Patent ID: 6480842
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for providing an interactive response to a query based on data stored in at least one online transaction processing (OLTP) database structure and data stored in at least one online analysis processing (OLAP) database structure, the apparatus comprising:a user interface client that presents, to a user, representations of elements of the OLTP database structure and representations of elements of the OLAP database structure, wherein the user interface client also includes logic to accept a selection of representations of elements selected by the user and, if the selection comprises more than one element, an association among the elements in the selection; an element relator that relates one or more elements of the OLTP database structure to one or more elements of the OLAP database structure when the selection of representations includes at least one element from the OLTP database structure and at least one element from the OLAP database structure; a query formulator, coupled to the user interface client, for formulating the query based on the selection and any associations, wherein the query formulator is also coupled to the element relator when at least one association of the selection is an association between at least one element from the OLTP database structure and at least one element the OLAP database structure; and a query server, coupled to receive the query from the query formulator, wherein the query server provides responses to the query received from the query formulator.