Data mining and reporting

• US 20020013786A1
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Machalek
• Original Assignee: Robert Machalek
• Inventors: Machalek, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,185,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/503
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An integrated system is described that allows a user to easily mine and report data maintained by a customer relationship management (CRM) application. In general, the system automates the process of creating electronic reports, such as an electronic worksheet, in a format that can be directly manipulated and viewed from spreadsheet application. In one embodiment, the report is automatically generated to include a pivot table for displaying the data. The system includes a database adapted to store the CRM data. First and second reporting modules execute within the CRM software application and the worksheet software application, respectively. The reporting modules cooperate in order to integrate CRM application and spreadsheet application, thereby automating the process of generating a worksheet based on the CRM database.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a report generation request within a customer relationship management (CRM) software application; and

in response to the request, automatically generating an electronic worksheet viewable by a spreadsheet software application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the worksheet comprises generating a pivot table within the electronic worksheet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the worksheet comprises communicating report parameters from the CRM software application to the spreadsheet software application.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of a plurality of report toolkits;

displaying a list of report templates based on the selected report toolkit;

receiving a selection of one of the report templates;

creating a new workbook; and

copying the selected report template into the workbook as a new worksheet.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising presenting a set of user-selectable database fields as a function of the selected report template.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating a database query as a function of database fields selected by a user; and

directing the spreadsheet software application to generate the pivot table according to the database query.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the electronic spreadsheet comprises executing one or more macros within the spreadsheet software application to format the pivot table.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving user input specifying one or more elements to search for among the data of the pivot table; and

creating a group within the pivot table according to the user input.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein executing the macro includes formatting the electronic worksheet according to a report template selected by the CRM software application.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a user selection of the CRM data within the pivot table; and

in response to the selection, creating a worksheet that displays the CRM data as a number of rows in columnar format according to fields within the CRM database, wherein each row represents a single CRM record stored within the CRM database.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a user selection of one or more rows;

invoking the CRM software application; and

displaying the corresponding CRM records of the selected rows.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user request to create a group within the CRM software application; and

invoking functions within the CRM software application from the worksheet software application to create a group consisting of CRM records within the CRM database.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving group parameters within the spreadsheet software application; and

communicating the group parameters to the CRM application.

14. A system comprising:

a database adapted to store customer relationship management (CRM) data; and

.

a programmable processor adapted to execute a CRM software application and a spreadsheet software application, wherein the CRM software application is adapted to automatically generate an electronic worksheet viewable by the spreadsheet software application based on the CRM data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the worksheet comprises a pivot table for displaying the CRM data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the spreadsheet software application includes a first reporting module and the spreadsheet software application includes a second reporting module, and further wherein the first reporting module is adapted to direct the spreadsheet software application to generate the pivot table according to user-specified parameters.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a plurality of report toolkits, each report toolkit defining one or more report templates.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first report module includes a user interface to receive a selection of one of the report templates and to present a set of user-selectable database fields as a function of the selected report template.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first reporting module is adapted to generate a database query as a function of the database fields selected by the user and to communicate the database query to the spreadsheet software application.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the first reporting module is adapted to receive user input specifying one or more elements to search for among the data of the pivot table and to direct the spreadsheet software application to create a group within the pivot table according to the user input.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the generated electronic spreadsheet includes formatting information to format the electronic worksheet according to the selected report template.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the worksheet software application is adapted to create a new worksheet that displays the CRM data as a number of rows in columnar format according to fields within the CRM database, wherein each row represents a single CRM record stored within the CRM database.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the reporting module is adapted to receive a user selection of one or more of the rows and communicate the selection to the CRM software application for displaying the corresponding CRM records of the selected rows.

24. An article comprising a medium having computer-executable instructions of a first reporting module and a second reporting module contained therein, wherein the first and second reporting modules are adapted for execution within a customer relationship management (CRM) software application and a spreadsheet software application, respectively, and further wherein the executable instructions cause a programmable processor to:

receive a report generation request within a customer relationship management (CRM) software application; and

in response to the request, automatically generate an electronic worksheet viewable by a spreadsheet software application.

25. The article of claim 24, wherein executable instructions cause the programmable processor to generate a pivot table within the electronic worksheet.

26. The article of claim 24, wherein executable instructions cause the first reporting module to communicate report parameters from the CRM software application to the spreadsheet software application.

27. The article of claim 24, wherein executable instructions cause the first reporting module to:

receive a selection of one of a plurality of report toolkits;

display a list of report templates based on the selected report toolkit;

receive a selection of one of the report templates; and

create a new workbook; and

copy the selected report template into the workbook as a new worksheet.

28. The article of claim 24, wherein executable instructions cause the programmable processor to retrieve data from a CRM database and generate a pivot table within the electronic worksheet according to the CRM data.

29. The article of claim 25, wherein executable instructions cause the spreadsheet software application to create a second worksheet that displays the CRM data as a number of rows in columnar format according to fields within the CRM database, wherein each row represents a single CRM record stored within a CRM database.

30. The article of claim 29, wherein executable instructions cause the second reporting module to receive a user selection of one or more of the rows, invoke the CRM software application, and display corresponding CRM records of the selected rows.