Business intelligence monitoring tool

Abstract

An improved method and apparatus for auditing database queries, wherein comments are added by a server prior to the server forwarding the queries to the database system. The comments are then used to derive audit information, which is correlated with other audit information in a different server, to produce a more complete audit record.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of logging audit information related to database access, said method comprising:
 utilizing a first server to accept database queries transmitted from plural users to said first server, and logging first audit information in a first server log,   transmitting said queries from said first server to a database system after logging said first audit information;   capturing second audit information into a second server log from a communications channel between said first server and a database system, and   constructing an audit record for said queries by correlating and combining said first audit information and said second audit information.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second audit information includes at least some information that is added to said queries after said queries are transmitted from said plural users to said first server but prior to transmitting said queries from said first server to said database system, and wherein said database system resides on a second server. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said first audit information includes at least one of report name, universe/catalog name, and user id of a user initiating at least one of said queries through said first server. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said correlating and combining includes matching a time of transaction recorded in said first server log with a time of transaction recorded in said second server log. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein a user initiating said at least one of said queries does so through a thin client in communication with said first server. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said audit information is added as a comment. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said database system is accessed via a Software Query Language (SQL) query. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first audit information includes first sets of parameters for respective reports logged in said first server log. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the second audit information includes second sets of parameters for respective reports stored in said second server log. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising correlating the first audit information with the second audit information using a parameter in common among the first and second sets of parameters 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for logging information related to database queries, said apparatus comprising a first server that accepts database queries from plural users, a second server that monitors communications between said first server and a database system, said second server recording a first log from information embedded as comments by said first server in messages transmitted from said first server to a database system, and a third server that combines information in said log with information placed in a second log by said first server, in order to construct a third log of desired information relevant to said queries. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein said third log is used to update rules governing acceptable queries to be made in said database. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said information placed in the second log by said first server includes a user ID to identify a user that initiated a database transaction. 
     
     
         14 . A method comprising receiving queries transmitted from plural users, consolidating the queries prior to presenting said queries to a database but after tagging the queries with audit information, and generating an audit file from queries presented to said database, said audit file including said audit information. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein said audit information is user identities. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising displaying at least some of the information added in said tagging. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14  wherein said queries are SQL queries.