Handling of analytic queries

• US 9,727,612 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2014
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Plasek, James M, Smith, Jennifer J
• Primary Examiner(s): GORTAYO, DANGELINO N
• Application Number:
  US14/507,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20160098454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 707765, 707754, 707718, 707719, 707756, 707759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2452 Query translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24534 Query rewriting; Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24545 Selectivity estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24558 Binary matching operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2456 Join operations

Abstract

Systems and methods for evaluating analytic queries comprising disjunctive Boolean expressions are described. A method may include receiving an analytic query comprising a first disjunctive Boolean expression. The method may further include transforming the analytic query to obtain a transformed analytic query comprising at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expression and at least a second disjunctive Boolean expression. The method may also include evaluating the transformed analytic query, wherein complete evaluation of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions and the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions yields the same results as evaluation of the first disjunctive Boolean expression.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating analytic queries comprising disjunctive Boolean expressions, comprising:

receiving, with a processor, an analytic query comprising a first disjunctive Boolean expression;

transforming, with the processor, the analytic query to obtain a transformed analytic query comprising at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expression and at least a second disjunctive Boolean expression; and

evaluating, with the processor, the transformed analytic query, wherein complete evaluation of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions and the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions yields the same results as evaluation of the first disjunctive Boolean expression,

wherein evaluation of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expression comprises retrieving and processing of a single data table referenced by the first disjunctive Boolean expression of the analytic query, and wherein no processing is performed on the data table when the data table does not satisfy a criteria of the nondisjunctive Boolean expression.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received analytic query specifies a plurality of data tables comprising one or more records to be evaluated in accordance with the first disjunctive Boolean expression.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first disjunctive Boolean expression requires the processing of at least two data tables of the plurality of data tables to evaluate the first disjunctive Boolean expression.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein evaluating the transformed analytic query comprises:

evaluating each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions, wherein evaluation of a nondisjunctive Boolean expression requires the processing of only a single data table of the plurality of data tables;

filtering the plurality of data tables to obtain a subset of the plurality of data tables, wherein the subset of data tables comprises data tables processed for the evaluation of each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions and for which the evaluation of the data tables yielded a first Boolean value; and

evaluating each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions, wherein evaluation of each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions requires the processing of at least two data tables from the subset of data tables.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein evaluating each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions comprises evaluating with a first subprocessor of the processor, and wherein evaluating each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions comprises evaluating with a second subprocessor of the processor.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transferring the subset of data tables from the first subprocessor to the second subprocessor.

7. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a computing system, cause the processor to perform the steps of;

receiving an analytic query comprising a first disjunctive Boolean expression;

transforming the analytic query to obtain a transformed analytic query comprising at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expression and at least a second disjunctive Boolean expression; and

evaluating the transformed analytic query, wherein complete evaluation of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions and the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions yields the same results as evaluation of the first disjunctive Boolean expression,

wherein evaluation of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expression comprises retrieving and processing of a single data table referenced by the first disjunctive Boolean expression of the analytic query, and wherein no processing is performed on the data table when the data table does not satisfy a criteria of the nondisjunctive Boolean expression.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the received analytic query specifies a plurality of data tables comprising one or more records to be evaluated in accordance with the first disjunctive Boolean expression.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first disjunctive Boolean expression requires the processing of at least two data tables of the plurality of data tables to evaluate the first disjunctive Boolean expression.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the medium further comprises instructions to cause the processor to perform the steps of:

evaluating each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions, wherein evaluation of a nondisjunctive Boolean expression requires the processing of only a single data table of the plurality of data tables;

filtering the plurality of data tables to obtain a subset of the plurality of data tables, wherein the subset of data tables comprises data tables processed for the evaluation of each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions and for which the evaluation of the data tables yielded a first Boolean value; and

evaluating each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions, wherein evaluation of each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions requires the processing of at least two data tables from the subset of data tables.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein evaluating each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions comprises evaluating with a first subprocessor of the processor, and wherein evaluating each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions comprises evaluating with a second subprocessor of the processor.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the medium further comprises instructions to cause the processor to perform the step of transferring the subset of data tables from the first subprocessor to the second subprocessor.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the steps of;

receiving an analytic query comprising a first disjunctive Boolean expression;

transforming the analytic query to obtain a transformed analytic query comprising at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expression and at least a second disjunctive Boolean expression; and

evaluating the transformed analytic query, wherein complete evaluation of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions and the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions yields the same results as evaluation of the first disjunctive Boolean expression,

wherein evaluation of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expression comprises retrieving and processing of a single data table referenced by the first disjunctive Boolean expression of the analytic query, and wherein no processing is performed on the data table when the data table does not satisfy a criteria of the nondisjunctive Boolean expression.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the received analytic query, specifies a plurality of data tables comprising one or more records to be evaluated in accordance with the first disjunctive Boolean expression.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first disjunctive Boolean expression requires the processing of at least two data tables of the plurality of data tables to evaluate the first disjunctive Boolean expression.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the steps of:

evaluating each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions, wherein evaluation of a nondisjunctive Boolean expression requires the processing of only a single data table of the plurality of data tables;

filtering the plurality of data tables to obtain a subset of the plurality of data tables, wherein the subset of data tables comprises data tables processed for the evaluation of each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions and for which the evaluation of the data tables yielded a first Boolean value; and

evaluating each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions, wherein evaluation of each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions requires the processing of at least two data tables from the subset of data tables.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein evaluating each of the at least one nondisjunctive Boolean expressions comprises evaluating with a first subprocessor of the processor, and wherein evaluating each of the at least a second disjunctive Boolean expressions comprises evaluating with a second subprocessor of the processor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the subset of data tables are transferred from the first subprocessor to the second subprocessor.