Adaptive analytics system and method of using same

• US 20080249815A1
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cognos Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Helal, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,108,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors

Abstract

An adaptive analytics system comprises a set of analytic type templates representing analytic types, each analytic type template including predetermined report items for generating a report for a respective analysis type; and an analytic framework for defining relations among the analytic types. The relations provides analytic paths for navigating reports.

Claims

1. An adaptive analytics system comprising:

a set of analytic type templates representing analytic types, each analytic type template including predetermined report items for generating a report for a respective analysis type; and

an analytic framework for defining relations among the analytic types, the relations providing analytic paths for navigating reports.

2. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each analytic type template provides a layout that prescribes how relevant dimensions are defined as assembled in an actual report, and how measures are included and considered in the actual report.

3. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analytic type templates include templates representing operational analysis types and analytic analysis types.

4. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the analytic type templates representing the operational analysis types include templates representing a transaction detail analytic type and transaction list analytic type.

5. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the analytic type templates representing the analytic analysis types include templates representing a detailed summary analytic type, profile analytic type, cycle time aging analytic type, contribution analytic type, cross-tab contribution analytic type, variance analytic type and trend analytic type.

6. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analytic framework defines the analytic paths from a higher summary level analysis to a more detailed analysis level.

7. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analytic framework contains a transaction detail analytic type, transaction list analytic type, detailed summary analytic type, profile analytic type, cycle time aging analytic type, contribution analytic type, cross-tab contribution analytic type, variance analytic type and trend analytic type.

8. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the analytic type templates representing the analytic analysis types further include templates representing financial analysis analytic types.

9. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analytic framework is adaptable for modification of existing analysis types and addition of new analytic analysis types.

10. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adaptive analytics system allows an analytic information system to use the analytic type templates for actual report generation, and the analytic framework for analysis of business intelligence related information stored in one or more database systems of an organization.

11. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

an item handler for allowing selection of one of the analytic type templates by a user, and handling manipulation of the report items of the selected analytic type templates based on user input;

a report generator for generating one or more reports based on the manipulated report items; and

an analytic path generator for generating one or more analytic paths between the generated reports based on the analytic framework.

12. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the generated reports and the generated analytic paths form a modified analytic framework used for actual report generation and navigation of information.

13. The adaptive analytics system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the item handler allows a user to create new content for a new role.

14. A method of creating an analytic framework for use in analysing information stored in a database system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a definition of a new role;

receiving selection of one or more analytic type templates that are used by the new role for the information analysis;

configuring the analytic type templates for the new role; and

generating a new analytic framework based on the configured analytic type templates.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the configuring step comprises the step of:

specifying measures and dimensions relating to the new role.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the generating step comprises the steps of:

generating a series of reports based on the configured analytic type templates for the new role;

generating analytic paths by linking the series of reports based on a predefined analytic framework describing relations between analytic types; and

forming the new analytic framework based on the series of reports and the analytic paths.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

generating actual reports containing information obtained from a source database system based on the new reports for the role; and

guiding navigation of the information using the new analytic paths in the new analytic framework.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the guiding step comprises the step of:

drilling information from a higher summary level to a lower detail level.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

accepting modification of existing analysis types or addition of new analytic analysis types; and

incorporating the modified analysis types or new analytic analysis types in the analytic framework.

20. An analytic framework comprising:

a set of analytic type representations, each representing an analytic type template including predetermined report items for generating a report for a respective analysis type; and

a set of paths connecting the analytic type templates for defining relations among the analytic types.

21. A computer readable medium storing instructions and/or statements for use in the execution in a computer of a method of creating an analytic framework for use in analysing information stored in a database system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a definition of a new role;

receiving selection of one or more analytic type templates that are used by the new role for the information analysis;

configuring the analytic type templates for the new role; and

generating a new analytic framework based on the configured analytic type templates.

22. A propagated signal carrier containing computer executable instructions and/or statements that can be read and executed by a computer, the computer executable instructions being used to execute a method of creating an analytic framework for use in analysing information stored in a database system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a definition of a new role;

receiving selection of one or more analytic type templates that are used by the new role for the information analysis;

configuring the analytic type templates for the new role; and

generating a new analytic framework based on the configured analytic type templates.