Data streaming for interactive decision-oriented software applications

Abstract

Providing data to a computer software application by intercepting a request made by a computer software application to retrieve a first data set from a first data storage location, accessing a record, defined in advance of the request, that includes a reference to the first data set and a reference to a second data set, retrieving the first data set from a data storage location other than the first data storage location, and retrieving the second data set from a data storage location other than the first data storage location in advance of a request by the computer software application to access the second data set at the first data storage location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for providing data to a computer software application, the method comprising:
 during a first execution instance of a computer software application, identifying a first instance of an initial set of data requests followed by a second set of data requests,
 wherein the first instance of the initial set of data requests includes a request for a first data item, 
 wherein the first data item is also included in the second set of data requests, 
 wherein the second set of data requests includes a request for a second data item, 
 wherein the second data item is absent from the first instance of the initial set of data requests; 
   during a second execution instance of the computer software application, identifying a second instance of the initial set of data requests followed by a third set of data requests,
 wherein the second instance of the initial set of data requests includes a request for the first data item, 
 wherein the first data item is also included in the third set of data requests, 
 wherein the third set of data requests includes a request for the second data item, 
 wherein the second data item is absent from the second instance of the initial set of data requests; 
   defining a first data retrieval record, a second data retrieval record, and a third data retrieval record,
 wherein the first, second, and third data retrieval records collectively include one reference to the the first data item (Floor Tile) and two references to the second data item, 
 wherein the first data retrieval record includes the reference to the first data item, 
 wherein both of the second and third data retrieval records include one of the references to the second data item; and 
   associating the first, second, and third data retrieval records with a data retrieval plan for use with any execution instance of the computer software application subsequent to the first and second execution instances, wherein the data retrieval plan is configured such that the first data retrieval record is processed prior to processing either of the second and third data retrieval records, thereby causing the first data item referred to in the first data retrieval record to be retrieved prior to retrieval of the second data item referred to in both the first and second data retrieval records,   wherein said identifying, defining and associating are implemented in any of
 a) computer hardware and 
 b) computer software embodied in a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium. 
   
     
     
         2 . A computer program product for providing data to a computer software application, the computer program product comprising:
 a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium; and   computer-readable program code embodied in the computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable program code is configured to
 identify, during a first execution instance of a computer software application, a first instance of an initial set of data requests followed by a second set of data requests,
 wherein the first instance of the initial set of data requests includes a request for a first data item, 
 wherein the first data item is also included in the second set of data requests, 
 wherein the second set of data requests includes a request for a second data item, 
 wherein the second data item is absent from the first instance of the initial set of data requests, 
 
 identify, during a second execution instance of the computer software application, a second instance of the initial set of data requests followed by a third set of data requests,
 wherein the second instance of the initial set of data requests includes a request for the first data item, 
 wherein the first data item is also included in the third set of data requests, 
 wherein the third set of data requests includes a request for the second data item, 
 wherein the second data item is absent from the second instance of the initial set of data requests, 
 
 define a first data retrieval record, a second data retrieval record, and a third data retrieval record,
 wherein the first, second, and third data retrieval records collectively include one reference to the the first data item (Floor Tile) and two references to the second data item, 
 wherein the first data retrieval record includes the reference to the first data item, 
 wherein both of the second and third data retrieval records include one of the references to the second data item, and 
 
 associate the first, second, and third data retrieval records with a data retrieval plan for use with any execution instance of the computer software application subsequent to the first and second execution instances, wherein the data retrieval plan is configured such that the first data retrieval record is processed prior to processing either of the second and third data retrieval records, thereby causing the first data item referred to in the first data retrieval record to be retrieved prior to retrieval of the second data item referred to in both the first and second data retrieval records.