PRIVATE VIEWS OF DATA AND LOCAL CALCULATIONS DURING REAL TIME COLLABORATION

• US 20090112990A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chirilov, Joseph M., Smith, Michael H., Campbell, Johnny S., Hawking, Robert G., Tandon, Rishabh
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

Techniques for performing a process during a real time collaboration by multiple users or clients on a spreadsheet file are disclosed herein which may permit calculations to be performed locally by at least one of the clients. By doing so, increases in performance are realized since only data updates need to be provided to the host machine. As such, a determination is preferably made whether calculations performed locally can result in different data. If conflicting data is a possibility, then the calculations for the spreadsheet file will usually be performed remotely by a host machine. If not, then each client capable of doing so will perform the calculations locally and then provide only the updated data to the host machine. The determination of whether to perform the calculations locally or not may also be made dynamically, such as when one or more new formulas are added to the spreadsheet file.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a process, comprising:

opening a spreadsheet file at a first client, the spreadsheet file also being open at a second client such that both the first client and the second client collaborate on the spreadsheet file;

performing locally at the first client at least one calculation for data in the spreadsheet file; and

,

displaying results of the calculations in the first spreadsheet file at the first client.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

determining whether calculations in the spreadsheet file can return different data if performed locally.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

comparing formulas within the spreadsheet file to a predetermined list of formulas known to generate different results.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

providing a choice to the first client whether to perform the calculations in the spreadsheet file locally.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

wherein the choice to perform the calculations in the spreadsheet file locally is predetermined by an administrator policy.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

determining dynamically whether calculations in the spreadsheet file for a formula added during the collaboration can return different data if performed locally.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

receiving updates to the data in the spreadsheet file; and

,

performing new calculations locally in the spreadsheet file for formulas utilizing the updated data.

8. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a process, comprising:

opening a spreadsheet file at a first client, the spreadsheet file also being open at a second client such that both the first client and the second client collaborate on the spreadsheet file;

determining whether a calculation for data in the spreadsheet file should be performed locally at the first client or a remote device other than the first client;

if the calculation should be performed locally, then performing locally at the first client the calculation; and

,

if the calculation should be performed remotely, then sending data for performing the calculation to the remote device.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

determining whether calculations in the spreadsheet file can return different data if performed locally.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

comparing formulas within the spreadsheet file to a predetermined list of formulas known to generate different results.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

providing a choice to the first client whether to perform the calculations in the spreadsheet file locally.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

determining dynamically whether calculations in the spreadsheet file for a formula added during the collaboration can return different data if performed locally.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

receiving updates to the data in the spreadsheet file; and

,

performing new calculations locally in the spreadsheet file for formulas utilizing the updated data.

14. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a process comprising:

opening a spreadsheet file at a first client, the spreadsheet file also being open at a second client such that both the first client and the second client collaborate on the spreadsheet file; and

,

providing at the first client a first private view of the spreadsheet file comprising less than the entire spreadsheet file.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

determining whether to synchronize each operation performed by the first client on the spreadsheet file with a host machine.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

wherein the first private view of the spreadsheet file is determined by a filter applied to the spreadsheet file.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

synchronizing all new data entered into the spreadsheet file by the first client with a host machine.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

applying all changes in the first client received from a hosting machine.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

persisting the first private view of the spreadsheet file in a host machine.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, the process performed by the computer-executable instructions further comprising:

writing views for each client into the format of the spreadsheet file; and

,

storing the views in the spreadsheet file on a host machine.