System and method of providing visualization suggestions

• US 10,007,708 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Moser, Flavia, Cameron, Scott, Gosper, Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): Saeed, Usmaan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bartlett, William P
• Application Number:
  US14/529,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20160124960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

Techniques of providing visualization suggestions are disclosed. In some example embodiments, a current visualization of at least a portion of data of a dataset is determined to be displayed to a user in a graphical user interface of a device, a plurality of visualization candidates is generated based on an application of transition rules to the current visualization, a corresponding score for each one of the plurality of visualization candidates is generated based on a corresponding level of data variance for the data of the corresponding visualization candidate, a ranking of the plurality of visualization candidates is generated based on the scores, at least one of the plurality of visualization candidates is selected based on the ranking, and a plurality of selectable visualization suggestions corresponding to the selected visualization candidates is caused to be displayed to the user in the graphical user interface of the device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

determining a current visualization of at least a portion of data of a dataset to be displayed to a user in a graphical user interface of a device, the dataset comprising a plurality of measures and a plurality of dimensions, the current visualization comprising a graphical representation of the at least a portion of data, the at least a portion of data comprising at least one of the plurality of measures and at least one of the plurality of dimensions; and

generating a plurality of visualization candidates based on an application of transition rules to the current visualization, each one of the plurality of visualization candidates comprising a different graphical representation of data of the dataset, the generating of the plurality of visualization candidates comprising omitting at least one possible visualization candidate from the plurality of visualization candidates based on the transition rules, the generating the plurality of visualization candidates comprising searching through a search space of transitions from the current visualization to other visualizations, the application of the transition rules reducing the search space that is searched in the generating, the plurality of visualization candidates;

generating a corresponding score for each one of the plurality of visualization candidates based on a corresponding level of data variance for the data of the one of the plurality of visualization candidates, the corresponding level of data variance for the data having a direct effect on the corresponding score for the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates such that an increase in the corresponding level of data variance for the data results in an increase in the corresponding score and a decrease in the corresponding level of data variance for the data results in a decrease in the corresponding score, the generated corresponding score for each one of the plurality of visualization candidates being further based on at least one of usage data of a measure of the each one of the plurality visualization candidates, usage data of a dimension of the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates, usage data of a chart type of the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates, profile information of the user, and explicit user feedback for a measure, dimension, or chart type of the corresponding visualization candidate,

generating a ranking of the plurality of visualization candidates based on the corresponding scores of the plurality of visualization candidates;

selecting at least one of the plurality of visualization candidates based on the ranking; and

causing a plurality of selectable visualization suggestions corresponding to the selected visualization candidates to be displayed to the user in the graphical user interface of the device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise causing the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions to be displayed concurrently with the current visualization, the current visualization being caused to be displayed in a first dedicated section of the graphical user interface for current visualizations, the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions being caused to be displayed in a second dedicated section of the graphical user interface for visualization suggestions.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a user selection of one of the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions; and

causing the graphical representation corresponding to the selected one of the selectable visualization suggestions to be displayed in the first dedicated section of the graphical user interface for current visualizations.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality of visualization suggestions comprises a corresponding preview of the corresponding graphical representation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of measures comprises numeric values.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the current visualization comprises a chart.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining at least one filter selected by the user to generate the current visualization; and

applying the at least one filter in generating the plurality of visualization candidates.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the at least one of the plurality of visualization candidates is further based on the selected visualization candidates having varying chart types.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor, a current visualization of at least a portion of data of a dataset to be displayed to a user in a graphical user interface of a device, the dataset comprising a plurality of measures and a plurality of dimensions, the current visualization comprising a graphical representation of the at least a portion of data, the at least a portion of data comprising at least one of the plurality of measures and at least one of the plurality of dimensions;

generating, by the at least one processor, a plurality of visualization candidates based on an application of transition rules to the current visualization, each one of the plurality of visualization candidates comprising a different graphical representation of data of the dataset, the generating of the plurality of visualization candidates comprising omitting at least one possible visualization candidate from the plurality of visualization candidates based on the transition rules, the generating the plurality of visualization candidates comprising searching through a search space of transitions from the current visualization to other visualizations, the application of the transition rules reducing the search space that is searched in the generating the plurality of visualization candidates;

