Apparatus and method for creating from discrete reports new reports with metadata

• US 20050289136A1
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wu, Ju, Hsieh, Siu Man
• Granted Patent: US 7,580,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A computer-readable medium includes executable instructions to analyze a repository of individual reports to generate a consolidated data set, where the consolidated data set includes data from different individual reports. The consolidated data set is augmented with metadata. The consolidated data set and metadata are inserted within an electronic document.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium, comprising executable instructions to:

analyze a repository of individual reports to generate a consolidated data set, wherein said consolidated data set includes data from a plurality of said individual reports;

augment said consolidated data set with metadata; and

insert said consolidated data set and said metadata within an electronic document.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising, executable instructions to create said repository of individual reports by processing data within a database.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein said executable instructions to create said repository of individual reports include executable instructions to create individual reports as time stamped instances of data within said database.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein said executable instructions to analyze said repository of individual reports to generate said consolidated data set include executable instructions to generate said consolidated data set based on corresponding data points from individual reports that contain different time stamps.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said executable instructions to analyze include executable instructions to analyze at least one common attribute shared by individual reports within said repository.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said metadata provides information supplying a data context.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said metadata includes information about the last presentation format of data within said individual reports.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said metadata is extensible.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said metadata provides information facilitating a link to an original report.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said metadata provides information to coordinate a refresh request.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising, executable instructions to facilitate copying of said consolidated data set from said electronic document to a secondary electronic document while maintaining said metadata.

12. A method of processing data, comprising:

creating a repository of individual reports by processing data within a database;

analyzing said repository of individual reports to generate a consolidated data set, wherein said consolidated data set includes data from a plurality of said individual reports;

augmenting said consolidated data set with metadata; and

inserting said consolidated data set and said metadata within an electronic document.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein creating includes creating individual reports as time stamped instances of data within said database.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein analyzing includes generating said consolidated data set based on corresponding data points from individual reports that contain different time stamps.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein analyzing includes analyzing at least one common attribute shared by individual reports within said repository.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein augmenting includes supplying a data context.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein augmenting includes supplying information about the last presentation format of said report data.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein augmenting includes supplying extensible metadata.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein augmenting includes supplying metadata to facilitate a link to an original report.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein augmenting includes supplying metadata to coordinate a refresh request.