Providing feedback in a operating plan data aggregation system

• US 20060287908A1
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Right90, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Right90, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Inventors: Skelton, Dean, Petiot, David, Orumchian, Kim, Stabenow, Art
• Granted Patent: US 9,940,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• 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 one embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes receiving forecast information from sales people in a computer. The method further includes receiving comments on specific entries of the forecast information from non-sales people in the computer. The method also includes receiving changes of the forecast information from the non-sales people in the computer. The method additionally includes providing a display of the comments and the changes to the sales people in an interface to the computer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving forecast information from sales people in a computer;

receiving comments on specific entries of the forecast information from non-sales people in the computer;

receiving changes of the forecast information from the non-sales people in the computer; and

providing a display of the comments and the changes to the sales people in an interface to the computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the comments are received from marketing and executive personnel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

forecast information and associated comments and changes are stored in a database and OLAP cube associated with the computer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the computer is a network of computers hosting the database and OLAP cube.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method is executed by a processor in response to instructions, the instructions embodied in a machine-readable medium.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving requests to watch specific data of the forecast information; and

providing updates when specific data changes responsive to the requests to watch.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving judgments from the non-sales people related to a set of data of the forecast information; and

changing the set of data of the forecast responsive to the judgments.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

analyzing the changes for largest magnitude changes; and

providing a set of impacts to the sales people, the impacts showing the changes based on a rank ordering of magnitude of the changes.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the comments and changes are received through devices other than the computer that are coupled to the computer for communication.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the forecast data is received through devices other than the computer that are coupled to the computer for communication.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the interface to the computer is through devices other than the computer that are coupled to the computer for communication.

12. A system comprising:

a user interface to receive forecast data;

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 the forecast data and to receive essentially real-time updates to the forecast data through the user interface; and

wherein the user interface is further to display the forecast data through the user interface with feedback as the data changes over time.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

an identification server coupled to the information database.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a means for communicating remotely with the system coupled to the user interface.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a client coupled through the user interface to the analysis server and to the identification server.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the information database stores financial information.

17. A method of providing feedback from members of an organization on forecasts to sales people entering data for the forecasts, comprising:

receiving the data for the forecasts from the sales people in a computer;

storing the data for the forecasts within a database in conjunction with an OLAP cube as forecast information;

receiving comments on specific entries of the forecast information in the OLAP cube from the members of the organization in the computer;

receiving changes of the forecast information from the members of the organization in the computer;

integrating the comments and the changes into the OLAP cube and the database; and

providing a display of the comments and the changes to the sales people in an interface to the computer.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

the computer analyzing the changes for largest magnitude changes, the changes specific to data entered by specific sales people; and

the computer providing a set of impacts to the specific sales people, the impacts showing the changes based on a rank ordering of magnitude of the changes.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving judgments from the members of the organization related to a set of data of the forecast information, the set of data a subset of the forecast information; and

changing the set of data of the forecast responsive to the judgments.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving requests to watch specific data of the forecast information; and

providing updates when specific data changes responsive to the requests to watch.