Methods and a computing device for carrying out data collection

• US 10,180,975 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2016
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workiva Inc.
• Original Assignee: Workiva Inc.
• Inventors: Heying, Matthew James, Keller, Matthew, Ritz, Dean Anthony, Plazas, Christian, Caban-Tomski, Jacob Joshua, Sanders, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Mcintosh, Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US15/094,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20160292259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/212 with details for data modelling support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2272 Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/36 Creation of semantic tools, e.g. ontology or thesauri
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/8373 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

According to an implementation, a host computing device receives, from a first computing device, a data collection request of a first user. The data collection request indicates a data point (whose characteristics are defined in a mark-up language schema) that is to be the subject of the data collection and identifies a second user as provider of a value for the data point. The host computing device notifies the second user of the data collection request and receives, from a second computing device, a request of the second user for the data point to be assigned a plurality of categories. In response to the request of the second user, the host computing device extends the mark-up language schema to characterize the plurality of categories within the mark-up language schema.

Claims

1. A method for carrying out data collection by a host computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first computing device, a data collection request of a first user, wherein the data collection request indicates a data point that is to be the subject of the data collection,

wherein characteristics of the data point are defined in a mark-up language schema;

receiving, from the first computing device, a request of the first user for the data point to be assigned at least a first data category and a second data category;

in response to the request of the first user, extending the mark-up language schema to characterize the first category and the second category within the mark-up language schema;

receiving, from the first computing device, the first user'"'"'s designation of

a second user as provider of a value for the first data category, and

a third user as provider of a value for the second data category, notifying the second user and the third user of the data collection request;

transmitting, to a second computing device of the second user, a visual representation of a data collection template that shows

the first data category, for which the second user is to be a provider, as editable by the second user, and

the second data category, for which the third user is to be a provider, as non-editable by the second user; and

transmitting, to a third computing device of the third user, a visual representation of a data collection template that shows

the first data category, for which the second user is to be a provider, as non-editable by the third user, and

the second data category, for which the third user is to be a provider, as editable by the third user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual representation transmitted to the second computing device shows the second data category as grayed out.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the second computing device, a value of the first data category from the second user;

notifying the first user of the receipt of the value;

receiving an approval of the value from the first user; and

in response to the approval, persisting the value in a data entity corresponding to the data point in a memory accessible to the host computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising tagging the value in accordance with the extended mark-up language schema.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, from the third computing device, a value of the second data category from the third user;

notifying the first user of the receipt of the value of the second category;

receiving an approval of the value of the second category from the first user; and

in response to the approval of the value of the second category, persisting the value of the second category in a data entity corresponding to the data point in a memory accessible to the host computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising tagging the value of the second category in accordance with the extended mark-up language schema.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the second user, a value in response to the request;

gating the response of the second user conditioned on the approval of the first user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the data collection request, updating a permission of a data entity corresponding to the data point to allow the second user to edit the data entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the second user and the third user of the data collection request comprises:

posting a message on a data collection dashboard of the second user;

providing the data collection dashboard to the second computing device;

posting a message on a data collection dashboard of the third user; and

providing the data collection dashboard to the second computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the second user and the third user of the data collection request comprises:

emailing a link to the visual representation of the data collection template to the second user;

providing the visual representation of the data collection template to the second computing device in response to the second user activating the links;

emailing a link to the visual representation of the data collection template to the third user; and

providing the visual representation of the data collection template to the third computing device in response to the third user activating the link.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the mark-up language schema is an extensible business reporting language schema.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein extending the mark-up language schema comprises adding a new neighbor element to the mark-up language schema based on at least one of the first and second data categories.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein extending the mark-up language schema comprises adding, to the mark-up language schema, a new child element that refines an existing element of the mark-up language schema based on at least one of the first and second categories.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

15. A method for carrying out data collection by a host computing device, the method comprising:

instantiating an asset in a media storage device;

receiving, from a first computing device, a data collection request of a first user, wherein the data collection request indicates a data point that is to be the subject of the data collection,

wherein characteristics of the data point are defined in a mark-up language schema,

wherein the instantiated asset corresponds to the data point;

receiving, from the first computing device, a request of the first user for the data point to be assigned at least a first category and a second category;

in response to the request of the first user, extending the mark-up language schema to characterize the first category and the second category within the mark-up language schema;

receiving, from the first computing device, the first user'"'"'s designation of

a second user as provider of a value for the first data category, and

a third user as provider of a value for the second data category, notifying the second user and the third user of the data collection request;

transmitting, to a second computing device of the second user, a visual representation of a data collection template that shows

the first data category, for which the second user is to be a provider, as editable by the second user, and

the second data category, for which the third user is to be a provider, as non-editable by the second user;

receiving, from the second user in response to the transmission to the second computing device, a value for the first data category;

transmitting, to a third computing device of the third user, a visual representation of a data collection template that shows

the first data category, for which the second user is to be a provider, as non-editable by the third user, and

the second data category, for which the third user is to be a provider, as editable by the third user

receiving, from the third user in response to the transmission to the third computing device, a value for the second data category;

calculating a compound value from the received value for the first data category and the received value of the second category; and

persisting the compound value in the asset.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein extending the mark-up language schema comprises adding, to the mark-up language schema, a new element that groups together a plurality of existing elements of the mark-up language schema based on the first category and the second category.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein extending the mark-up language schema comprises adding, to the mark-up language schema, an additional semantic relationship between two or more elements of the mark-up language schema.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the data collection request indicates a second data point for which the second user is to provide a value, the method further comprising:

receiving, from the second user, an indication that the second user has declined the data collection request as to the second data point.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 15.

20. A computing device comprising a memory and a hardware processor that carries out a data collection method, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first computing device, a data collection request of a first user, wherein the data collection request indicates a data point that is to be the subject of the data collection,

wherein characteristics of the data point are defined in a mark-up language schema;

receiving, from the first computing device, a request of the first user for the data point to be assigned a plurality of categories;

in response to the request of the first user, extending the mark-up language schema to characterize the first category and the second category within the mark-up language schema;

receiving, from the first computing device, the first user'"'"'s designation of

a second user as provider of a value for the first data category, and

a third user as provider of a value for the second data category,

notifying the second user and the third user of the data collection request;

transmitting, to a second computing device of the second user, a visual representation of a data collection template that shows

the first data category, for which the second user is to be a provider, as editable by the second user, and

the second data category, for which the third user is to be a provider, as non-editable by the second user; and

transmitting, to a third computing device of the third user, a visual representation of a data collection template that shows

the first data category, for which the second user is to be a provider, as non-editable by the third user, and

the second data category, for which the third user is to be a provider, as editable by the third user.