Virtual Product Hierarchies Using Change Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in efficiently modifying and creating new product hierarchies, especially when dealing with large datasets, as changes to existing hierarchies can be time-consuming and error-prone, and there is a need for tools that allow users to dynamically adapt hierarchies to accommodate new products, brands, or analytic queries without altering the original structure.
Innovation Solution
The creation of a virtual hierarchy, represented as a collection of changes to a base hierarchy, allows users to interact with the modified structure as if it were a new hierarchy stored in memory, using procedures and change data to dynamically create and process the virtual hierarchy, preserving the original data integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a new hierarchy is created by copying and modifying an existing base hierarchy, then user-specific analytic needs can be met, but the time and effort required for manual modification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a copy of the base hierarchy structure and applies user-specific modifications to the copy, allowing multiple users to have customized hierarchies without affecting the original. This enables rapid deployment of user-specific views by copying proven base structures and only modifying what is necessary for each user's analytic needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The hierarchy system allows dynamic modification where users can add, remove, or reorganize nodes in their copied hierarchies without being constrained by the original structure. This dynamic capability enables users to adapt hierarchies in real-time based on changing analytic requirements while the system automatically manages the complexity of multiple hierarchical variants.
2Productivity
If the base hierarchy is modified to accommodate new products or brands, then the hierarchy remains current and useful, but errors can be introduced and data integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the hierarchy into a immutable base hierarchy and mutable user-specific copies. Modifications to new products, brands, or categories are applied only to user copies rather than the base structure. This segmentation isolates potential errors to specific user views while preserving the integrity of the original base hierarchy that serves as the authoritative source.
Solution Approach 2:
The base hierarchy is prepared in advance with a standardized structure that anticipates future products and categories. This preliminary structuring reduces the need for extensive modifications later, as new items can be integrated into existing user copies by simply adding nodes rather than reorganizing the fundamental hierarchy, thereby maintaining data integrity while enabling rapid updates.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple hierarchies are stored in memory to serve different users, then each user gets customized views, but the memory resources and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a nested hierarchy structure where user-specific hierarchical views are nested within the single base hierarchy. Each user copy references the base hierarchy and stores only the specific modifications needed for that user. This nesting eliminates the need to store complete duplicate hierarchies for each user, significantly reducing memory consumption and system complexity while maintaining full customization capability.
4Ease of operation
If manual modification of hierarchies is performed, then user needs are met, but the process becomes error-prone and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback mechanisms that monitor and track modifications made to user-specific hierarchy copies. Changes are validated against the base hierarchy structure, and the system maintains an audit trail of modifications. This feedback loop detects potential errors early, ensures modifications remain consistent with the base structure, and allows for easy reversal or correction of mistakes, thereby maintaining ease of operation while improving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A base hierarchy of products or the like can be user-modified into a virtual hierarchy that is represented as a collection of changes to the base hierarchy rather than a new hierarchy stored in memory. The collection of changes can be used to enable user interactions such as queries, displays, and writes using the virtual hierarchy as thought it were an actual hierarchy stored in memory, with aspects of the virtual hierarchy dynamically created using a collection of procedures based on the changes and corresponding inverses. The representation of the modified hierarchy can be dynamically displayed to a user or otherwise processed in the same manner as other hierarchies and hierarchical data.