Data viewer

• US 20060101324A1
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Goldberg, Joseph H., Kowalski, Luke
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Methods, systems, and machine readable mediums are disclosed for viewing multidimensional data. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed which comprises displaying multidimensional data in a table format, the table format having a plurality of rows, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of cells displaying data, a first column of the plurality of columns including data having at least two hierarchical levels. Data for at least a first set of the plurality of cells is displayed in a graphical format, the first set including cells in the first column, the graphical format of the cells in the first set in the first column indicating a hierarchical level associated with the cell data and a mechanism is displayed for a first one of the rows to display at least one additional row having data in the first column associated with a lower hierarchical level of the first row data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying multidimensional data in a table format, the table format having a plurality of rows, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of cells displaying data, a first column of the plurality of columns including data having at least two hierarchical levels;

displaying the data for at least a first set of the plurality of cells in a graphical format, the first set including cells in the first column, the graphical format of the cells in the first set in the first column indicating a hierarchical level associated with the cell data; and

displaying a mechanism for a first one of the rows to display at least one additional row having data in the first column associated with a lower hierarchical level of the first row data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an activation of the mechanism associated with a first one of the rows, the first row having first cell data in the first column at a first hierarchical level; and

displaying one or more additional rows having data in the first column at a lower hierarchical level than the first hierarchical level, the data for the lower hierarchical level sharing at least one data dimension with the first cell data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the one or more additional rows comprises displaying the one or more additional rows in the graphical format, the graphical format for data in the first column of the one or more additional rows indicating the lower hierarchical level.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying a second mechanism associated with the first row to remove the one or more additional rows from the displayed data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical format for data in the first column comprises graphical bars, the graphical bars indented to indicate the hierarchical level of the data in the first column.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the data for a second set of the plurality of cells in a textual format.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

before displaying the data for the second set, displaying the data for the second set in a graphical format; and

wherein displaying the data for the second set comprises detecting a selection of the second set, and re-displaying the table to display the second set in the textual format.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second set includes non-contiguous rows.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a selection of a row in the first set; and

displaying the data associated with the selected row in a textual format in a status line.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising invoking a configuration interface having a plurality of configuration options for a user to change a configuration of the displayed data.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a selection from a user to change a display mode configuration option; and

re-displaying the data in accordance with the selection.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a configuration option to display the data in the first set in the graphical format with textual values; and

re-displaying the data in the first set in the graphical format with the textual values.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a configuration option to set a maximum threshold value for data in a second column; and

displaying the data in the second column which exceed the maximum threshold value in a different format.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a configuration option to set a minimum threshold value for data in a second column; and

displaying the data in the second column which are less than the minimum value in a different format.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a configuration option to display the data in a list format; and

re-displaying the data in the list format.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising sorting the redisplayed data by a sort column without maintaining hierarchical relationships between the rows.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a configuration option to change a top hierarchy level to a lower hierarchy level; and

re-displaying the data without the data at a hierarchical level above the top hierarchy level.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a configuration option to remove a column from the displayed data; and

re-displaying the table without the removed column;

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a configuration option to display a second column, each cell in the second column indicating for each row, a number of descendents at a lower hierarchical level than the respective row; and

displaying the second column.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the graphical format comprises a bar and the plurality of configuration options include an option to change the height of the bar.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of configuration options include an option for each of the columns to right justify the data in the column.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection from a user to expand hierarchical levels; and

displaying one or more additional rows in the table, the one or more additional rows having data in the first column at a hierarchical level lower than a top hierarchical level, each of the one or more additional rows associated with a row having data in the first column at a higher hierarchical level, the associated rows displayed to indicate the hierarchical relationship.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection from a user to collapse hierarchical levels; and

re-displaying the table to include only the rows having data in the first column at a top hierarchical level.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a sort column selection;

sorting the data at a first hierarchical level in accordance with the sort column selection; and

displaying the sorted data to maintain a display of the hierarchical relationship between rows of data.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one or more rows; and

re-displaying the table to include only the selected rows.

26. A method comprising:

displaying multidimensional data in a table format, the table format having a plurality of rows, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of cells displaying data, the first column of the plurality of columns including data for at least two hierarchical levels;

displaying the data for at least a first set of the plurality of cells in a graphical bar format, the graphical bars in the first column indented to indicate the hierarchical level associated with the data in the first column;

detecting a selection of a subset of the first set;

re-displaying the data for the subset in a textual format;

detecting a selection of a row in the first set; and

displaying the data associated with the selected row in a textual format in a status line.

27. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a display device, communicatively coupled with the processor;

memory, communicatively coupled with the processor;

the memory including instructions, which, when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the actions of;

displaying, on the display, multidimensional data in a table format, the table format having a plurality of rows, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of cells displaying data, a first column of the plurality of columns including data having at least two hierarchical levels;

displaying, on the display, the data for at least a first set of the plurality of cells in a graphical format, the first set including cells in the first column, the graphical format of the cells in the first set in the first column indicating a hierarchical level associated with the cell data; and

displaying, on the display, a mechanism for a first one of the rows to display at least one additional row having data in the first column associated with a lower hierarchical level of the first row data.

28. The computer system of claim 27, further comprising a data storage, communicatively coupled with the processor, to store the data.

29. One or more machine-readable mediums, having stored instructions thereon, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the actions of:

displaying multidimensional data in a table format, the table format having a plurality of rows, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of cells displaying data, a first column of the plurality of columns including data for at least two hierarchical levels;

displaying the data for at least a first set of the plurality of cells in a graphical format, the first set including cells in the first column, the graphical format of the cells in the first set in the first column indicating a hierarchical level associated with the cell data; and

displaying a mechanism for a first one of the rows to display at least one additional row having data in the first column associated with a lower hierarchical level of the first row data.

30. One or more machine-readable mediums, having stored instructions thereon, which, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform the actions of:

displaying multidimensional data in a table format, the table format having a plurality of rows, a plurality of columns, and a plurality of cells displaying data, the first column of the plurality of columns including data for at least two hierarchical levels;

displaying the data for at least a first set of the plurality of cells in a graphical bar format, the graphical bars in the first column indented to indicate the hierarchical level associated with the data in the first column;

detecting a selection of a subset of the first set;

re-displaying the data for the subset in a textual format;

detecting a selection of a row in the first set; and

displaying the data associated with the selected row in a textual format in a status line.