System and Method of Relating Data and Generating Reports

• US 20120239609A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Zhao, Jie, Chen, Yingyu, Xu, Xin, Dong, Bin
• Granted Patent: US 8,650,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals

Abstract

In one embodiment the present invention includes a computer implemented method of relating data and generating reports. The method includes storing, by an OLAP system, a network data structure that relates a plurality of data objects. The method further includes storing transactional data in an in-memory database in the OLAP system. The method further includes generating, by the OLAP system, a report using the stored transactional data according to the network data structure. In this manner, deficiencies of the traditional star schema paradigm of data warehousing may be avoided.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of relating data and generating reports, comprising:

providing an online analytical processing (OLAP) system;

storing, by the OLAP system, a network data structure that relates a plurality of data objects;

storing transactional data in an in-memory database in the OLAP system as stored transactional data; and

generating, by the OLAP system, a report using the stored transactional data according to the network data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an online transaction processing (OLTP) system; and

additionally storing the transactional data in a relational database in the OLTP system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an online transaction processing (OLTP) system having a hard drive and a volatile memory; and

additionally storing the transactional data in a relational database in the OLTP system, wherein the OLTP system implements the relational database by storing the transactional data using the hard drive and caching the transactional data using the memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the OLAP system implements the in-memory database using solid state devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network data structure comprises a first data object, a second data object, and a relationship, wherein the relationship relates the first data object and the second data object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network data structure comprises a first data object, a second data object, and a relationship, wherein the relationship relates the first data object and the second data object, wherein the first data object contains a first dimension and a first key figure, and wherein the second data object contains a second dimension and a second key figure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network data structure comprises a table having a plurality of columns, wherein the plurality of columns includes a first column for a first object type, a second column for a second object type, a third column for a relationship type, a fourth column for a forward navigation method, and a fifth column for a reverse navigation method.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data objects correspond to tables in an online transaction processing (OLTP) system that the OLTP system delivers as business content metadata to the OLAP system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a data object of the plurality of data objects includes an attribute serving as a characteristic in the report.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a data object of the plurality of data objects includes an attribute serving as a key figure in the report.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a data object of the plurality of data objects includes an attribute serving as a key figure in the report, wherein the key figure defines a statistical calculation performed on the attribute.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a data object of the plurality of data objects includes an attribute that triggers a second report.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a data object of the plurality of data objects includes an attribute serving as a selector in the report.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the transactional data comprises continuously storing the transactional data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the transactional data comprises storing the transactional data in a columnar format in the in-memory database.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the network data structure may be contrasted with a star schema in that two data objects are linked by a relationship that is not a mere connection between a fact table and dimension tables as in the star schema.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the network data structure includes a complex relationship.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-memory database stores the transactional data in a volatile memory and not persistently in a hard drive.

16. A computer program, embodied on a non-transitory recording medium, for controlling a computer system to relate data and generate reports, the computer program comprising:

an online analytical processing (OLAP) component that is configured to control an OLAP system to store a network data structure that relates a plurality of data objects, and that is configured to control an OLAP system to store transactional data in an in-memory database in the OLAP system as stored transactional data; and

a reporting component that is configured to control the OLAP system to generate a report using the stored transactional data according to the network data structure.

17. A system for controlling a computer system to relate data and to generate reports, comprising:

an online analytical processing (OLAP) server that implements an OLAP system including a processor and an in-memory database, wherein the OLAP server is configured to execute processing including;

storing a network data structure that relates a plurality of data objects,

storing transactional data in the in-memory database as stored transactional data, and

generating a report using the stored transactional data according to the network data structure.