Consumer Services Layer for OLAP Data Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Business information systems face difficulties in efficiently processing and interacting with external data sources due to format differences, leading to cumbersome translation requirements and reduced accuracy in query execution, especially when dealing with complex features like traffic light reporting and currency conversion.
Innovation Solution
A consumer services layer is introduced to facilitate client-oriented access to both internal and external data, enabling features like exception reporting and currency conversion, and allowing for unified data access through a powerful meta-data model that maps external data to a standardized format, reducing the burden on calling applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a translator is created for each application to convert query views into the called application's native format, then query execution capability is improved, but device complexity and development cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a consumer services layer as an intermediary between calling applications and called applications. This layer receives query views from calling applications, translates them into the native format of the called application, and returns the results. By centralizing the translation function in the consumer services layer, individual application translators are eliminated, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining the ability to execute queries across multiple applications with different formats.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex features like traffic light reporting and currency conversion are implemented in calling applications, then functionality is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to increased complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The consumer services layer acts as an intermediary that implements complex features such as traffic light reporting and currency conversion centrally. Calling applications simply need to request these features through standard interfaces, and the consumer services layer handles the complexity of translating query views and executing the complex operations. This eliminates the need for calling applications to implement these features themselves, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining full functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The consumer services layer provides universal access to multiple calling applications with different formats and requirements. It implements multi-functional capabilities including data translation, traffic light reporting, currency conversion, and other complex operations in a single unified layer. This allows any calling application to access all these features without needing application-specific implementations, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining versatility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If XMLA/MDX is used for data retrieval, then data access capability is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to complex code generation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The consumer services layer serves as an intermediary that handles the complex generation of XMLA/MDX code. Calling applications provide simple query views in their native formats, and the consumer services layer translates these into the required XMLA/MDX syntax for the called applications. This eliminates the burden of manually generating complex MDX code for each calling application, significantly improving ease of manufacture while maintaining full data access capability across different formats.
Data Source
AI summary
According to some embodiments, a method is provided including receiving, from a front-end portion of a business information system, a data request at a back-end portion of the business information system, identifying an information provider associated with the data request, passing the data request to the information provider via a consumer services interface using a selection object and a query view object, and receiving a result set from the information provider.