Relational database management system having integrated non-relational multi-dimensional data store of aggregated data elements
View Patent ↗Improved method of and apparatus for joining and aggregating data elements integrated within a relational database management system (RDBMS) using a non-relational multi-dimensional data structure (MDD). The improved RDBMS system of the present invention can be used to realize achieving a significant increase in system performance (e.g. decreased access/search time), user flexibility and ease of use. The improved RDBMS system of the present invention can be used to realize an improved Data Warehouse for supporting on-line analytical processing (OLAP) operations or to realize an improved informational database system or the like.
1. A database management system comprising:
a relational data store storing fact data;
a multi-dimensional data store configured to store aggregated fact data in a multi-dimensional data structure;
a communication interface operably connected between the relational data store and the multi-dimensional data store for the communication of fact data from the relational data store to the multi-dimensional data store and for the communication of aggregated fact data from the multi-dimensional data store to the relational data store; and
a computer system comprising computer hardware, the computer system programmed to implement:
a multi-dimensional data store generation mechanism configured to generate the multi-dimensional data store by calculating aggregated fact data from data stored in the relational data store according to a multi-dimensional data aggregation process, and store the aggregated fact data in the multi-dimensional data store;
a query servicing mechanism configured to service one or more natural language queries from a user, the query servicing mechanism comprising:
a query processing mechanism configured to process a given natural language query, the query processing mechanism configured to:
make a determination of whether servicing the given natural language query needs data stored in the relational data store or the multi-dimensional data store; and
generate one or more structured query language (“SQL”) statements, wherein the SQL statements refer to the relational data store or the multi-dimensional data store based on said determination,
wherein the multi-dimensional data aggregation process comprises:
(i) determining if the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, and
in response to determining that the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store,
retrieving the pre-calculated fact data and returning the retrieved pre-calculated fact data to the query processing mechanism; and
(ii) in response to determining that the needed fact data is not already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, calculating the needed aggregated fact data on demand, and automatically forwarding the aggregated fact data to the query processing mechanism.
2. The database management system of claim 1 , wherein the query servicing mechanism is implemented in a module within the database management system.
3. The database management system of claim 2 , wherein the database management system is configured to receive the given natural language query from a user via a web-enabled browser, and the database management system is configured to communicate the given natural language query to the query servicing mechanism.
4. A method comprising:
by a computer system comprising computer hardware, including
a relational data store storing fact data, and
a multi-dimensional data store configured to store aggregated fact data in a multi-dimensional data structure:
generating the multi-dimensional data store by calculating aggregated fact data from data stored in the relational data store according to a multi-dimensional data aggregation process, and storing the aggregated fact data in the multi-dimensional data store,
receiving one or more natural language queries from a user;
determining whether servicing a given natural language query of the one or more natural language queries needs data stored in the relational data store or in the multi-dimensional data store, wherein the relational data store is configured to communicate fact data to the multi-dimensional data store and the multi-dimensional data store is configured to communicate aggregated fact data to the relational data store; and
generating one or more SQL statements, wherein the SQL statements refer to the relational data store or the multi-dimensional data store based on said determining,
wherein the multi-dimensional data aggregation process comprises:
(i) in response to determining that the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, then the pre-calculated aggregated fact data is retrieved and returned to the user; and
(ii) in response to determining that the needed fact data is not already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, then the needed aggregated fact data is calculated on demand, and the aggregated fact data is automatically forwarded to the user.
5. The method of claim 4 , the method further comprising receiving at the computer system a natural language query over a network from a user browser.
6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions thereon, wherein the instructions are readable by a computing device in order to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving one or more natural language queries from a user;
generating a multi-dimensional data store by calculating aggregated fact data from data stored in a relational data store according to a multi-dimensional data aggregation process, and store the aggregated fact data in the multi-dimensional data store,
determining whether servicing a given natural language query needs data stored in a the relational data store or in a the multi-dimensional data store, wherein the multi-dimensional data store is generated via a segmented aggregation process involving aggregation along multiple dimensions in a determined sequence comprising aggregation involving a first dimension followed by aggregation involving one or more other dimensions; and
generating one or more SQL statements, wherein the SQL statements refer to the relational data store or the multi-dimensional data store generated via the segmented aggregation process based on said determining,
wherein the multi-dimensional data aggregation process comprises:
(ii) determining if the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, and in response to determining that the aggregated fact data needed to service the given natural language query is already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store,
retrieving the pre-calculated fact data and returning the retrieved pre-calculated fact data to the query processing mechanism; and
(ii) in response to determining that the needed fact data is not already pre-calculated and stored within the multi-dimensional data store, calculating the needed aggregated fact data on demand, and automatically forwarding the aggregated fact data to the query processing mechanism.
7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 , the operations further comprising receiving a natural language query over a network from a user browser.