Interactive visualization for outlier identification

• US 10,678,826 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2017
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Patil, Shailesh, Ravi, Elavarasi, Vatsalya, Thunuguntla
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowen, Richard L
• Application Number:
  US15/659,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20190034526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Techniques are provided for processing, visualizing, interpreting, and otherwise utilizing collected data. More particularly, collected data may be visually represented in an interactive manner, which allows a user, for example, to define and identify outlier data within a very large dataset. These results may be obtained through the use of a customizable, interactive visualization of the data, in which outliers and other aspects of the data are visually apparent.

Claims

1. A computer program product, the computer program product being tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause at least one computing device to:

receive a user selection of columns of data tables to select data values, the selected data values representing measurements taken over time from at least one sensor;

render a graphical representation of a distribution of the selected data values, in which frequencies of the selected data values at corresponding included values of an available range of values are represented by extensions of the graphical representation in proportion to the frequencies and in parallel with a first axis, wherein the available range of values is illustrated along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;

render extensions of the graphical representation in a first value range of the graphical representation with a first visual designation;

render extensions of the graphical representation in a second value range of the graphical representation with a second visual designation, wherein the first value range and the second value range are included in a total value range; and

render an outlier limit defined by a user input with respect to the total value range, wherein extensions of the graphical representation in an outlier portion of the graphical representation, corresponding to at least one selected data value that is designated as an outlier value by virtue of being outside of the outlier limit, are rendered with a third visual designation selected by the user input,

wherein the first value range, the second value range and the outlier portion are rendered with differing visual designations.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to:

receive an updated user input defining an updated outlier limit; and

render an updated graphical representation with the updated outlier limit and associated update outlier value that is designated as such by virtue of being outside of the updated outlier limit.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the outlier limit is defined as a multiple of the total value range.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to:

calculate and render a number of outlier values outside of the outlier limit, including the outlier value, and a percentage of the selected data values represented by the number of outlier values.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the outlier value represents at least one of:

a malfunction of the at least one sensor, or an erroneous configuration of the at least one sensor.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first value range is a lower quartile range below a median value of the selected data values, the second value range is an upper quartile range above the median value, and the total value range is an interquartile range including both the lower quartile range and the upper quartile range.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the selected data values include first data values of a first column of at least one database table, and second data values of a second column of the at least one database table, and wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to:

render the graphical representation as a first graphical representation, corresponding to the first column; and

render a second graphical representation, corresponding to the second column,

wherein the first graphical representation and the second graphical representation are rendered adjacent to one another and with respect to the first axis and the second axis.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to:

determine a pixel count of available pixels within a display for rendering the graphical representation;

determine a ratio of a count of the selected data values per available pixel; and

render the graphical representation based on the ratio, with each available pixel representing a number of selected data values corresponding to the count of the selected data values.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to:

calculate, at a back-end application server configured to retrieve the selected data values from at least one database, the data distribution including, for the selected data values, at least one array including;

maximum and minimum values of the selected data values, the outlier limit, the first value range, the second value range, and the total value range.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to:

send the at least one array within a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) object from the application server to a front-end rendering engine of an application client, for rendering of the graphical representation therewith.

11. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a user selection of data values from a hierarchical user interface displaying data schemas, data tables, and data columns, the selected data values representing measurements taken over time from at least one sensor;

rendering a graphical representation of a distribution of the selected data values, in which frequencies of the selected data values at corresponding included values of an available range of values are represented by extensions of the graphical representation in proportion to the frequencies and in parallel with a first axis, wherein the available range of values is illustrated along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;

rendering extensions of the graphical representation in a first value range of the graphical representation with a first visual designation;

rendering extensions of the graphical representation in a second value range of the graphical representation with a second visual designation, wherein the first value range and the second value range are included in a total value range; and

rendering an outlier limit defined by a user input with respect to the total value range, wherein extensions of the graphical representation in an outlier portion of the graphical representation, corresponding to at least one selected data value that is designated as an outlier value by virtue of being outside of the outlier limit, are rendered with a third visual designation selected by the user input,

wherein the first value range, the second value range and the outlier portion are rendered with differing visual designations.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an updated user input defining an updated outlier limit; and

rendering an updated graphical representation with the updated outlier limit and associated update outlier value that is designated as such by virtue of being outside of the updated outlier limit.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the outlier limit is defined as a multiple of the total value range.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to:

calculate and render a number of outlier values outside of the outlier limit, including the outlier value, and a percentage of the selected data values represented by the number of outlier values.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the first value range is a lower quartile range below a median value of the selected data values, the second value range is an upper quartile range above the median value, and the total value range is an interquartile range including both the lower quartile range and the upper quartile range.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, are further configured to:

determine a pixel count of available pixels within a display for rendering the graphical representation;

determine a ratio of a count of the selected data values per available pixel; and

render the graphical representation based on the ratio, with each available pixel representing a number of selected data values corresponding to the count of the selected data values.

17. A computer program product, the computer program product being tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause at least one computing device to:

render a user interface configured to receive user selections in a hierarchical fashion, the user selections including a data schema, a data table, and a data column to define a dataset;

calculate a count of each of a plurality of data values within the dataset;

render a graphical representation of a distribution of the dataset, in which each count for each data value of the plurality of data values is represented by a relatively proportional visual extent of the graphical representation;

calculate a total value range within a central portion of the graphical representation;

calculate an outlier limit defined as a multiple of the total value range;

render visual extents within the total value range with a total value identifying visual designation;

render a visual extent representing at least one outlier value of the plurality of data values, the outlier value being outside of the outlier limit, with an outlier identifying visual designation differing from the total value identifying visual designation;

receive, from a user interface, an update to the multiple of the total value range;

calculate an updated outlier limit, based on the updated multiple; and

render an updated graphical representation, including the updated outlier limit.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the updated graphical representation includes at least one updated outlier value that is outside of the updated outlier limit and that includes the outlier identifying visual designation.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the total value range includes a first value range that is a lower quartile range below a median value of the plurality of data values, and a second value range that is an upper quartile range above the median value, and further wherein the total value range is an interquartile range including both the lower quartile range and the upper quartile range.

20. The computer program product of claim 17,

wherein the plurality of data values include measurements taken over time from at least one sensor, and wherein the at least one outlier value and the at least one updated outlier value represent at least one of:

a malfunction of the at least one sensor, or an erroneous configuration of the at least one sensor.