Data artifact instances faciliating flexible data access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11941005-B2
Application number	US-202217714002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2022
Priority date	Apr 5, 2022
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

Techniques and solutions are described for providing flexible access to data during execution of a data access request. Multiple instances of a data artifact are created, where different instances of the data artifact provide access to different data sources having data associated with the data access request. When a data access request is executed, a particular data artifact instance can be used during execution of the data access request. In some cases, switching logic can be used to determine which data artifact instance is to be used in executing the data access request. Also described are technologies for facilitating creation of data artifact instances corresponding to a modelling artifact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computing system comprising:
at least one hardware processor;
at least one memory coupled to the at least one hardware processor; and
one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions, that, when executed, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:
receiving instructions to create a first instance of a first data artifact in a hierarchical schema comprising a plurality of data artifacts distributed among a plurality of levels of a hierarchy of the hierarchical schema;
creating the first instance of the first data artifact at a first level of the plurality of levels of the hierarchy, the first instance of the first data artifact comprising, or pointing to, first data;
receiving instructions to create a second instance of the first data artifact;
creating the second instance of the first data artifact at the first level of the hierarchy, the second instance of the first data artifact comprising, or pointing to, second data, wherein the second data comprises all or a portion of the first data or is different in whole or part from the first data;
receiving instructions to create at least a first instance of a second data artifact in the hierarchical schema at a second level of the hierarchy, wherein the first instance of the first data artifacts points to the at least a first instance of the second data artifact and the second level of the hierarchy is lower than the first level of hierarchy; and
creating the at least a first instance of the second data artifact.

2. The computing system of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
receiving a first data access request, the first data access request specifying the first data artifact;
determining that the first instance of the first data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request;
processing the first data access request, the processing comprising retrieving first data from at least the first instance of the first data artifact, or at a location specified by the first instance of the first data artifact; and
returning at least a portion of the first data, or second data produced or derived at least in part from the at least a portion of the first data, in response to the first data access request.

3. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein determining that the first instance of the first data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request comprises analyzing at least one data access operation specified in the first data access request, wherein the at least one data access operation is of a type that determines at least in part that the first instance of the first data artifact is used in processing the first data access request and the second instance of the first data artifact is not used in processing the first data access request.

4. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein determining that the first instance of the first data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request comprises determining that an identifier of a source of the first data access request indicates that the first instance of the first data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request.

5. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein determining that the first instance of the first data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request comprises determining that the first data access request comprises, or is associated with, an indicator for a first data access request type that is used, at least in part, to determine that the first instance of the at least a first data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request.

6. The computing system of claim 2 , the operations further comprising:
receiving a second data access request, the second data access request specifying the first data artifact;
for the first level of the hierarchy, determining that the second instance of the first data artifact is to be used in processing the second data access request;
processing the second data access request, the processing comprising retrieving third data from at least the second instance of the first data artifact, or at a location specified by the second instance of the first data artifact, wherein the third data comprises all or a portion of the first data or is different in whole or part from the first data; and
returning at least a portion of the third data, or fourth data produced or derived at least in part from the at least portion of the third data, in response to the second data access request.

7. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein the first data access request specifies the second data artifact, the second data artifact comprising the first instance and second instance, the operations further comprising:
determining that the first instance of the second data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request.

8. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein the determining that the first instance of the second data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request comprises:
in response to determining that the first instance of the first data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request, sending a command directing or indicating that the first instance of the second data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request; or
providing the first data access request or parameters or operations comprised within or associated with the first data access request to switching logic used to select between the first instance of the second data artifact and the second instance of the second data artifact, wherein the output of the switching logic is at least partially independent of the determination that the first instance of the first data artifact is to be used in processing the first data access request.

9. A method, implemented in a computing system comprising at least one hardware processor and at least one memory coupled to the at least one hardware processor, the method comprising:
receiving instructions to create a first instance of a first data artifact in a hierarchical schema comprising a plurality of data artifacts distributed among a plurality of levels of a hierarchy of the hierarchical schema;
creating the first instance of the first data artifact at a first level of the plurality of levels of the hierarchy, the first instance of the first data artifact comprising, or pointing to, first data;
receiving instructions to create a second instance of the first data artifact;
creating the second instance of the first data artifact at the first level of the hierarchy, the second instance of the first data artifact comprising, or pointing to, second data, wherein the second data comprises all or a portion of the first data or is different in whole or part from the first data;
receiving instructions to create at least a first instance of a second data artifact in the hierarchical schema at a second level of the hierarchy, wherein the first instance of the first data artifacts points to the at least a first instance of the second data artifact and the second level of the hierarchy is lower than the first level of hierarchy; and
creating the at least a first instance of the second data artifact.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first instance of the first data artifact comprises a view referencing the at least a first instance of the second data artifact.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least a first instance of the second data artifact comprises a view referencing at least a first instance of a third data artifact of the hierarchy, the at least a first instance of the third

Assignees

• Sap Se

Inventors

• Buchmann Daniel
• Balzar Andreas
• Heitmann Matthias
• Imal Selcuk

Classifications

• G06F16/2455 Primary

  Query execution · CPC title

• G06F16/282

  Hierarchical databases, e.g. IMS, LDAP data stores or Lotus Notes · CPC title

• G06F16/211 Primary

  Schema design and management · CPC title

• G06F16/245

  Query processing · CPC title

• G06F16/27 Primary

  Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor · CPC title