Automated Latent Star Schema Discovery Tool

A computer program product in one or more tangible computer-readable storage media, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform actions of:

• selecting a plurality of key candidates from a plurality of relational database tables, wherein the key candidates are selected using a first set of heuristic criteria;
• selecting one or more fact table candidates in the plurality of relational database tables based on said fact table candidates containing key candidates from the plurality of key candidates;
• selecting one or more dimension table candidates based on the plurality of key candidates and a second set of heuristic criteria;
• and
• presenting, to a user of the computer, the one or more fact table candidates, the key candidates, and the one or more dimension table candidates as a star schema.

A data processing system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• data storage accessible to the at least one processor;
• a set of instructions in the data storage, wherein the at least one processor executes the set of instructions to perform actions of
• selecting a plurality of key candidates from a plurality of relational database tables, wherein the key candidates are selected using a first set of heuristic criteria;
• selecting one or more fact table candidates in the plurality of relational database tables based on said fact table candidates containing key candidates from the plurality of key candidates;
• selecting one or more dimension table candidates based on the plurality of key candidates and a second set of heuristic criteria;
• and
• presenting, to a user of the data processing system, the one or more fact table candidates, the key candidates, and the one or more dimension table candidates as a star schema.