Optimizing relational online analytical processing sort operations

A computer-implemented method for processing a Structured Query Language (SQL) statement comprising a Relational OnLine Analytical Processing (ROLAP) sort operation, the method comprising:

• determining whether a ROLAP partitioning row of the SQL statement does not refer to database rows from a sort operation of the SQL statement;
• determining whether the ROLAP partitioning rows of the SQL statement are all referenced in the output of the SQL statement;
• responsive to determining the ROLAP partitioning row of the SQL statement does not refer to database rows from the sort operation of the SQL statement and to determining all of the ROLAP partitioning rows of the SQL statement are referenced in the output of the SQL statement, modifying, by a relational database management system, the SQL statement by removing the ROLAP sort operation from the SQL statement and replacing the ROLAP sort operation with one or more operations for generating an equivalent output to generate a modified SQL statement;
• and
• executing the modified SQL statement, wherein modifying the SQL statement further comprises processing the SQL statement as a row-major organized relational database statement, and wherein processing the SQL statement as a row-major organized relational database statement comprises:
• consuming column-major organized database data;
• and
• simulating a virtual row-major organized database based on column-major database metadata information associated with the consumed column-major organized database data.

A relational database management system for processing a Structured Query Language (SQL) statement comprising a Relational OnLine Analytical Processing (ROLAP) sort operation, wherein the system comprises:

• a memory with program instructions stored thereon;
• and
• a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the program instructions cause the system to:
• determine whether a ROLAP partitioning column of the SQL statement does not refer to database columns from a sort operation of the SQL statement;
• determine whether the ROLAP partitioning columns of the SQL statement are all referenced in the output of the SQL statement;
• responsive to determining the ROLAP partitioning column of the SQL statement does not refer to database columns from the sort operation of the SQL statement and to determining all of the ROLAP partitioning columns of the SQL statement are referenced in the output of the SQL statement, modify the SQL statement by removing the ROLAP sort operation from the SQL statement and replacing the ROLAP sort operation with one or more operations for generating an equivalent output to generate a modified SQL statement;
• and
• execute the modified SQL statement, wherein modifying the SQL statement further comprises processing the SQL statement as a row-major organized relational database statement, and wherein processing the SQL statement as a row-major organized relational database statement comprises:
• consuming column-major organized database data;
• and
• simulating a virtual row-major organized database based on column-major database metadata information associated with the consumed column-major organized database data.