A Systematic Method for On-The-Fly Denormalization of Relational Databases

Abstract: Normalized relational databases are a common method for storing data, but pulling out usable denormalized data for consumption generally requires either direct access to the source data or creation of an appropriate view or table by a database administrator. End-users are thus limited in their ability to explore and use data that is stored in this manner. Presented here is a method for performing automated denormalization of relational databases at run-time, without requiring access to source data or ongoing intervention by a database administrator. Furthermore, this method does not require a restructure of the database itself and so it can be flexibly applied as a layer on top of already existing databases.