Metadata modelling for reporting

• US 20050027674A1
• Filed: 04/29/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Cognos Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Potter, Charles M., Seeds, Glen M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema

Abstract

The invention comprises a method and system for reducing the apparent complexity faced by a user when confronted by this modeling environment. It provides for a metadata model that represents one or more data sources, the metadata model comprising a query layer combining tee functions of a data access layer and a business layer. The query layer includes query subjects that describe how to retrieve data from the data sources, and the query subjects contain query items. The query layer also allows the use of data access language statements which permit the use of more complex computed query subjects and query items.

Claims

1. A method for use in a computer-based business intelligence system having a client application receiving user inputs, the method composing the steps of:

a) importing a database using a database schema;

b) defining model objects within a query layer that are directly related to the imported database;

c) creating one or more packages containing references to appropriate query objects;

d) receiving inputs from a user to select appropriate combinations of model objects tom the one or more packages;

e) selecting data from the imported database using the selected appropriate combinations of model objects; and

f) creating and presenting to a user a report incorporating the selected data.

2. The method of claim 1 including the further step of accommodating within the model objects at least one query subject and at least one query item within the at least one query subject, the query subject and query item being directly related to the database.

3. The method of claim 1 including the further step of imbedding data query language statements within the model objects, the data query language statements being modifiable by a user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the dam query language is SQL.

5. The method of claim 4 including the further step of building model query subjects whose query items are references to other query items, which query items can be incorporated in either database query subjects or model query subjects, whereby additional levels of abstraction are provided.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a package is a reference to a folder in the model.

7. A computer-based business intelligence system having a client application receiving user inputs, comprising

a) means for importing a database using a database schema;

b) means for defining model objects within a query layer that are directly related to the imported database;

c) means for creating one or more packages containing references to appropriate query objects;

d) means for receiving inputs from a user to select appropriate combinations of model objects from the one or more packages;

e) means for selecting data from the imported database using the selected appropriate combinations of model objects; and

f) means for creating and presenting to a user a report incorporating the selected data.

8. The system of claim 7 includes means for accommodating within the model objects at least one query subject and at least one query item within the at least one query subject, the query subject and query item being directly related to the database

9. The system of claim 8 includes mean for imbedding data query language statements within the model objects, the data query language statements being modifiable by a user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the data query language is SQL.

11. The method of claim 10 including means for building model query subjects whose query items are references to other query items, which query items can be incorporated in either database query subjects or model query subjects, whereby additional levels of abstraction are provided.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein a package is a reference to a folder in the model.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for producing a business report from data contained in a database, comprising;

a) code for importing a database using a database schema;

b) code for defining model objects within a query layer that are directly related to the imported database;

c) code for creating one or more packages containing references to appropriate query objects;

d) code for receiving inputs from a user to select appropriate combinations of model objects from the one or more packages;

e) code for selecting data from the imported database using the selected appropriate combinations of model objects;

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f) code for creating and present to a user a report incorporating the selected data.