Method and system for automated web reports

• US 20030084062A1
• Filed: 10/26/2001
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Young, William J., Platt, Janice L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,898,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for viewing reports on a network. One embodiment of the present invention employs a temporary database for holding data to be used in the reports, where the data extracted from a source database. A format module formats the reports using the data in the temporary database, and an access module allows users to access the reports created by the format module.

Claims

1. In an electronic device coupled to a network, a method, comprising the steps of:

creating a temporary database for holding information from a source database;

loading the temporary database with data originating from the original database;

using the temporary database to generate a report regarding the source database;

providing the report for access over the network;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the report is an HTML document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the report is an XML document.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of removing data from the temporary database after the report is generated.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of removing the temporary database from the electronic device after the report is generated.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of generating additional reports regarding the source database by using the temporary database.

8. A medium for use in an electronic device coupled to a network, said medium holding instructions for performing a method, comprising the steps of:

creating a temporary database for holding information from a source database;

loading the temporary database with data originating from the original database;

using the temporary database to generate a report regarding the source database;

providing the report for access over the network;

9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the step of removing data from the temporary database after the report is generated.

10. The medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the step of removing the temporary database from the electronic device after the report is generated.

11. The medium of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the step of generating additional reports regarding the source database by using the temporary database.

12. A system for viewing reports in a network, said system comprising:

a temporary database holding data to be used in the reports, said data being extracted from a source database;

a format module for formatting the reports using the data in the temporary database; and

an access module for allowing access to users in the network the reports created by the format module.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the access module provides the reports in a format that is viewable by a client using a web browser

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising an interface for interfacing the system with the network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the network is the Internet.

16. A method for viewing reports in a network, said method comprising:

defining tables and views to be used in the reports;

updating data received from a different database in the network into the tables and the views of the temporary database;

formatting the reports by using the data received into the tables and views of the temporary database; and

allowing access to users in the network the reports created by the format module.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the reports are web accessible reports.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising a step for removing old reports after a specified amount of time from this system.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the network is the Internet.