Hyper related OLAP

• US 20050210389A1
• Filed: 03/17/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TARGIT A/S
• Original Assignee: TARGIT A/S
• Inventors: Middelfart, Morten
• Granted Patent: US 8,468,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/730
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

Generating a presentation requested from a graphical data report; comprising: displaying a data report which contains a collection of graphical elements, where a graphical element is bound to a data item, and where a data item is specified by metadata, which comprises one or more of a dimension, a dimension value, and a measure. In response to a user'"'"'s directed action to the given graphical element, determining at least one association, of a dimension and a measure, by identification of measures and dimensions in the applicable metadata and identification of associations thereof and/or addition of a dimension or measure to an identified measure or dimension. Subsequently, searching for a stored, like association, where stored associations are related to stored presentation properties, and applying the related presentation properties to make a presentation of further data items which are specified by the determined, at least one association.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of preparing a presentation requested from a data report;

the method comprising the steps of;

displaying a data report which contains a collection of graphical elements, where a graphical element is bound to a data item, and where a data item is specified by metadata, and where the metadata comprises one or more of a dimension, a dimension value, and a measure;

in response to a user'"'"'s directed action to the given graphical element, determining at least one association, of a dimension and a measure, by identification of measures and dimensions in the applicable metadata and identification of associations thereof and/or addition of a dimension or measure to an identified measure or dimension;

searching for a stored, like association, where stored associations are related to stored presentation properties, and

applying the related presentation properties to make a presentation of further data items which are specified by the determined at least one association.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of making a presentation comprises a step of:

making a presentation confined to a subset of the further data items, which subset is specified by the determined association and a dimension value in the applicable metadata.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the further data items are additionally specified by a dimension value;

and wherein the presentation properties are divided into a first group and a second group; and

wherein properties of the first group are applied to the further data items as specified by the determined, at least one association; and

wherein properties of the second group are applied to a subset of the further data items as further specified by a dimension value of the applicable metadata.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of searching for a stored, like association comprises the steps of:

in case a stored, like association is not found, generating presentation properties; and

relating the generated presentation properties to the determined association.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the report is configured with a tool providing a user with controls for manipulating presentation properties according to either one of the following steps in response to a user'"'"'s action:

selecting a presentation object from a collection of presentation objects and selecting graphical properties of the selected presentation object;

or

changing an applied presentation object and/or selecting graphical properties of the applied presentation object.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of searching for stored, like metadata comprises:

determining whether an identified measure or dimension or association thereof can be deemed to be incomplete, and in that event searching for stored, like metadata with associated presentation properties, in which the deemed incomplete metadata are comprised.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of searching for stored, like metadata comprises:

determining whether the determined association can be deemed to be different from stored associations, and in that event searching for a stored association with related presentation properties, in which a measure or dimension of the determined association is comprised; and

applying the presentation properties related to the stored association, which comprises the dimension or the measure, to make the presentation.

8. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

determining multiple associations based on retrieving associations wherein a dimension identified in the applicable metadata is a constituent to thereby discover multiple measures which each forms an association in combination with the identified dimension.

9. A method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

for a determined association, determining predefined combinations of preferred presentation objects, and

for each combination, applying the related presentation properties to make a presentation of further data items by means of the preferred presentation objects.

10. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

at a first point in time, registering an application of a presentation object to an association to retrieve that object as a preferred presentation object for a determined association at a later point in time.

11. A method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

registering a count of application of a presentation object to a given association;

applying a presentation object with a relatively high count as a preferred presentation object.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein specific metadata that applies to the data item bound to a given graphical element is determined by a framework of the report layout.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein values of the data items are obtained by transmitting a request to a dataset or retrieved from the request itself.

14. A method according to claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

from a client computer, sending a request for the data report to a web server;

at the web server, processing the request and sending information to the client for it to render the data report;

in addition to determining the at least one association in response to a user'"'"'s directed action, sending a request to the web server with the determined association for the web server to perform the search for a stored, like association related to stored presentation properties, and to retrieve the further data items; and

from the web server, sending the further data items and the presentation properties to the client for it to apply the related presentation properties.

15. A computer readable medium encoded with a program which, when run on a computer, executes the method as set forth in claim 1.

16. A computer program product which when run on a computer executes the method as set forth in claim 1.

17. A software application comprising software for preparing a presentation requested from a data report;

the system comprising;

software for displaying a data report which contains a collection of graphical elements, where a graphical element is bound to a data item, and where a data item is specified by metadata, and where the metadata comprises one or more of a dimension, a dimension value, and a measure;

software for determining, in response to a user'"'"'s directed action to the given graphical element, at least one association, of a dimension and a measure, by identification of measures and dimensions in the applicable metadata and identification of associations thereof and/or addition of a dimension or measure to an identified measure or dimension;

software for searching for a stored, like association, where stored associations are related to stored presentation properties, and

software for applying the related presentation properties to make a presentation of further data items which are specified by the determined at least one association.

18. A software application according to claim 17, wherein the software for determining the at least one association and searching for a stored like association are integrated in a first individual software application.

19. A software application according to claim 17, wherein the software for displaying the data report and applying the presentation properties are integrated in a second individual software application.

20. A software application according to claim 17, wherein the application is arranged as client software and server software which interoperate when run on a client and a server computer, respectively, by:

from the client computer, sending a request for the data report to the server computer;

at the server computer, processing the request and sending information to the client computer for it to render the data report;

in addition to determining the at least one association in response to a user'"'"'s directed action, sending a request to the server computer with the determined association for the server computer to perform the search for a stored, like association related to stored presentation properties, and to retrieve the further data items; and

from the server computer, sending the further data items and the presentation properties to the client computer for it to apply the related presentation properties.