Forests of dimension trees

• US 8,914,418 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2008
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Williamson, Eric J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saeed, Usmaan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao, Yu
• Application Number:
  US12/325,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,207 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing forests of dimension trees. The method may include receiving user input identifying a dimension tree, and presenting the dimension tree to the user. The dimension tree includes a core dimension and a set of non-core dimensions. The method may further include receiving a user request to link a selected one of the non-core dimensions to non-core dimensions from other dimensions trees, displaying a list of available dimensions from existing dimension trees, and receiving a user selection of non-core dimensions from the list. Based on the user selection of non-core dimensions, a list of linked non-core dimensions from various dimension trees is created, and corresponding linkage information is stored in a database.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving user input identifying a dimension tree of a plurality of dimension trees associated with a master database;

presenting, in a user interface, the dimension tree to the user, the dimension tree including a core dimension indicating a purpose of the dimension tree, the user interface displaying a plurality of non-core dimensions characterizing the core dimension;

receiving, via the user interface, user input identifying one of the plurality of non-core dimensions of the dimension tree, and presenting, via the user interface, a plurality of options to be performed with respect to the identified non-core dimension of the dimension tree;

receiving a user selection of a link option from the plurality of options, the link request option to link the dimension tree to other dimensions trees of the plurality of dimension trees via the identified non-core dimension of the dimension tree;

in response to the user selection of the link option, displaying, in the user interface, a list of available dimensions from the other dimension trees, the available dimensions comprising non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees; and

receiving, via the user interface, a user selection of non-core dimensions from the list of available dimensions, wherein the master database does not define a relationship between the identified non-core dimension from the dimension tree and any of the selected non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees;

creating, by a processing device, a list of linked non-core dimensions from the plurality of dimension trees using the identified non-core dimension from the dimension tree and the selected non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees, the list associating the linked non-core dimensions from the plurality of dimension trees with each other to combine the plurality of dimension trees into a forest of dimension trees;

storing data identifying the linked non-core dimensions in a reporting database; and

presenting, in the user interface, the forest of dimension trees based on associations between the linked non-core dimensions.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

presenting the linked non-core dimensions from the plurality of dimension trees to the user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user request to create a dimension tree including at least a subset of the linked non-core dimensions;

receiving user input specifying the dimension tree including at least the subset of the linked non-core dimensions; and

storing the user input in the database.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user request to link at least one new non-core dimension to the selected non-core dimension;

creating the new non-core dimension based on user input;

storing the new non-core dimension in the database; and

storing data identifying linkage of the new non-core dimension to the selected non-core dimension in the database.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user request to modify linkage between non-core dimensions;

receiving user input specifying a change in the linkage between the non-core dimensions; and

updating corresponding linkage information in the database based on the user input.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a custom view request of a second user regarding the selected non-core dimension;

allowing the second user to create a custom view of the linked non-core dimensions; and

storing data identifying the custom view in the database for access by the second user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the user is a database administrator, the second user is an end user, and the custom view is created only for use by the second user.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

allowing the second user to create an alias for any of the linked non-core dimensions, the alias to be used by the second user.

9. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processing device, coupled to the memory;

a non-core dimension manager, executed from the memory by the processing device, to receive user input identifying a dimension tree of a plurality of dimension trees associated with a master database, to present, in a user interface, the dimension tree to the user, the dimension tree including a core dimension indicating a purpose of the dimension tree, the user interface displaying a plurality of non-core dimensions characterizing the core dimension,

to receive, via the user interface, user input identifying one of the plurality of non-core dimensions of the dimension tree, and to present, via the user interface, a plurality of options to be performed with respect to the identified non-core dimension of the dimension tree,

to receive a user selection of a link option from the plurality of options, the link option to link the dimension tree to other dimensions trees of the plurality of dimension trees via the identified non-core dimension of the dimension tree,

