Method and system for creating and loading data warehouse from semi-structured document

1. A computer-implemented method for creating a data warehouse from at least one semi-structured file, comprising:

analyzing said at least one file to generate at least one generic schema;

creating at least one database table using the schema;

loading data in said at least one file into corresponding columns in the table; and

defining dimensions for the data warehouse using columns of the table.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a routine to load data into the warehouse.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising executing the routine to load data into the warehouse.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising saving the routine.

5. The method of claim 2 , comprising using an interface for at least one use selected from the group consisting of: saving, and executing, the routine.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising using, to generate the schema, at least two files that differ from another in at least one way selected from the group consisting of: structure, format, and semantics.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the table is created automatically.

8. A service for creating a data warehouse for a customer, comprising:

generating a root model of at least one sub-document in at least one input file;

using the root model to generate at least one table;

shredding sub-documents to populate the table;

using columns in the table to define dimensions of the data warehouse; and

providing at least one item selected from the group consisting of: the data warehouse, and a tool to populate the data warehouse with data from the input file, to the customer.

9. The service of claim 8 , wherein the root model at least in part includes path names to nodes in at least one document.

10. The service of claim 9 , wherein the root model at least in part includes maximum node value sizes.

11. The service of claim 8 , wherein each column of the table represents a path name to all nodes of the root model containing data, and each row of the table represents a sub-document in the input file.

12. The service of claim 8 , wherein the root model is generated at least in part by merging a model of a first sub-document with a model of a second sub-document.

13. The service of claim 8 , wherein each sub-document is shredded to populate the table with values.

14. The service of claim 13 , comprising:

creating a model populated with a sub-document's values;

reading the sub-document's model; and

inserting values into a table from the sub-document's model to populate the table with the data in the sub-documents.

15. The service of claim 8 , comprising displaying columns of the table, column types, and columns sizes using a graphical user interface (GUI).

16. The service of claim 15 , wherein the GUI displays at least a predetermined integer number “x” records from the input file.

17. The service of claim 8 , wherein in response to a dimension being defined by selecting at least one column from the table, the selected columns, dimension name, column names, column types and column sizes are stored in a hash table having the dimension name as a key and at least one vector containing the column name, type and size as the value.

18. A computer executing logic comprising:

generating a root model of plural documents, the root model including at least path names to all nodes among the documents;

generating a table having at least one structure selected from the group of structures consisting of columns, and rows, derived from the path names of the root model; and

defining plural dimensions of a data warehouse by selecting at least one structure selected from the group of structures consisting of: respective columns, and respective rows, of the table.

19. The computer of claim 18 , wherein the logic further comprises:

shredding at least some documents to populate the table; and

generating a routine to populate the data warehouse with data.

20. The computer of claim 18 , wherein the root model at least in part includes maximum node value sizes.

21. The computer of claim 18 , wherein each column of the table represents a path name to all nodes of the root model containing data, and each tow of the table represents a sub-document in the input file.

22. The computer of claim 18 , wherein the root model is generated at least in part by merging a model of a first document with a model of a second document.

23. The computer of claim 18 , wherein the logic includes:

creating a model populated with a document's values;

reading the document's model; and

inserting values into the table from the sub-document's model to populate the table with the data in the sub-documents.

24. The computer of claim 18 , wherein the logic comprises displaying columns of the table, column types, and columns sizes using a graphical user interface (GUI).

25. The computer of claim 24 , wherein the GUI displays at least a predetermined integer number “x” records from an input file.

26. The computer of claim 18 , wherein in response to a dimension being defined by selecting at least one column from the table, the selected columns, dimension name, column names, column types and column sizes are stored in a hash table having the dimension name as a key and at least one vector containing the column name, type and size as the value.

27. A computer program product having a program executable by a digital processing apparatus to create a data warehouse for storing data in an input file, comprising:

means for generating a root document model containing path names to all nodes in the input file; and

means for using the path names to establish dimensions in the data warehouse.

28. The computer program product of claim 27 , wherein the means for using includes:

means for generating a table having at least one structure selected from the group of structures consisting of columns, and rows, derived from the path names of the root model; and

means for defining plural dimensions of a data warehouse by selecting at least one structure selected from the group of structures consisting of: respective columns, and respective rows, of the table.

29. The computer program product of claim 28 , further comprising:

means for shredding at least some documents to populate the table; and

means for generating a routine to populate the data warehouse with data.

30. The computer program product of claim 28 , wherein the root model at least in part includes maximum node value sizes.

31. The computer program product of claim 28 , wherein each column of the table represents a path name to all nodes of the root model containing data, and each row of the table represents a sub-document in the input file.

32. The computer program product of claim 28 , wherein the root model is generated at least in part by merging a model of a first document with a model of a second document.

33. The computer program product of claim 28 , comprising:

means for creating a model populated with a document's values;

means for reading the document's model; and

means for inserting values into the table from the sub-document's model to populate the table with the data in the sub-documents.

34. The computer program product of claim 28 , comprising GUI means for displaying columns of the table, column types, and columns sizes.

35. The computer program product of claim 34 , wherein the GUI means displays at least a predetermined integer number “x” records from an input file.

36. The computer program product of claim 28 , wherein in response to a dimension being defined by selecting at least one column from the table, the selected columns, dimension name, column names, column types and column sizes are stored in a hash table having the dimension name as a key and at least one vector containing the column name, type and size as the value.