System and method for grouping data

• US 20060143563A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sauermann, Volker
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

In a system and method for grouping data, a processor may, with reference to metadata identifying relationships between sets of data to be displayed in columns of a table, generate a display template from the identified relationships, the template defining that related columns of data are presented adjacent to each other in groups and defining which types of graphical demarcations to display, may search among records corresponding to rows of the table to be displayed for records that satisfy a search criterion, and may display a table according to the display template, rows of the table arranged to display the records that satisfy the search criteria in a group separate from the other records.

Claims

1. A data display method, comprising:

with reference to stored metadata, identifying relationships among fields of data to be displayed;

generating a display template from the relationships identified in the metadata, wherein the template defines that related fields are presented adjacent to each other in groups;

displaying data according to the display template; and

displaying graphical demarcations between each group of fields,

wherein the template defines that a first type of graphical demarcation is displayed between fields upon a condition that the fields are of a single group, and that, otherwise, a second type of graphical demarcation is displayed between the fields.

2. The data display method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the fields is displayed in a column of a table;

each group corresponds to a main category; and

each column corresponds to a subcategory.

3. The data display method of claim 2, wherein, for each column, the metadata identifies a group to which the column corresponds, and a group position.

4. A display method, comprising:

searching among a set of data to be displayed to identify a first subset that includes set members that satisfy a search criterion; and

displaying the entire set of data, wherein the first subset is displayed in a common group separate from other set members that do not satisfy the search criterion.

5. The display method of claim 4, wherein the set of data is displayed in a table, each row of the table including data of a corresponding set member.

6. The display method of claim 5, wherein a set member satisfies the search criterion upon a condition that the set member includes data that matches a user-indicated string.

7. The display method of claim 5, wherein the first subset is displayed in a common group separate from the other set members upon a condition that an instruction to group the first subset is received.

8. The display method of claim 5, further comprising:

highlighting the set members of the first subset.

9. The display method of claim 5, wherein a set member satisfies a search criterion upon a condition that the set member includes in a searched column data that satisfies the search criterion.

10. The display method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of columns is searched, further comprising:

in a first highlighting step, highlighting in at least one column all cells that correspond to the first subset.

11. The display method of claim 10, further comprising:

in a second highlighting step, highlighting each cell upon a condition that the cell includes the data that satisfies the search criterion.

12. A display method, comprising:

searching among a set of data to be displayed to identify a first subset that includes set members that satisfy a search criterion;

displaying the entire set of data in a tabular presentation, wherein the first subset is displayed in a common group of rows separate from a second subset that includes other set members that do not satisfy the search criterion;

in a first highlighting step;

in at least one column, highlighting all cells that correspond to the first subset; and

in a second highlighting step;

highlighting each cell upon a condition that the cell includes data that satisfies the search criterion.

13. The display method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting for the first highlighting step a column that does not include the data that satisfies the search criterion.

14. The display method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting one of a left-most and a right-most column for the first highlighting step.

15. The display method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting for the first highlighting step a column that is displayed one of at a left-most and a right-most position of a viewing area.

16. The display method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to horizontally scroll the tabular presentation; and

updating the column selection in response to the received scrolling instruction.

17. The display method of claim 12, wherein:

in the first highlighting step, the cells are highlighted in a first color; and

in the second highlighting step, the cells are highlighted in a second color.

18. The display method of claim 17, wherein, in the first highlighting step, the cells in all of the columns are highlighted.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, define a data display method, the method comprising:

with reference to stored metadata, identifying relationships among fields of data to be displayed;

generating a display template from the relationships identified in the metadata, wherein the template defines that related fields are presented adjacent to each other in groups; and

displaying data according to the display template.

20. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, define a display method, the method comprising:

searching among a set of data to be displayed to identify a first subset that includes set members that satisfy a search criterion; and

displaying the entire set of data, wherein the first subset is displayed in a common group separate from a second subset that includes other set members that do not satisfy the search criterion.

21. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, define a display method, the method comprising:

searching among a set of data to be displayed to identify a first subset that includes set members that satisfy a search criterion;

displaying the entire set of data in a tabular presentation, wherein the first subset is displayed in a common group of rows separate from a second subset that includes other set members that do not satisfy the search criterion;

in a first highlighting step;

in at least one column, highlighting all cells that correspond to the first subset; and

in a second highlighting step;

highlighting each cell upon a condition that the cell includes data that satisfies the search criterion.