Method and computer-readable medium for providing spreadsheet-driven key performance indicators

• US 20060212791A1
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Megiddo, Eran, Crow, Howard M., Wong, Alfred Fai Hang, Datars, Andrew E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,665 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A method, system, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for providing spreadsheet-driven key performance indicators are disclosed. According to the method, a spreadsheet-driven key performance indicator is created that includes a location of a spreadsheet, a location of a cell within the spreadsheet to be utilized as an indicator value, and a goal value. The key performance indicator may be evaluated by retrieving the indicator value from cell of the spreadsheet, comparing the indicator value to the goal value, and providing a visual indication based on the result of the comparison. The goal value may also be expressed as a location within a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet locations may contain references to databases containing the data that should be utilized as the indicator and goal values. A warning value may also be specified, compared to the indicator, and a visual indication may be provided based upon the result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A method for providing a spreadsheet-driven key performance indicator, the method comprising:

creating a spreadsheet-driven key performance indicator comprising a location of a spreadsheet, a location of a cell within the spreadsheet to be utilized as an indicator value, and a goal value; and

evaluating the key performance indicator by retrieving a value of the cell from the spreadsheet as the indicator value, comparing the indicator value to the goal value, and providing a visual indication based upon the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the goal value is expressed as the location of a cell within a spreadsheet for the goal value, and wherein evaluating the key performance indicator further comprises retrieving the value of the spreadsheet cell for the goal value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing a visual indication based upon the comparison comprises displaying a first visual indication if the indicator value is less than the goal value and providing a second visual indication if the indicator value is greater than or equal to the goal value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the cell within the spreadsheet to be utilized as an indicator value comprises a reference to a database and wherein retrieving the value of the cell from the spreadsheet as the indicator value comprises retrieving a value from the database for the indicator value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the cell within the spreadsheet for the goal value comprises a reference to a database and wherein retrieving the value of the spreadsheet cell for the goal value comprises retrieving the goal value from the database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the key performance indicator further comprises a warning value and wherein evaluating the key performance indicator further comprises comparing the value of the cell to the warning value and providing a visual indication based upon the comparison.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the warning value is expressed as the location of a cell within a spreadsheet for the warning value, and wherein evaluating the key performance indicator further comprises retrieving the value of the spreadsheet cell for the warning value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the cell within the spreadsheet for the warning value comprises a reference to a database and wherein retrieving the value of the spreadsheet cell for the warning value comprises retrieving the warning value from the database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing a visual indication based upon the comparison comprises displaying a first visual indication if the indicator value is less than the warning value and providing a second visual indication if the indicator value is greater than or equal to the warning value.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the goal value is expressed as the location of a cell within a spreadsheet for the goal value, and wherein evaluating the key performance indicator further comprises retrieving the value of the spreadsheet cell for the goal value.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to:

receiving a request to create a spreadsheet-driven key performance indicator, the request including a location of a spreadsheet, a location of a cell within the spreadsheet to be utilized to obtain an indicator value, and data for obtaining a goal value;

in response to the request, saving a key performance indicator definition including the location of the spreadsheet, the location of the cell within the spreadsheet to be utilized to obtain an indicator value, and the data for obtaining the goal value;

receiving a request to evaluate the spreadsheet-driven key performance indicator; and

in response to the request to evaluate the spreadsheet-driven key performance indicator, retrieving the indicator value from the cell within the spreadsheet, comparing the goal value to the indicator value, and displaying a visual indication based upon the results of the comparison.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the data for obtaining the goal value comprises a number to be utilized as the goal value.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the location of the cell within the spreadsheet to be utilized to obtain an indicator value comprises a reference to a database and wherein retrieving the indicator value from the cell within the spreadsheet comprises retrieving the indicator value from the database.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the data for obtaining the goal value comprises the location of a cell within a spreadsheet from which data can be retrieved and utilized as the goal value.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the location of a cell within a spreadsheet from which data can be retrieved and utilized as the goal value comprises a reference to a database and wherein the computer-readable medium comprises further computer-executable instructions for retrieving the goal value from the database.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein displaying a visual indication based upon the results of the comparison comprises displaying a first visual indication if the indicator value is less than the goal value and displaying a second visual indication if the indicator value is greater than or equal to the goal value.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the request to create a spreadsheet-driven key performance indicator further comprises data for obtaining a warning value, and wherein the computer-readable medium comprises further computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to save the data for obtaining a warning value in the key performance indicator definition, to compare the warning value to the indicator value in response to the request to evaluate the key performance indicator, and to display a visual indication based upon the results of the comparison between the indicator value and the warning value.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the data for obtaining the warning value comprises a number to be utilized as the warning value.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the data for obtaining the warning value comprises the location of a cell within a spreadsheet from which data can be retrieved and utilized as the warning value.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein displaying a visual indication based upon the results of the comparison comprises displaying a first visual indication if the indicator value is less than the warning value and displaying a second visual indication if the indicator value is greater than or equal to the warning value.