Apparatus and method for augmenting a report with parameter binding metadata

• US 20060271509A1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wu, Qian, Wu, Ju, Cheng, Patrick Yee Cheuk, Dong, Yan
• Application Number:
  US11/318,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271509A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computer readable medium includes executable instructions to create a report; augment the report with metadata including information specifying a parameter within the report; and export at least a portion of the report and the metadata to a non-report electronic document.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

create a report;

augment the report with metadata including information specifying a parameter within the report; and

export at least a portion of the report and the metadata to a non-report electronic document.

2. The computer readable medium of claim I wherein a parameter is selected from a Boolean value, a date, a time, a number, and a text string.

3. A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

receive at a non-report document at least a portion of a report and metadata specifying a parameter associated with at least a portion of the report;

analyze the metadata to initiate a refresh of the report.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3 further comprising executable instructions to import refreshed report data into the non-report document.

5. A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

bind an object in a non-report document to an object in a report document;

receive a value at the object in the non-report document;

associate the value with the bound object in the report document;

refresh the report document in response to the value to produce refreshed report data; and

import the refreshed report data into the non-report document.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the object in the non-report document is a cell.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 5 further comprising executable instructions to refresh formulas and calculated values within the report document.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 5 further comprising executable instructions to import into the non-report document metadata related to the object in the report document.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 5 further comprising executable instructions to maintain non-report document formatting when adding refreshed data from a report document.

10. A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

bind an object in a non-report document to a report document;

refresh the report document to form a refreshed report document; and

update the non-report document with data from the refreshed report document.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 further comprising executable instructions to detect a change to the non-report document, wherein the refresh of the report document is in response to the change to the non-report document.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 further comprising executable instructions to detect a change to a parameter associated with the object in the non-report document.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the refresh of the report document is triggered by a user.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 further comprising executable instructions to refresh the report document using a parameter value associated with the object in the non-report document.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 further comprising executable instructions to update a list of parameter values available to the object in the non-report document.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the parameter values are selected from a list of parameter values in the report document.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the list of parameter values in the report document is refreshed when the report document is refreshed.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the object in the non-report document is bound to a parameter in the report document.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the object in the non-report document is bound to a function in the report document.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the object in the non-report document is a cell.