generating, by the at least one processor, a corresponding score for each one of the plurality of visualization candidates based on a corresponding level of data variance for the data of the one of the plurality of visualization candidates, the corresponding level of data variance for the data having a direct effect on the corresponding score for the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates such that an increase in the corresponding level of data variance for the data results in an increase in the corresponding score and a decrease in the corresponding level of data variance for the data results in a decrease in the corresponding score, the generated corresponding score for each one of the plurality of visualization candidates being further based on at least one of;

usage data of a measure of the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates, usage data of a dimension of the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates, usage data of a chart type of the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates, profile information of the user, and explicit user feedback for a measure, dimension, or chart type of the corresponding visualization candidate;

generating, by the at least one processor, a ranking of the plurality of visualization candidates based on the corresponding scores of the plurality of visualization candidates;

selecting, by the at least one processor, at least one of the plurality of visualization candidates based on the ranking; and

causing, by the at least one processor, a plurality of selectable visualization suggestions corresponding to the selected visualization candidates to be displayed to the user in the graphical user interface of the device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises causing the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions to be displayed concurrently with the current visualization, the current visualization being caused to be displayed in a first dedicated section of the graphical user interface for current visualizations, the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions being caused to be displayed in a second dedicated section of the graphical user interface for visualization suggestions.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting a user selection of one of the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions; and

causing the graphical representation corresponding to the selected one of the selectable visualization suggestions to be displayed in the first dedicated section of the graphical user interface for current visualizations.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein each one of the plurality of visualization suggestions comprises a corresponding preview of the corresponding graphical representation.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of measures comprises numeric values.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the current visualization comprises a chart.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

determining at least one filter selected by the user to generate the current visualization; and

applying the at least one filter in generating the plurality of visualization candidates.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting of the at least one of the plurality of visualization candidates is further based on the selected visualization candidates having varying chart types.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, tangibly embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform a set of operations comprising:

determining a current visualization of at least a portion of data of a dataset to be displayed to a user in a graphical user interface of a device, the dataset comprising a plurality of measures and a plurality of dimensions, the current visualization comprising a graphical representation of the at least a portion of data, the at least a portion of data comprising at least one of the plurality of measures and at least one of the plurality of dimensions;

generating a plurality of visualization candidates based on an application of transition rules to the current visualization, each one of the plurality of visualization candidates comprising a different graphical representation of data of the dataset, the generating of the plurality of visualization candidates comprising omitting at least one possible visualization candidate from the plurality of visualization candidates based on the transition rules, the generating the plurality of visualization candidates comprising searching through a search space of transitions from the current visualization to other visualizations, the application of the transition rules reducing the search space that is searched in the generating the plurality of visualization candidates;

generating a corresponding score for each one of the plurality of visualization candidates based on a corresponding level of data variance for the data of the one of the plurality of visualization candidates, the corresponding level of data variance for the data having a direct effect on the corresponding score for the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates such that an increase in the corresponding level of data variance for the data results in an increase in the corresponding score and a decrease in the corresponding level of data variance for the data results in a decrease in the corresponding score, the generated corresponding score for each one of the plurality of visualization candidates being further based on at least one of;

usage data of a measure of the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates, usage data of a dimension of the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates, usage data of a chart type of the each one of the plurality of visualization candidates, profile information of the user, and explicit user feedback for a measure, dimension, or chart type of the corresponding visualization candidate;

generating a ranking of the plurality of visualization candidates based on the corresponding scores of the plurality of visualization candidates;

selecting at least one of the plurality of visualization candidates based on the ranking; and

causing a plurality of selectable visualization suggestions corresponding to the selected visualization candidates to be displayed to the user in the graphical user interface of the device.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions is caused to be displayed concurrently with the current visualization, the current visualization being caused to be displayed in a first dedicated section of the graphical user interface for current visualizations, the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions being caused to be displayed in a second dedicated section of the user interface for visualization suggestions, the set of operations further comprising:

detecting a user selection of one of the plurality of selectable visualization suggestions; and

causing the graphical representation corresponding to the selected one of the selectable visualization suggestions to be displayed in the first dedicated section of the graphical user interface for current visualizations.