated fact data is retrieved and returned to the user; and

(ii) in response to determining that the needed fact data is not already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, then the needed aggregated fact data is calculated on demand, and the aggregated fact data is automatically forwarded to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, the method further comprising receiving at the computer system a natural language query over a network from a user browser.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions thereon, wherein the instructions are readable by a computing device in order to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving one or more natural language queries from a user;

generating a multi-dimensional data store by calculating aggregated fact data from data stored in a relational data store according to a multi-dimensional data aggregation process, and store the aggregated fact data in the multi-dimensional data store,

determining whether servicing a given natural language query needs data stored in a the relational data store or in a the multi-dimensional data store, wherein the multi-dimensional data store is generated via a segmented aggregation process involving aggregation along multiple dimensions in a determined sequence comprising aggregation involving a first dimension followed by aggregation involving one or more other dimensions; and

generating one or more SQL statements, wherein the SQL statements refer to the relational data store or the multi-dimensional data store generated via the segmented aggregation process based on said determining,

wherein the multi-dimensional data aggregation process comprises;

(ii) determining if the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, and in response to determining that the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store,

retrieving the pre-calculated fact data and returning the retrieved pre-calculated fact data to the query processing mechanism; and

(ii) in response to determining that the needed fact data is not already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, calculating the needed aggregated fact data on demand, and automatically forwarding the aggregated fact data to the query processing mechanism.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, the operations further comprising receiving a natural language query over a network from a user browser.