SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING DATA IN A REPORT

• US 20090119309A1
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cognos Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: GIBSON, STEPHEN DAVID, WINTER, STEWART JAMES, LEIKUCS, ANDREW ALEXANDER
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and a system for analyzing a data value of interest in a multidimensional database. The data value of interest is first identified in a structured report. The data source for the structured report is retrieved. A context for the data value of interest in the data source is collected, for example, by extracting a slicer from the structured report, by extracting members of master-detail pages, or by extracting a default measure from the structured report. An analysis specification based on the collected context is then built, and the data value of interest is analyzed using the analysis specification. The result from analyzing the data value of interest may be presented in an analysis view.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a data value of interest in a multidimensional database, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying the data value of interest in a structured report;

retrieving a data source for the structured report;

collecting a context for the data value of interest in the data source;

building an analysis specification based on the collected context; and

analyzing the data value of interest using the analysis specification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting a result from analyzing the data value of interest in an analysis view.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of collecting a context further comprises a step selected from a group consisting of:

extracting a slicer from the structured report, extracting members of master-detail pages, extracting a default measure from the structured report, and a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a step selected from a group consisting of:

adding a member to the analysis specification, adding the children of an innermost nested member to the analysis specification, and a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured report is a cross-tab.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data value of interest is an intersection in the cross-tab.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the intersection has multiple columns.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the intersection has multiple rows.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis specification is explorer style.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis specification is for driving factor analysis.

11. A business intelligence analysis system for analyzing a data value of interest in a multidimensional database, the system comprising:

means for identifying the data value of interest in a structured report;

means for retrieving a data source for the structured report;

means for collecting a context for the data value of interest in the data source;

means for building an analysis specification based on the collected context; and

means for analyzing the data value of interest using the analysis specification.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for presenting a result from analyzing the data value of interest in an analysis view.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for collecting a context further comprises means selected from a group consisting of:

means for extracting a slicer from the structured report, means for extracting members of master-detail pages, means for extracting a default measure from the structured report, and a combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising means selected from a group consisting of:

means for adding a member to the analysis specification, means for adding the children of an innermost nested member to the analysis specification, and a combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the structured report is a cross-tab.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data value of interest is an intersection in the cross-tab.

17. A storage medium readable by a computer encoding a computer program for execution by the computer to carry out a method for analyzing a data value of interest in a multidimensional database, the computer program comprising:

code means for identifying the data value of interest in a structured report;

code means for retrieving a data source for the structured report;

code means for collecting a context for the data value of interest in the data source;

code means for building an analysis specification based on the collected context; and

code means for analyzing the data value of interest using the analysis specification.

18. The storage medium of claim 17, further comprising code means for presenting a result from analyzing the data value of interest in an analysis view.

19. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the code means for collecting a context further comprises code means selected from a group consisting of:

code means for extracting a slicer from the structured report, code means for extracting members of master-detail pages, code means for extracting a default measure from the structured report, and a combination thereof.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, further comprising code means selected from a group consisting of:

code means for adding a member to the analysis specification, code means for adding the children of an innermost nested member to the analysis specification, and a combination thereof.

21. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the structured report is a cross-tab.

22. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the data value of interest is an intersection in the cross-tab.