System and method for OLAP report generation with spreadsheet report within the network user interface

• US 20050267868A1
• Filed: 07/15/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Liebl, Herbert, Selvarajan, Inbarajan, Harold, Lee C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

A system and method for enabling users of a multi-user network-based OLAP system to present reports generated by the OLAP system using a spreadsheet application within a network user interface. A client-side network user interface is presented to a user over the network so that the user may submit a request for a report. The server-side system receives the request and processes the report. When the server-side system completes the report processing, the report is communicated to the client-side network user interface. The report may then be presented to the user(s) that submitted requests for that report. The client-side network user interface comprises a spreadsheet application that may be used to display the report to the user.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A system for enabling users connected to an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) system over a network to present reports processed by the OLAP system with a spreadsheet application within a network user interface, the system comprising:

report receiving means for receiving a report processed by the OLAP system;

report presenting means for generating a spreadsheet application for that report; and

report transmission means for transmitting the spreadsheet application within a page over the network to a user system to be displayed in the network user interface.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the OLAP system is a relational OLAP system.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising personalizing means for personalizing the report.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for enabling a plurality of the reports to be presented concurrently.

24. The system of claim 20, further comprising report receiving means for receiving report requests and forwarding the requests to the OLAP system, wherein the report requests received comprise formatting macros based on the results of the report, and wherein the report presenting means resolves the macros to modify the presentation of the report according to the contents of the report.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising an API module that defines characteristics of a report generated by the OLAP system, and a macro creation means that enables creation of macros to format the report based on the content of the report through the use of the API module characteristic definitions.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein macros may be applied upon receipt at the user system to manipulate the format of the spreadsheet application within the network user interface.

27. A method for enabling users connected to an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) system over a network to present reports processed by the OLAP system with a spreadsheet application within a network user interface, comprising:

receiving a report processed by the OLAP system;

generating a spreadsheet application for that report; and

displaying the report with the spreadsheet application within the network user interface.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the OLAP system is a relational OLAP system.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising personalizing the report.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising enabling a plurality of the reports to be presented concurrently.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving report requests and forwarding the requests to the OLAP system, wherein the report requests received comprise formatting macros based on the results of the report; and

resolving the macros to modify the presentation of the report according to the contents of the report.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the system has an API module that defines characteristics of a report generated by the OLAP system, and further comprising creating macros to format the report based on the content of the report through use of the API module characteristic definitions.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising applying macros upon receipt at the user system to manipulate the format of the spreadsheet application within the network user interface.

34. A computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for enabling users connected to an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) system over a network to a server system to present reports processed by the OLAP system with a spreadsheet application within a network user interface, the medium comprising:

computer readable program code for causing a computer to receive a report processed by the OLAP system;

computer readable program code for causing a computer to generate a spreadsheet application based on the report; and

computer readable program code for causing a computer to present the spreadsheet application within the network user interface.

35. The medium of claim 34, further comprising code for causing a computer to receive report requests and forward the requests to the OLAP system, wherein the report requests received comprise formatting macros based on the results of the report;

and

code for causing a computer to resolve the macros to modify the presentation of the report according to the contents of the report.

36. The medium of claim 35, further comprising code for providing an API module that defines characteristics of a report generated by the OLAP system, and code for causing a computer to enable a user to create macros to format the report based on the content of the report through use of the API module characteristic definitions.

37. The medium of claim 35, further comprising code for causing a computer to apply macros at the user system upon receipt at the user system to manipulate the format of the spreadsheet application within the network user interface.

38. A system for enabling one or more users connected to an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) system over a network to present reports processed by the OLAP system with a spreadsheet application within a network user interface, the system comprising:

subscription means for enabling a user to subscribe to at least one service and specify at least one criteria to be satisfied for a report to be processed;

report receiving means for receiving a report processed by the OLAP system when the at least one user-specified criteria has been satisfied;

report presenting means for generating a spreadsheet application for that report; and

report transmission means for transmitting the spreadsheet application within a page over the network to a user system to be displayed in the network user interface.