BI Impact Analysis via Info Object Relationship Tracing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Business Intelligence (BI) tools face challenges in identifying the granular impact of changes or modifications to entities, such as database connections or queries, on related objects and entities within the BI application, due to complex inter-relationships and dependencies.
Innovation Solution
A system and algorithm for impact analysis in BI platforms that represents entities as 'Info Objects' and uses relationship tables to determine and display impacted objects through queries and graphical charts, allowing users to select objects for analysis and visualize dependencies in a user-friendly interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If BI tools process and analyze enormous amount of inter-related data, then the analytical capability is improved, but the difficulty of identifying granular impact of changes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex inter-related data into discrete 'Info Objects' with defined relationships. Each object represents a specific entity (database connection, query, report, etc.) and their relationships are explicitly modeled, allowing granular impact analysis by tracing relationships between segmented objects rather than analyzing the entire data mass at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary impact analysis system that acts as a mediator between the BI tools and the underlying data relationships. This intermediary layer automatically traces and identifies impacted objects when changes occur, reducing the difficulty of impact identification without affecting the analytical capability of the BI tools themselves.
2Adaptability or versatility
If BI application contains complex inter-relationships between entities, then the functionality is improved, but the complexity of managing changes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal Info Object framework that can represent multiple types of BI entities (database connections, queries, reports, charts, etc.) with a common structure. This universal model allows the same impact analysis mechanism to handle diverse object types, maintaining high functionality while simplifying change management through consistent handling approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-establishing the relationship model between all Info Objects before changes occur. The system proactively identifies and records relationships between objects, so when a change happens, the impact analysis can quickly traverse the pre-built relationship graph rather than discovering relationships in real-time, reducing management complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If manual methods are used to track changes in BI application, then the implementation simplicity is improved, but the time required for impact analysis increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically perform impact analysis without requiring manual intervention. The impact analysis engine autonomously traverses the Info Object relationships, identifies impacted objects, and presents results to users, eliminating the need for manual tracking while keeping implementation relatively simple through automated processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with an automated computational system. Instead of manually tracing relationships and identifying impacts, the system uses automated algorithms to traverse the Info Object relationship graph and identify impacted objects, dramatically reducing analysis time while maintaining implementation feasibility through software automation.
Data Source
AI summary
Impact analysis of an object is performed by selecting an object and determining impacted objects corresponding to the object. A type of the object is determined. A query is formulated and executed to retrieve relationship objects from a relationship table matching the type of the selected object. Nested properties associated with the relationship objects for the individual relationship objects are determined iteratively. A parent property associated with the nested properties is identified. A query is formulated and executed to fetch dependent values corresponding to the dependent values. The dependent values are added to a list. A query is formulated and executed to determine impacted objects corresponding to the dependent values. The impacted objects are displayed in a graphical chart.