US 6,167,405 AGranted

Method and apparatus for automatically populating a data warehouse system

AssigneeBull HN Information Systems Inc.

InventorsKenneth R. Rosensteel, Jr., Jerry T Guhr, Joseph K. Picone

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Abstract

A method and system for facilitating the creation of warehouse requests in a data warehouse system. During the design of the data warehouse tables, a repository tool is used for storing a number of new objects such as source and target databases, source and target tables and warehouse requests that are graphically defined and linked together by an administrator with the repository tool. The resulting visual design is so drawn so as to serve as input for each warehouse request to be generated. The administrator invokes a data replication component that operatively couples to the repository tool signaling that the warehouse request is to be implemented. The data replication component automatically creates the different subcomponents of the request by accessing various links stored by the repository tool and displays a visual representation of the subcomponents and their relationships to each other to the administrator. Thereafter, the replication component provides access to menu screens for enabling the administrator to visualize each of the subcomponents of the request and their properties for enabling modifications to be made to such subcomponents for completing configuration of all request subcomponents. Subsequently, the warehouse request can be scheduled to execute and populate the warehouse tables.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method for facilitating the creation of data warehouse requests for populating data warehouse tables defining a particular warehouse design in a data warehouse system comprised of a number of data source systems and a target system, a repository component for storing information representative of the warehouse design and a warehouse management interface component operatively coupled to the repository for enabling development of warehouse requests required to populate the warehouse tables, each warehouse request having a plurality of subcomponents specifying a process of extracting data from source tables of a source database located in one of the data source systems, moving the data to the target system, transforming the data to match target system requirements and then storing the data into a target database of the target system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) during the design phase, generating and storing in the repository, information defining reference links between each target data warehouse table and the source tables from which instances must be extracted, identification of the source databases and target database, reference links between corresponding portions of the source and target tables, and identification of those warehouse request entities related to a number of target tables to be populated by a particular warehouse request;
(b) upon completion of the design phase, invoking a data replication management (DRM) component included within the warehouse management interface component in response to a selection of a warehouse request to be implemented;
(c) in response to the selection, automatically creating the different subcomponents of a data warehouse request by the DRM component accessing the previously created reference links from the repository and displaying a visual representation of the subcomponents of the request;
and,
(d) providing access to menus of a menu facility for enabling visualization of the automatically created data warehouse request and for making any required modifications to information related to the each of the subcomponents selected for display prior to scheduling the request for execution.

2 more elements

Apparatus for facilitating the creation of data warehouse requests for populating a number of warehouse tables defining a particular warehouse design in a data warehouse system comprised of a number of data source systems and a target system, a repository component operatively coupled to a design component for storing information representative of the warehouse design, and a warehouse management interface component operatively coupled to the repository for enabling an administrator to develop warehouse requests required to populate the warehouse tables, each warehouse request having a plurality of subcomponents for implementing execution of the request to populate tables of the data warehouse tables wherein subcomponents are used in specifying a process of extracting data from source tables of a source database located in one of the data source systems, moving the data to the target system, transforming the data to match target system requirements and then storing the transformed data into a target database of the target system, the apparatus comprising:

(a) extensions added to the repository, the extensions being used during the design phase for storing in the repository, information defining reference links between each target data warehouse table and the source tables from which instances must be extracted, identification of the source databases and target database, reference links between corresponding portions of the source and target tables, and identification of those warehouse request entities related to a subset of target tables to be populated by a particular warehouse request;
and
(b) a data replication management (DRM) component included within the warehouse management interface, the DRM component being operatively coupled to the repository, the DRM component being operative upon being invoked upon completion of the design phase to automatically create the different subcomponents of a data warehouse request by accessing the previously created reference links from the repository and displaying a visual representation of the subcomponents of the request;
and,
the DRM component including a menu facility for providing access to a set of menus for enabling visualization of the automatically created data warehouse request and making any required modifications to information related to the each of the subcomponents selected for display prior to scheduling the request for execution.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.