System and method for optimizing business intelligence data queries within a client-server architecture

• US 9,342,799 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Winter, Stewart James
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERR, MARIA CRISTI OWEN
• Application Number:
  US11/973,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,148 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24547 Optimisations to support specific applications; Extensibility of optimisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]

Abstract

Method and server in a business intelligence analysis system for building a response to a client request. The response includes information regarding the response in an updated server context. The updated server context is round tripped to the client and included in a subsequent request. After being received from the client, the subsequent request is optimized based on the included updated server context.

Claims

1. A business intelligence analysis server in a client-server business intelligence analysis system comprising:

a processor; and

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

receiving a request from a client interface in the client-server business intelligence analysis system, wherein the request includes a query to be issued to a data source by the business intelligence analysis server;

retrieving data from the data source in accordance with the query of the request;

capturing optimization information from the data retrieved from the data source based on the query, and storing at least part of the retrieved data;

providing a response to the request, wherein the response includes information defining a server context, wherein the information defining the server context includes the optimization information, and wherein the server context defines object state resulting from the query;

dispatching the response to the client;

receiving a subsequent request from the client, the subsequent request including a second query to be issued to the data source by the business intelligence analysis server and the optimization information included in the server context of the response;

optimizing the second query by modifying the second query using the optimization information included in the server context of the response and the stored at least portion of the retrieved data, and removing information from the subsequent request that is not needed to retrieve data from the data source in accordance with the second query;

retrieving data from the data source in accordance with the modified second query; and

dispatching the retrieved data to the client.

2. The business intelligence analysis server as claimed in claim 1, wherein the captured optimization information is captured from information of an expression-defined set of members.

3. The business intelligence analysis server as claimed in claim 2, wherein the updated server context includes a maximum member count, a minimum member count, and an actual member count for the expression-defined set of members, wherein the adaptive query optimizer is configured to set the value of the maximum member count, the minimum member count, and the actual member count from sets of members resulting from execution of one or more previous queries including the query of the request, and wherein the adaptive query optimizer is configured to optimize the subsequent request from the client using the maximum member count, the minimum member count, and the actual member count.

4. The business intelligence analysis server as claimed in claim 2, wherein the server further comprises a business intelligence object model module configured to represent business intelligence data stored in the data source.

5. The business intelligence analysis server as claimed in claim 2, wherein the response to the request is constructed to cause the client to display a crosstab or a chart.

6. The business intelligence analysis server as claimed in claim 2, wherein the response includes a block representing a visualization of the expression-defined set of members, wherein the block includes segments representing non-intersecting portions of the expression-defined set of members, and wherein the block includes a visible segment and a remainder segment.

7. A method of processing a request from a client interface at a business intelligence analysis server, the method comprising:

receiving, by the business intelligence analysis server, the request, wherein the request includes a query to be issued to a data source by the business intelligence analysis server;

retrieving, by the business intelligence analysis server, data from the data source in accordance with the query of the request;

capturing, by the business intelligence analysis server, optimization information from the data retrieved from the data source based on the query, and storing at least part of the retrieved data;

providing, by the business intelligence analysis server, a response to the request, wherein the response includes information defining a server context, wherein the information defining the server context includes the optimization information, and wherein the server context defines object state resulting from the query;

dispatching, by the business intelligence analysis server, the response to the client;

receiving, by the business intelligence analysis server, a subsequent request from the client, the subsequent request including a second query to be issued to the data source by the business intelligence analysis server and the optimization information included in the server context of the response;

optimizing, by the business intelligence analysis server, the second query included in the subsequent request, wherein optimizing the second query comprises modifying the second query using the optimization information included in the server context of the response and the at least part of the stored retrieved data, and removing information from the second query that is not needed to retrieve data from the data source, as indicated by the optimization information;

retrieving, by the business intelligence analysis server, data from the data source in accordance with the modified second query; and

dispatching, by the business intelligence analysis server, the retrieved data to the client.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the captured optimization information is captured from information of an expression-defined set of members, wherein the response includes a block representing a visualization of the expression-defined set of members, wherein the block includes segments representing non-intersecting portions of the expression-defined set of members, and wherein the optimization information is segment information of the block.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the block has a base expression representing all members in the expression-defined set of members, and further comprising determining the completeness of the base expression in the block.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising determining an order of the segments of the block.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising determining a maximum member count and a minimum member count of the block.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising determining an actual member count of the block.

13. The method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising verifying the applicability of the optimizing information as supplied in the round tripped server context.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a business intelligence server, causes the processor of the business intelligence analysis server to perform the steps of:

receiving a request from a client interface in the client-server business intelligence analysis system, wherein the request includes a query to be issued to a data source by the business intelligence analysis server;

retrieving data from the data source in accordance with the query of the request;

capturing optimization information from the data retrieved from the data source based on the query, and storing at least part of the retrieved data;

providing a response to the request, wherein the response includes information defining a server context, wherein the information defining the server context includes the optimization information, and wherein the server context defines object state resulting from the query;

dispatching the response to the client;

receiving a subsequent request from the client, the subsequent request including a second query to be issued to the data source by the business intelligence analysis server and the optimization information included in the server context of the response;

optimizing the second query by modifying the second query using the optimization information included in the server context of the response and the stored at least portion of the retrieved data, and removing information from the subsequent request that is not needed to retrieve data from the data source in accordance with the second query;

retrieving data from the data source in accordance with the modified second query; and

dispatching the retrieved data to the client.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the captured optimization information is captured from information of an expression-defined set of members, wherein the response includes a block representing a visualization of the expression-defined set of members, wherein the block includes segments representing non-intersecting portions of the expression-defined set of members, and wherein the optimization information is segment information of the block.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the block has a base expression representing all members in the expression-defined set of members, and further comprising instructions that cause the processor to determine the completeness of the base expression in the block.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to determine an order of the segments of the block.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to determine a maximum member count and a minimum member count of the block.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to determine an actual member count of the block.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to verify the applicability of the optimizing information as supplied in the round tripped server context.