in response to the user selection of the link option, to display, in the user interface, a list of available dimensions from the other dimension trees, the available dimensions comprising non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees, and to receive, via the user interface, a user selection of non-core dimensions from the list of available dimensions, wherein the master database does not define a relationship between the identified non-core dimension from the dimension tree and any of the selected non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees, and

to create a list of linked non-core dimensions from the plurality of dimension trees using the identified non-core dimension from the dimension tree and the selected non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees, the list associating the linked non-core dimensions from the plurality of dimension trees with each other to combine the plurality of dimension trees into a forest of dimension trees; and

a reporting database, coupled with the non-core dimension manager to store data identifying the linked non-core dimensions for a subsequent presentation of the forest of dimension trees based on associations between the linked non-core dimensions.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising the user interface to present the linked non-core dimensions from the plurality of dimension trees to the user.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the non-core dimension manager is further to receive a user request to create a dimension tree including at least a subset of the linked non-core dimensions, to receive user input specifying the dimension tree including at least the subset of the linked non-core dimensions, and to store the user input in the database.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the non-core dimension manager is further to receive a user request to link at least one new non-core dimension to the selected non-core dimension, to create the new non-core dimension based on user input, to store the new non-core dimension in the database, and to store data identifying linkage of the new non-core dimension to the selected non-core dimension in the database.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the non-core dimension manager is further to receive a user request to modify linkage between non-core dimensions, to receive user input specifying a change in the linkage between the non-core dimensions, and to update corresponding linkage information in the database based on the user input.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the non-core dimension manager is further to receive a custom view request of a second user regarding the selected non-core dimension, to allow the second user to create a custom view of the linked non-core dimensions, and to store data identifying the custom view in the database for access by the second user.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the user is a database administrator, the second user is an end user, and the custom view is created only for use by the second user.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the non-core dimension manager is further to allow the second user to create an alias for any of the linked non-core dimensions, the alias to be used by the second user.

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

receiving user input identifying a dimension tree of a plurality of dimension trees associated with a master database;

presenting, in a user interface, the dimension tree to the user, the dimension tree including a core dimension indicating a purpose of the dimension tree, the user interface displaying a plurality of non-core dimensions characterizing the core dimension;

receiving, via the user interface, user input identifying one of the plurality of non-core dimensions of the dimension tree, and presenting, via the user interface, a plurality of options to be performed with respect to the identified non-core dimension of the dimension tree;

receiving a user selection of a link option from the plurality of options, the link option to link the dimension tree to other dimensions trees of the plurality of dimension trees via the identified non-core dimension of the dimension tree;

in response to the user selection of the link option, displaying, in the user interface, a list of available dimensions from the other dimension trees, the available dimensions comprising non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees; and

receiving, via the user interface, a user selection of non-core dimensions from the list of available dimensions, wherein the master database does not define a relationship between the identified non-core dimension from the dimension tree and any of the selected non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees;

creating, by the processing system, a list of linked non-core dimensions from the plurality of dimension trees using the identified non-core dimension from the dimension tree and the selected non-core dimensions from the other dimension trees, the list associating the linked non-core dimensions from the plurality of dimension trees with each other to combine the plurality of dimension trees into a forest of dimension trees;

storing data identifying the linked non-core dimensions in a reporting database; and

presenting, in the user interface, the forest of dimension trees based on associations between the linked non-core dimensions.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user request to create a dimension tree including at least a subset of the linked non-core dimensions;

receiving user input specifying the dimension tree including at least the subset of the linked non-core dimensions; and

storing the user input in the database.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user request to link at least one new non-core dimension to the selected non-core dimension;

creating the new non-core dimension based on user input;

storing the new non-core dimension in the database; and

storing data identifying linkage of the new non-core dimension to the selected non-core dimension in the database.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user request to modify linkage between non-core dimensions;

receiving user input specifying a change in the linkage between the non-core dimensions; and

updating corresponding linkage information in the database based on the user input.