Data visualization system with axis binding

• US 20090006319A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloud Software Group
• Original Assignee: Spotfire AB (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Lehtipalo, Tobias, Vulcan, Daniel, Fortes, Tommy, Wallerstedt, Mattias, Thoresson, Johan
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data

Abstract

In one general aspect, the application discloses a data visualization method that includes accessing data tables and receiving an axis binding definition for a particular visualization that relates values in a first of the tables to sets of fields in a second of the tables. A marking indication can then be received that selects one of the values in the first of the tables, and a set of fields in the second table is accessed based on the marking indication and the axis binding definition. This accessed set of fields is presented in the particular visualization for which the axis binding definition was received.

Claims

1. A data visualization system, comprising:

access logic operative to access a plurality of tables,

query device presentation logic operative to present a plurality of query devices that are responsive to user interaction and that correspond to at least some of the fields in the tables,

visualization logic operative to display one or more visualizations that present visual elements that are responsive to filtering functions defined by the query devices and that correspond to at least some of the fields in the tables accessed by the access logic, and

axis binding logic responsive to the selection of a value in a first of the tables to define a set of fields in a second table to be accessed in one or more of the visualizations.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the visualization configured by the axis binding control is a chart.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the visualization configured by the axis binding control is a line chart.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the visualization configured by the axis binding control is a bar chart.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the visualization configured by the axis binding control is a pie chart.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the visualization configured by the axis binding control is a map.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the visualization configured by the axis binding control is a plot.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the visualization configured by the axis binding control is a scatter plot.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first table is a table of properties and the second table is a table of experimental results.

10. The system of claim 1 further including an axis binding definition interface responsive to user input to define an axis binding definition for use by the axis binding logic.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the axis binding definition interface includes an expression definition interface operative to create an axis binding definition that includes an expression.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the axis binding definition interface includes an expression definition interface operative to create a column-based axis binding definition.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the expression definition interface is operative to create an expression that determines which column to assign to an axis.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the expression definition interface is operative to create an expression that can include a plurality of the following functions:

binning functions, conversion functions, date and time functions, logical functions, math functions, operators, statistical functions, and text functions.

15. A data visualization method, comprising:

accessing a plurality of data tables,

receiving an axis binding definition for a particular visualization that relates values in a first of the tables to sets of fields in a second of the tables,

receiving a marking indication that selects one of the values in the first of the tables,

accessing a set of fields in the second table based on the marking indication and the axis binding definition, and

presenting the accessed set of fields in the particular visualization for which the axis binding definition was received.

16. The method of claim 15 further including the steps of receiving an additional axis binding definition for an additional particular visualization that relates values in a one of the tables to sets of fields in another of the tables, and presenting an accessed set of fields in the additional particular visualization for which the additional axis binding definition was received.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the axis binding definition and the additional axis binding definition relate to different visualizations but a same relationship between the first and second tables.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the axis binding definition and the additional axis binding definition relate to different visualizations and different relationships between the first and second tables.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the additional axis binding definition relates to at least a third table.

20. A data visualization system, comprising:

means for accessing a plurality of data tables,

means for receiving an axis binding definition for a particular visualization that relates values in a first of the tables to sets of fields in a second of the tables,

means for receiving a marking indication that selects one of the values in the first of the tables,

means for accessing a set of fields in the second table based on the marking indication and the axis binding definition, and

means for presenting the accessed set of fields in the particular visualization for which an axis binding definition was received.