Unified Query Layer for Heterogeneous Industrial Automation Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in accessing and managing non-uniform data from a vast number of data sources with different data types and formats, leading to cumbersome and monolithic applications that are hard to develop and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A unified data management system (UDM) with a unified query API layer, semantic layer, and persistent storage layer abstracts data management functions, enabling modular and agnostic data access from multiple data stores, allowing applications to be developed independently of data store properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If data from multiple data stores with different schemas and access APIs are accessed directly, then data access functionality is achieved, but application complexity increases and development time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a unified data access layer as an intermediary between applications and data stores. This layer abstracts the complexity of multiple data store schemas and access APIs by providing a consistent interface. The intermediary translates unified queries into store-specific queries, eliminating the need for applications to directly handle diverse data access mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified data access layer provides universal access to multiple data stores through a single interface. Instead of requiring separate access methods for each data store type, the system implements a multi-functional access mechanism that works across all data stores, reducing application complexity while maintaining versatility.
2Measurement precision
If detailed understanding of each data store's schema and access API is required, then accurate data retrieval is achieved, but development cycle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The unified data access layer serves as a mediator that handles the complexity of data store-specific schemas and APIs. Applications interact only with the unified interface, eliminating the need to understand individual data store details. The intermediary translates high-level queries into store-specific operations, maintaining retrieval accuracy while reducing development time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary mapping and translation of data access operations. Before data retrieval occurs, the unified access layer pre-processes queries to understand and translate them into appropriate store-specific operations, eliminating the need for developers to manually handle complex data store specifics.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more data sources with different formats are ingested, then data coverage is improved, but data access becomes more cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The unified data access layer provides a universal interface that works across all data sources regardless of their specific formats or schemas. This multi-functional access mechanism maintains ease of operation by providing consistent query interfaces while expanding data source coverage to include diverse formats and sources.
Data Source
AI summary
In a unified data management system for industrial automation, a query request is received via a unified query API layer configured to expose a common interface for accessing data from a persistent storage layer including multiple data stores that ingest data respectively from multiple data sources in an automation system. The data stores include different access APIs and data schema. Query parameters are extracted from the unified query API layer to build a dedicated query structured for a specific data store by a query builder utilizing a semantic layer. The semantic layer can map queries to individual data stores based on context information derived from query parameters and provide access to individual data stores based on their respective access API and data schema. The dedicated query is executed directly on the specific data store by a query engine and a query result is returned via the unified query API layer.