Method for characterizing and storing data analyses in an analysis database

• US 20020178140A1
• Filed: 05/25/2001
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Koshy, Thomas, Witbeck, Robert M. Jr., Livingston, Gary Raymond, Varner, Evelyn, Tucker, William T., Tadepalli, Anand, Woodmansee, Donald Ernest
• Application Number:
  US09/864,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178140A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method of storing and recovering database analysis information including a) extracting data from a database system; b) processing the extracted data to produce sorted datasets; c) processing sorted datasets to produce graphical objects; d) processing the graphical objects to produce analysis objects; and e) storing the analysis objects as separate file records.

Claims

1. A method of storing and recovering database analysis information, comprising:

a) extracting data from a database system;

b) processing the extracted data to produce sorted datasets;

c) processing sorted datasets to produce graphical objects;

d) processing the graphical objects to produce analysis objects; and

e) storing the analysis objects as separate file records.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) further comprising:

i) processing the analysis objects to produce an interpretation file; and

ii) processing the interpretation file to create a presentation assembly file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) further comprising:

assigning a record number (presentation chart record number) to each said file record;

copying each said file record into a presentation file to produce a presentation chart file;

creating a presentation assembly file from said presentation chart file;

assigning a presentation assembly record number to each presentation assembly file; and

associating the presentation assembly file with a corresponding list of presentation chart record numbers.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

f) storing the database system on a network server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said network server is an SQL server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said SQL server is a relational database management system (RDBMS).

7. The method of claim 2, wherein each analysis object comprises a data chart file and a notes file, the data chart file representing uninterpreted results from said database system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprising:

creating label descriptors (indices) to a dataset to produce an individual application software output file.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein step (ii) further comprising:

creating an image file, said image file comprising at least one analysis chart file.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said presentation assembly file comprises a plurality of presentation chart files.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

iii) assigning a presentation assembly record number to each presentation assembly file;

iv) associating each presentation assembly file with a list of presentation chart record numbers; and

v) associating each analysis chart record number with a corresponding presentation chart record number.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein each label descriptor identifies an original dataset stored in said database system.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein each label descriptor traces software processes applied to an original dataset to create an analysis chart file object.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

linking each said label descriptor with corresponding datasets to identify the presentation assembly file that used the data identified by each of the label descriptors.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each dataset includes filter ranges to recover the dataset from the database containing raw data.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein label descriptor information is stored in a notes section in a file in said analysis database.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein step (d) further comprising:

i) processing the analysis objects to produce an interpretation file; and

ii) processing the interpretation file to create a presentation assembly file.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein step (g) further comprising:

i) assigning a record number (presentation chart record number) to each said file record;

ii) copying each said file record into a presentation file to produce a presentation chart file;

iii) creating a presentation assembly file from said presentation chart files;

iv) assigning a presentation assembly record number to each presentation assembly file; and

v) associating the presentation assembly file with a corresponding list of presentation chart record numbers.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing the database system on a network server.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said network server is an SQL server.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said SQL server is a relational database management system (RDBMS).

23. The method of claim 18, wherein each analysis object comprises a data chart file and a notes file, the data chart file representing uninterpreted results from said database system.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein step (c) further comprising:

creating label descriptors (indices) to a dataset to produce an individual application software output file.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein, step (ii) further comprising:

creating an image file, said image file comprising a t least one analysis chart file.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein said presentation assembly file comprises a plurality of presentation chart files.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

iii) assigning a presentation assembly record number to each presentation assembly file;

iv) associating each presentation assembly file with a list of presentation chart record numbers; and

v) associating each analysis chart record number with a corresponding presentation chart record number.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein each label descriptor points to an original dataset stored in said database system.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein each label descriptor traces software processes applied to an original dataset to create an analysis chart file object.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

vi) linking each said label descriptor with corresponding datasets to identify the presentation assembly file that used the data identified by each of the label descriptors.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein each dataset includes filter ranges to recover the dataset from the database.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein label descriptor information is stored in a notes section in a file in said analysis database.

17. In a database system having information stored in the form of datasets, each dataset having corresponding indices, a method of storing analysis information comprising:

a) extracting datasets from the database system;

b) processing the extracted datasets to produced sorted data subsets;

c) processing the sorted data subsets to produce graphical objects;

d) processing the graphical objects to produce analysis objects;

e) processing the analysis objects to produce an interpretation file;

f) processing the interpretation file to create a presentation assembly file;

g) storing the presentation assembly file in an assembly database; and

h) linking each of the indices to identify the presentation assembly file that used the datasets identified by each of the indices.

33. A system for recovering analysis data from a database system, comprising:

means for extracting filtered data from the database;

means for processing the filtered data to produce sorted datasets;

means for processing the sorted datasets to produce graphical objects;

means for processing the graphical objects to produce analysis objects;

means for analyzing the analysis objects to produce a interpretation file;

means for processing the interpretation file to create a presentation assembly file;

means for storing the presentation assembly file in said database system; and

means for linking the presentation assembly files with indices to identify datasets used to create the presentation assembly files.

34. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program logic stored recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a computer system to organize data, said computer program product comprising:

means for extracting filtered data from the database;

means for processing the filtered data to produce sorted datasets;

means for processing the sorted datasets to produce graphical objects;

means for processing the graphical objects to produce analysis objects;

means for analyzing the analysis objects to produce an interpretation file;

means for processing the interpretation file to create a presentation assembly file; and

means for storing the presentation assembly file in said database system.

35. A system for storing and retrieving metadata from a database system, comprising:

a communication network for data communication between a server and a plurality of client systems;

a database coupled to said communication network for storing data supplied by each client system;

said server receiving requests from each said client system and querying said database for processing said requests; and

each said client system comprising a computer readable medium with computer program logic stored thereon for enabling a processor in said client system to organize data, said computer program logic comprising;

filtering means for enabling said processor to filter data from said database;

first processing means for enabling said processor to produce sorted datasets from said filtered data;

second processing means for enabling said processor to produce graphical objects from said sorted datasets;

a third processing means for enabling said processor to produce analysis objects from said graphical objects;

analyzing means, for enabling said processor to produce an interpretation file having datasets with interpretations;

a fourth processing means, for enabling said processor to process said interpretation file to produce a presentation file;

means for invoking said processor to store said presentation file on said server system; and

means for aggregating said presentation file with corresponding data stored on said server to produce a presentation assembly file.

36. A method of preserving database analysis for later recovery, comprising:

(a) capturing database filter criteria as tracer labels for analysis conducted on a database;

(b) passing said tracer labels through a series of computer applications used to perform said analysis;

(c) maintaining said tracer labels in association with a presentation of said analysis; and

(d) subsequently using said tracer labels to repeat said analysis.

37. An apparatus for preserving database analysis for later recovery, comprising:

(a) means for capturing database filter criteria as tracer labels for analysis conducted on a database;

(b) means for passing said tracer labels through a series of computer applications used to perform said analysis;

(c) means for maintaining said tracer labels in association with a presentation of said analysis; and

(d) means for subsequently using said tracer labels to repeat said analysis.