Blended Data Operations Without Unique Foreign Key Constraints

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data merging in database systems is inefficient due to the requirement for unique values in foreign keys, leading to large and unwieldy data sets that incur significant memory and bandwidth costs, and lacks the capability to blend data from multiple sources to discover correlations.

Innovation Solution

The method involves data source identification mapping in blended data operations, where user-defined subsets of columns or rows from multiple data sets can be blended without unique values, using a client-server architecture to perform data blending operations, generating a calculation graph, and aggregating values based on designated join types, allowing for efficient data processing and visualization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If data merging is performed on database tables using foreign keys, then data from multiple sources can be combined, but the requirement for unique values in foreign keys limits the ability to blend data with repeated values and requires processing entire data sets

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapability to blend data with repeated valuesVSAvoidrequirement for unique values constraint

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the data processing operation by separating the blending logic from traditional database merge operations. Instead of requiring entire data sets to be merged through foreign key relationships, the system extracts and blends only specific columns from multiple data sets independently, allowing repeated values in blended columns while avoiding the unique value constraint of traditional joins

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a new dimension to data operations by implementing blending at the column level rather than requiring row-level joins through foreign keys. This dimensional shift allows blending of columns with repeated values by treating them as independent entities that can be combined through user-defined relationships rather than database-enforced key constraints

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If the entire data set of database tables is queried and processed for merging, then complete data integration is achieved, but significant memory space, network bandwidth, and data processing resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomplete data integrationVSAvoidmemory space and network bandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary columns from source data sets that are required for the blending operation, rather than querying and processing entire data tables. This selective extraction reduces the volume of data transferred over the network and stored in memory, while still achieving the complete integration of relevant information needed for the analysis

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial action by performing blending operations on subsets of columns rather than processing all columns in the database tables. The system allows users to specify exactly which columns to blend, processing only that partial set of data rather than the excessive amount required by traditional full table merges, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining the reliability of the integration for the intended purpose

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If traditional data merging operations are performed, then data from multiple tables can be combined, but the process requires processing entire database tables which is time-consuming and resource-intensive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata processing speedVSAvoidtime to process entire data sets

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by allowing users to define the blending parameters, select specific columns, and specify relationships between data sets before the actual blending operation begins. This pre-configuration enables the system to prepare the blending logic in advance and execute only the necessary column-level operations without the time-consuming overhead of processing entire database tables

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10268737B2System and method for performing blended data operations

Publication Date: 2019.04.23 BUSINESS OBJECTS SOFTWARE

AI summary

Embodiments relate to techniques for performing data blending operations across multiple different data sets comprising data structures with columns and rows. The data sets may be classified and displayed in a visualization (i.e., chart) in a client interface. Columns and rows from the blended data sets may be mapped together (i.e., linked). Updates to the visualization, including adding elements from the data sets, may trigger a data blending process on the backend server in communication with a database. The server may blend the specified data by generating a runtime artifact representing a calculation graph for the blend operation and query the database to retrieve a resulting data set. The data blending operation may comprise collapsing dimensions of a primary data set with linked dimensions of a secondary data sets into a blended column and aggregating values of measures in rows of the blended column of the resulting data structure.