Flexible baselines in an operating plan data aggregation system

• US 20060080294A1
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ignite Enterprise Software Solutions, Inc. (Infonow Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ignite Enterprise Software Solutions, Inc. (Infonow Corporation)
• Inventors: Skelton, Dean, Petiot, David, Orumchian, Kim, Stabenow, Art
• Granted Patent: US 10,713,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/03 Data mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

In an embodiment, the a method is provided. The method includes receiving forecast data in a database with an associated window value. The method also includes accessing data based on associated window values. The method further includes comparing the data accessed based on associated window values to other data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving forecast data in a database with an associated window value;

accessing data based on associated window values; and

comparing the data accessed based on associated window values to other data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing results of comparing the data accessed based on associated window values to other data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing results of the analyzing to users through a user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the results of the comparing include at lease one of the group consisting of trend information, variance information, accuracy information, or correlation information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to create a private window associated with a user;

receiving data designated for the private window from the user; and

providing calculated data to the user based on the private window.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the private window is restricted to use by the user.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the private window is restricted to use by a set of users designated by the user.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the private window is constructed using a subset of windows chronologically previous to the private window.

9. A system comprising:

a user interface;

an analysis server including an OLAP cube; and

an information database coupled to the analysis server to support the OLAP cube, the information database to embody forecast data including window information associated with the forecast data and to receive the forecast data from the user interface and to receive essentially real-time updates to the forecast data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the information database is further to maintain a set of baselines derived from forecast data based on associated window information of the forecast data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

a subset of the set of baselines are derived sequentially from chronologically previous baselines and are publicly available.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

a subset of the set of baselines are derived from selected chronologically previous baselines and are restricted based on user-designated restrictions.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

An identification server coupled to the information database.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

A client coupled to the analysis server and to the identification server.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for submitting information to the user interface from a remote location.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein:

The information database stores financial information.

17. A method of maintaining information, comprising:

receiving a set of forecast data;

incorporating the forecast data into a database of the information through an OLAP cube;

extracting a baseline forecast from the database;

receiving updates to the database;

propagating updates almost immediately throughout the information through the OLAP cube; and

extracting an updated baseline forecast from the database, the updated baseline forecast derived from the baseline forecast.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

comparing data of the baseline forecast with data of the updated baseline forecast;

analyzing differences between the data of the baseline forecast and the data of the updated baseline forecast; and

presenting the differences to a user.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a request for a private baseline from a user; and

extracting the private baseline forecast from the database, the private baseline forecast derived from the baseline forecast.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a request for a private baseline from a user; and

extracting the private baseline forecast from the database, the private baseline forecast derived from the baseline forecast and the updated baseline forecast.