Relational database management of multi-dimensional data
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorWilliam Earl Malloy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for using a relational database management system to support on-line analytical processing (OLAP) systems. A multi-dimensional database is defined using an outline that contains one or more dimensions, each dimension having a list of one or more members. A relational schema is defined based on the defined multi-dimensional database. A relational database is created based on the defined relational schema. The relational database is accessed using access mechanisms provided by the multi-dimensional database and the relational database.
Claims21
A method of executing a command in a computer to perform a database operation on a relational database stored on a data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) defining a multi-dimensional database using an outline that contains one or more dimensions, each dimension having a list of one or more members;
- (b) defining a relational schema based on the defined multi-dimensional database;
- (c) creating a relational database based on the defined relational schema, wherein the relational database includes a fact table and one or more related dimension tables for storing data from the multi-dimensional database, wherein one of the dimension tables is an anchor dimension table that does not intersect the fact table with a common column and wherein the remaining dimension tables are non-anchor dimension tables, each of which intersects the fact table with a common column;
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- (d) accessing the created relational database using access mechanisms provided by the defined multi-dimensional database and the created relational database.
An apparatus for executing a command in a computer to perform a database operation a relational database, comprising:
- (a) a computer having a data storage device coupled thereto, wherein the data storage device stores the relational database;
- (b) one or more computer programs, performed by the computer, for defining a multi-dimensional database using an outline that contains one or more dimensions, each dimension having a list of one or more members, for defining a relational schema based on the defined multi-dimensional database, for creating a relational database based on the defined relational schema, wherein the relational database includes a fact table and one or more related dimension tables for storing data from the multi-dimensional database, wherein one of the dimension tables is an anchor dimension table that does not intersect the fact table with a common column and wherein the remaining dimension tables are non-anchor dimension tables, each of which intersects the fact table with a common column, and for accessing the created relational database using access mechanisms provided by the defined multi-dimensional database and the created relational database.
An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for executing a command to perform a database operation on a relational database stored on a data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) defining a multi-dimensional database using an outline that contains one or more dimensions, each dimension having a list of one or more members;
- (b) defining a relational schema based on the defined multi-dimensional database;
- (c) creating a relational database based on the defined relational schema, wherein the relational database includes a fact table and one or more related dimension tables for storing data from the multi-dimensional database, wherein one of the dimension tables is an anchor dimension table that does not intersect the fact table with a common column and wherein the remaining dimension tables are non-anchor dimension tables, each of which intersects the fact table with a common column;
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- (d) accessing the created relational database using access mechanisms provided by the defined multi-dimensional database and the created relational database.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.