Denormalize recursive, unbalanced, and ragged hierarchies

• US 9,767,176 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Belhekar, Durgadatta, Mohammed, Akheel Ap Khan, Widjanarko, Daniel Darnadi
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MERILYN P
• Application Number:
  US14/453,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20160042048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/282 Hierarchical databases, e.g. IMS, LDAP data stores or Lotus Notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems, methods, and computer program products for transforming an unstructured database into a structured database. In some embodiments, the system and method imports an unstructured database comprising entities and a hierarchy associated with the entities. The system and method analyze the unstructured database, flatten the database so that a recursive database is converted into a database that fully expands all entities into lower levels, and identifies instances of unbalanced or ragged hierarchies. The system populates the database according to predetermined rules to address the unbalanced or ragged hierarchies and outputs a structured database that can be used for accurate analysis of the hierarchy and entities stored therein, such as corporate structure hierarchies or stock inventory hierarchies.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transforming an unstructured database, wherein the apparatus transforms the unstructured database into a structured database, the apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a computing processor; and

a module stored in the memory, said module comprising instruction code executable by one or more computing processors, and configured to cause the one or more computing processors to;

import an unstructured database into a computing device system, the unstructured database comprising a plurality of entities in an overall hierarchy comprising a highest level and a plurality of levels below the highest level;

analyze the unstructured database to identify relationships between the plurality of entities in the overall hierarchy;

generate a flattened database by expanding the plurality of entities from higher levels into lower levels of the overall hierarchy such that every entity is present in a lowest level at least once;

determine one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions and one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions in the overall hierarchy of the unstructured database, wherein;

the one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions are hierarchy portions having branches of unequal length, and

the one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions are hierarchy portions where at least one entity below the highest level does not have a direct supervisor;

populate the flattened database according to one or more predetermined rules in order to develop relationships between the one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions, the one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions and remaining entities of the plurality of entities in the overall hierarchy, wherein the one or more predetermined rules specify that entities in unbalanced hierarchy portions and ragged hierarchy portions will be subordinate to the highest level in the overall hierarchy, and wherein the populating fills empty slots in the overall hierarchy with a next entity in a higher level in a same branch; and

provide an output of a structured database comprising the populated flattened database.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entities comprise individuals in a corporate structure hierarchy, and the plurality of levels in the overall hierarchy comprise supervisors and subordinates.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output is a graphical user interface that modifies a presentation based on the populated flattened database.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein importing the unstructured database comprises receiving a link to the unstructured database from a user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module further comprises instruction code executable by one or more computing processors, and configured to cause the one or more computing processors to:

query a user for a level of an entity in a ragged hierarchy portion when the entity in the ragged hierarchy portion is not defined by a level in the unstructured database.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output of the structured database comprising the populated flattened database further comprises a display of a table.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entities comprise products in a business asset hierarchy.

8. A computer program product for transforming an unstructured database into a structured database, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

an executable portion for causing a computer to import an unstructured database into a computing device system, the unstructured database comprising a plurality of entities in an overall hierarchy comprising a highest level and a plurality of levels below the highest level;

an executable portion for causing the computer to analyze the unstructured database to identify relationships between the plurality of entities in the overall hierarchy;

an executable portion for causing the computer to generate a flattened database by expanding the plurality of entities from higher levels into lower levels of the overall hierarchy such that every entity is present in a lowest level at least once;

an executable portion for causing the computer to determine one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions and one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions in the overall hierarchy of the unstructured database, wherein;

the one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions are hierarchy portions having branches of unequal length, and

the one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions are hierarchy portions where at least one entity below the highest level does not have a direct supervisor;

an executable portion for causing the computer to populate the flattened database according to one or more predetermined rules in order to develop relationships between the one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions, the one or more instances of the ragged hierarchy portions, and remaining entities of the plurality of entities in the overall hierarchy, wherein the one or more predetermined rules specify that entities in unbalanced hierarchy portions and ragged hierarchy portions will be subordinate to the highest level in the overall hierarchy, and wherein the populating fills empty slots in the overall hierarchy with a next entity in a higher level in a same branch; and

an executable portion for causing the computer to provide an output of a structured database comprising the populated flattened database.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of entities comprise individuals in a corporate structure hierarchy, and the plurality of levels in the overall hierarchy comprise supervisors and subordinates.

10. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the output is a graphical user interface that modifies a presentation based on the populated flattened database.

11. The computer-program product according to claim 8, wherein importing the unstructured database comprises receiving a link to the unstructured database from a user.

12. The computer-program product according to claim 8, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises:

an executable portion for causing the computer to query a user for a level of an entity in a ragged hierarchy portion when the entity in the ragged hierarchy portion is not defined by a level in the unstructured database.

13. The computer-program product according to claim 8, wherein the output of the structured database comprising the populated flattened database further comprises a display of a table.

14. The computer-program product according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of entities comprise products in a business asset hierarchy.

15. A computer-implemented method for transforming an unstructured database into a structured database, the method comprising:

importing an unstructured database into a computing device system, the unstructured database comprising a plurality of entities in an overall hierarchy comprising a highest level and a plurality of levels below the highest level;

analyzing the unstructured database to identify relationships between the plurality of entities in the overall hierarchy;

generating a flattened database by expanding the plurality of entities from higher levels into lower levels of the overall hierarchy such that every entity is present in a lowest level at least once;

determining one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions and one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions in the overall hierarchy of the unstructured database, wherein;

the one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions are hierarchy portions having branches of unequal length, and

the one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions are hierarchy portions where at least one entity below the highest level does not have a direct supervisor;

populating the flattened database according to one or more predetermined rules in order to develop relationships between the one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions, the one or more instances of the ragged hierarchy portions and remaining entities of the plurality of entities in the overall hierarchy, wherein the one or more predetermined rules specify that entities in unbalanced hierarchy portions and ragged hierarchy portions will be subordinate to the highest level in the overall hierarchy, and wherein the populating fills empty slots in the overall hierarchy with a next entity in a higher level in a same branch; and

providing an output of a structured database comprising the populated flattened database.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of entities comprise individuals in a corporate structure hierarchy, and the plurality of levels in the overall hierarchy comprise supervisors and subordinates.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the output is a graphical user interface that modifies a presentation based on the populated flattened database.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein importing the unstructured database comprises receiving a link to the unstructured database from a user.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the output of the structured database comprising the populated flattened database further comprises a display of a table.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of entities comprise products in a business asset hierarchy.