DYNAMIC SCHEMA TYPING

1 . A method for dynamic schema typing, the method comprising:

receiving a host query with a function defining data to be retrieved, wherein the function includes a dynamically definable schema;

receiving, at a function invocation time, a data type schema defining a type of the data to be retrieved;

generating a query using the data type schema as a value for the dynamically definable schema;

retrieving the data;

converting the retrieved data into a form defined by the data type schema; and

providing the transformed data to the host query.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamically definable schema is initially set to a null value.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

performing an SQL query including the function and the data type schema.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a second data type schema defining a second type of the data to be retrieved, wherein the data type schema and the second data type schema are different; and

generating a second query using the second data type schema as a value for the dynamically definable schema.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

retrieving the data from an unstructured data source.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the function is created by a User Defined Transformation Factory.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the data type schema further defines a first node in a cluster, the method further comprising;

receiving, at the function invocation time, a second data type schema, wherein the second data type schema defines a second type of data to be retrieved from a second node in the cluster; and

retrieving, in parallel, the first type of data from the first node in the cluster and second type of data from the second node in the cluster.

8 . A system for dynamic schema typing, the method comprising:

a function receiver to receive a function with a schema variable, wherein the function is created by a function factory;

a value receiver to receive, at run time, a type value for the schema variable, wherein the type value defines a type of data;

a query generator to dynamically generate an SQL query using the type value as the schema variable for the function; and

a function performer to perform the function using the type value.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the function factory is registered before the function is invoked.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the type value further defines a property of the data.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the dynamically definable schema is initially set to a null value.

12 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor of a computing device for dynamic schema typing, the machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions to:

generate a signature including an object for a schema, wherein the object is initially set to a null value;

receive a value for the object, wherein the value defines a type of data;

determine that the object in the signature is set to the null value; and

generate, dynamically at invocation time, a query using the value for the object in the signature.

13 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12 further comprising instructions to:

receive a second value defining a second type of the data to be retrieved, wherein the data type schema and the second data type schema are different; and

generating a second query using the second data type schema as a value for the dynamically definable schema.

14 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12 further comprising instructions to:

retrieve the data from an unstructured data source.

15 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the signature is created by a function factory.