Remote knowledge server apparatus and method thereof
An apparatus and method for processing an ontological query for data from any of a plurality of different databases on a network coupled to a computer that includes loading a ontological data model comprising a plurality of logical models based on data from the plurality of different databases, compiling the ontological query and optimizing 48 the compiled ontological query according to join and combination rules based on the logical models and describing meta-properties of the data and meta-relationships based on the meta-properties between the data from the plurality of different databases, and processing logical operations on the compiled ontological query.
1. A method for processing an ontological query for data from any of a plurality of different databases on a network coupled to a computer, comprising:
loading a ontological data model that comprises a plurality of logical models based on data from the plurality of different databases;
compiling the ontological query and optimizing the compiled ontological query according to join and combination rules based on the logical models and describing meta-properties of the data and meta-relationships based on the meta-properties between the data from the plurality of different databases; and
processing logical operations on the compiled ontological query,
wherein the data from the plurality of different databases defines a hierarchy of ontologies in parent-child relationship,
wherein the hierarchy of ontologies includes:
a first child ontology accessing data from a first of the plurality of different databases;
a second child ontology accessing data from a second of the plurality of different databases;
and a parent ontology;
wherein the first and second child ontologies contribute to the parent ontology such that the parent ontology accesses data from both the first and second databases.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the logical operations include existential qualifications, aggregations and negation.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ontological model substantially describes each of the plurality of different databases.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ontological model monolithically stores logical models and metadata from the plurality of different databases.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein compiling the ontological query further comprises memoization of the compiled ontological query.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the computer comprises a storage device storing a deductive database, and
compiling the ontologicial query further comprises building join operations that include join operations of the deductive database and join operations of each of the plurality of different databases coupled to the computer.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein compiling the ontologicial query further comprises building join operations between the deductive database and join operations of the plurality of different databases coupled to the computer.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the storage device stores logical models and metadata from the plurality of different databases.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the computer comprises a storage device storing a deductive database, and
compiling the ontological query further comprises memoization of the compiled ontological query onto the storage device.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the join and combination rules comprise translations rules based on the meta-properties of the data from the plurality of different databases,
the translation rules translate a datum retrieved from one database of the plurality of different databases to a logical term, and
the join and combination rules perform join and combination operations using logical terms translated from the plurality of different databases.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second databases are different databases.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hierarchy of ontologies is managed by an ontology management system (OMS).
13. A method for processing an ontological query for data from any of a plurality of different databases on a network coupled to a computer, comprising:
loading a ontological data model that comprises a plurality of logical models based on data from the plurality of different databases;
compiling the ontological query and optimizing the compiled ontological query according to join and combination rules based on the logical models and describing meta-properties of the data and meta-relationships based on the meta-properties between the data from the plurality of different databases; and
processing logical operations on the compiled ontological query,
wherein the data from the plurality of different databases defines a hierarchy of ontologies in parent-child relationship, wherein the ontology management system comprises:
an ontological data federation operating mode; and
an ontological data warehouse operating mode.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the ontology management system can operate in the ontological data federation operating mode and the ontological data warehouse operating mode simultaneously.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the ontological data warehouse operating mode is invoked by a request that a particular predicate in the ontology be materialized.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the ontological data warehouse operating mode is invoked by memoizing previously computed answers to queries and sub-queries.