System and method for semantic model action sets and replay in an analytic applications environment

A method for providing extensibility in an analytic applications environment, including support for semantic model action sets and replay, comprising:

• providing, at a computer including one or more processors and a memory, an analytic applications environment that provides access to at least one of a database or data warehouse for storage of data, wherein the analytic applications environment includes:
• for each tenant of a plurality of tenants, a customer schema that allows the tenant to supplement and utilize data within a data warehouse instance associated with that tenant;
• and
• a semantic layer that enables semantic extensions to extend a semantic model defined therein for use with the data, wherein the semantic model comprises:
• a base semantic model operable to provide a packaged content from the database or data warehouse to a presentation layer;
• and
• one or more semantic extensions defined within a plurality of hierarchical extension layers, that extend the base semantic model through a series of commits of changes to the base semantic model that are recorded in the extension layers as delta changes to the base semantic model;
• wherein a semantic extension that defines a change to the semantic model is version-controlled within the extension layers and associated with an ownership of the extension;
• operating in accordance with the semantic layer and semantic model defined therein and as extended by the semantic extensions, to:
• receive a request for data to be retrieved from the database or data warehouse;
• process the request according to the semantic model as extended by the semantic extensions;
• and
• retrieve the data from the database or data warehouse, in response to the request, and provide the data as custom content for display at the presentation layer;
• capturing the delta changes to the base semantic model, and storing such changes as an action-set comprising an action chain of re-playable actions;
• retrieving the action-set comprising the re-playable actions and committing the delta changes stored therein on an original version of the semantic model, to extend the original version of the semantic model with the associated changes to the base semantic model;
• and
• monitoring action chains and layer dependencies within a dependency tree and, when the dependency tree changes, replaying the action chains to restore the semantic model to an original state.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions thereon, which when read and executed by a computer including one or more processors cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

• providing, at a computer including one or more processors and a memory, an analytic applications environment that provides access to at least one of a database or data warehouse for storage of data, wherein the analytic applications environment includes:
• for each tenant of a plurality of tenants, a customer schema that allows the tenant to supplement and utilize data within a data warehouse instance associated with that tenant;
• and
• a semantic layer that enables semantic extensions to extend a semantic model defined therein for use with the data, wherein the semantic model comprises:
• a base semantic model operable to provide a packaged content from the database or data warehouse to a presentation layer;
• and
• one or more semantic extensions defined within a plurality of hierarchical extension layers, that extend the base semantic model through a series of commits of changes to the base semantic model that are recorded in the extension layers as delta changes to the base semantic model;
• wherein a semantic extension that defines a change to the semantic model is version-controlled within the extension layers and associated with an ownership of the extension;
• operating in accordance with the semantic layer and semantic model defined therein and as extended by the semantic extensions, to:
• receive a request for data to be retrieved from the database or data warehouse;
• process the request according to the semantic model as extended by the semantic extensions;
• and
• retrieve the data from the database or data warehouse, in response to the request, and provide the data as custom content for display at the presentation layer;
• capturing the delta changes to the base semantic model, and storing such changes as an action-set comprising an action chain of re-playable actions;
• retrieving the action-set comprising the re-playable actions and committing the delta changes stored therein on an original version of the semantic model, to extend the original version of the semantic model with the associated changes to the base semantic model;
• and
• monitoring action chains and layer dependencies within a dependency tree and, when the dependency tree changes, replaying the action chains to restore the semantic model to an original state.