System, method and article for displaying data distributions in data trees

• US 20080082561A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Dere, Vikram
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957

Abstract

Systems, methods and articles for displaying data distributions in data trees are provided. An example method retrieves a data tree organized into a plurality of nodes that store a data parameter and identifies a parent node from among the plurality of nodes, the parent node being linked to a plurality of child nodes in the data tree. The relative distribution of the data parameter among the plurality of child nodes is determined and a plurality of graphical connectors that visually link the parent node to the child nodes are displayed on a computer display, each of the graphical connectors including a data distribution indicator that indicates the relative distribution of the data parameter among the child nodes.

Claims

1. A data display method, comprising:

retrieving a data tree organized into a plurality of nodes that store a data parameter;

identifying a parent node from among the plurality of nodes, the parent node being linked to a plurality of child nodes in the data tree;

determining the relative distribution of the data parameter among the plurality of child nodes; and

displaying a plurality of graphical connectors that visually link the parent node to the child nodes on a computer display, each of the graphical connectors including a data distribution indicator that indicates the relative distribution of the data parameter among the child nodes.

2. The data display method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a plurality of data parameters in the nodes of the data tree; and

selecting one of the plurality of data parameters to determine the relative distribution thereof among the plurality of child nodes.

3. The data display method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting either a horizontal or vertical format for displaying the data tree; and

displaying the data tree with the plurality of graphical indicators in either the horizontal or vertical format in response to the selecting step.

4. The data display method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a format for the data distribution indicator from a plurality of different formats.

5. The data display method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a text value in association with the data distribution indicators, the text value representing the relative distribution of the data parameter.

6. The data display method of claim 1, wherein the determining step includes the step of traversing the data tree to discover the child nodes that are linked to the parent node.

7. The data display method of claim 6, wherein each of the child nodes may also be a parent node to a plurality of additional child nodes.

8. The data display method of claim 5, wherein the text value is a percentage value.

9. The data display method of claim 1, wherein the data distribution indicator is a progress bar.

10. The data display method of claim 1, wherein the progress bar includes a graphical element that depicts the relative distribution of the data parameter.

11. The data display method of claim 10, wherein the graphical element is a colored line of a predetermined width and a length along the progress bar that visually depicts the relative distribution of the data parameter.

12. The data display method of claim 10, wherein the graphical element is a square positioned at a point along the progress bar that visually depicts the relative distribution of the data parameter.

13. The data display method of claim 1, wherein a user can toggle on and off the data distribution indicators.

14. The data display method of claim 1, wherein a user can select another data parameter associated with the plurality of nodes and a computer system then automatically repeats the identifying, determining and displaying steps in response to the user selection of the other data parameter.

15. A graphical data display, comprising:

a data tree organized into a plurality of nodes that store a data parameter, the plurality of nodes including at least one parent node and a plurality of child nodes associated with the parent node; and

a plurality of graphical connectors that visually link the parent node to the child nodes, each of the graphical connectors including a data distribution indicator that indicates the relative distribution of the data parameter among the child nodes.

16. A data display system, comprising:

a data structure for storing a data tree organized into a plurality of nodes that represent a data parameter, the plurality of nodes including at least one parent node and a plurality of child nodes associated with the parent node; and

a computer-readable memory encoded with software instructions that determine the relative distribution of the data parameter among the plurality of child nodes and display a plurality of graphical connectors that visually link the parent node to the child nodes on a computer display, each of the graphical connectors including a data distribution indicator that indicates the relative distribution of the data parameter among the child nodes.

17. A computer readable memory encoded with software instructions that cause a computer to execute the steps of:

retrieving a data tree from a memory, the data tree being organized into a plurality of nodes that store a data parameter;

identifying a parent node from among the plurality of nodes, the parent node being linked to a plurality of child nodes in the data tree;

determining the relative distribution of the data parameter among the plurality of child nodes; and

displaying a plurality of graphical connectors that visually link the parent node to the child nodes on a computer display, each of the graphical connectors including a data distribution indicator that indicates the relative distribution of the data parameter among the child nodes.

18. A data display system, comprising:

a data store for storing a data tree organized into a plurality of nodes that represent a data parameter;

a graphical user interface module for selecting a display format for the data tree;

a data selection module for identifying a parent node from among the plurality of nodes, the parent node being linked to a plurality of child nodes in the data tree; and

a processing module for receiving the selected display format and the identified parent node, and for displaying at least a portion of the data tree associated with the parent node and its linked child nodes on a computer display, wherein the processing module determines the relative distribution of the data parameter among the plurality of child nodes and displays a plurality of graphical connectors that visually link the parent node to the child nodes on the computer display, each of the graphical connectors including a data distribution indicator.