Systems and methods for data processing

• US 8,214,321 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2004
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Schmitt, Winfried
• Primary Examiner(s): HASAN, SYED HAROON
• Application Number:
  US10/854,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,959 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses

Abstract

Data processing methods and systems are provided. The data processing methods and systems may include providing a set of database tables in a data warehouse, each one of the database tables being assigned to an entity type and storing entities of its entity type, providing at least one application program for processing of classes of database tables, assigning at least one of the database tables to each one of the classes of database tables of the application program, and processing entities stored in the assigned database tables by the application program.

Claims

1. A data processing method comprising:

providing a set of database tables in a data warehouse, each database table being assigned to an entity type and storing entities of its entity type;

providing a set of online analytical processing cubes in a data warehouse, each online analytical processing cube specifying a layout for transactional data storage;

providing at least one application program for processing at least one class of database tables and at least one class of online analytical processing cubes;

mapping a sub-set of the set of database tables to the at least one class of database tables, the sub-set of database tables comprising database tables of one or more entity types;

mapping a sub-set of the set of online analytical processing cubes to the at least one class of online analytical processing cubes;

invoking an online analytical processing component to fill the online analytical processing cubes with transactional data;

processing the entities stored in the sub-set of database tables and the transactional data stored in the sub-set of online analytical processing cubes by the application program; and

providing analysis of the entities and the transactional data processed by the application program to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising providing a set of application programs, whereby each application program of the set of application programs is adapted to process a set of classes of database tables and online analytical processing cubes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing multi-dimensional transactional data resulting from the data processing.

4. A data processing system comprising:

a relational database of a data warehouse for storing a set of database tables, each database table being assigned to an entity type and storing entities of its entity type;

a relational database of a data warehouse for storing a set of online analytical processing cubes, each online analytical processing cube specifying a layout for transactional data storage;

at least one application program for processing at least one class of database tables and at least one class of online analytical processing cubes;

a mapping table for mapping a sub-set of the set of database tables to the at least one class of database tables, the sub-set of database tables comprising database tables of one or more entity types;

a mapping table for mapping a sub-set of the set of online analytical processing cubes to the at least one class of online analytical processing cubes;

means for invoking an online analytical processing component to fill the online analytical processing cubes with transactional data;

means for processing the entities stored in the sub-set of database tables and the transactional data stored in the sub-set of online analytical processing cubes with the application program; and

means for providing analysis of the entities and the transactional data processed by the application program to a user.

5. The data processing system of claim 4, further comprising user interface means for entering the mapping table.

6. A computer program product, stored in a digital storage medium, comprising program means for:

providing a set of database tables in a data warehouse, each database table being assigned to an entity type and storing entities of its entity type;

providing a set of online analytical processing cubes in a data warehouse, each online analytical processing cube specifying a layout for transactional data storage;

providing at least one application program for processing at least one class of database tables and at least one class of online analytical processing cubes;

mapping a sub-set of the set of database tables to the at least one class of database tables, the sub-set of database tables comprising database tables of one or more entity types;

mapping a sub-set of the set of online analytical processing cubes to the at least one class of online analytical processing cubes;

invoking an online analytical processing component to fill the online analytical processing cubes with transactional data;

processing the entities stored in the sub-set of database tables and the transactional data stored in the sub-set of online analytical processing cubes by the application program; and

providing analysis of the entities and the transactional data processed by the application program to a user.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, the online analytical processing cube being identified by a second mapping table.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising storage of transactional data as a result of the data processing.