GENERATING DATA QUERIES USING A GRAPHICAL SELECTION TREE

• US 20090177988A1
• Filed: 01/08/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Martins, Joao Sousa
• Granted Patent: US 9,563,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

The disclosure relates to data retrieval in an enterprise system through use of a graphical selection tree. An exemplary device to implement and display such a selection tree includes one or more processors, and also a data selection component and a query engine that are each executable by the one or more processors. The data selection component, when operable, receives, within a graphical user interface (GUI), user input to select a predefined data metric, and displays, within the GUI, a selection tree containing graphical branches associated with a data dimension, wherein each branch corresponding to a data attribute within the data dimension. The query engine generates, for each branch in the selection tree that is selected, a data query to request data of the selected data metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch. The query engine also is capable of sending each generated data query to a data storage system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving on a computing device, within a graphical user interface (GUI), user input to select a predefined data metric;

displaying, within the GUI, a selection tree containing a plurality of graphical branches associated with a data dimension, each branch corresponding to a data attribute within the data dimension; and

for each branch in the selection tree that is selected, generating a data query by the computing device to request, from a data storage system, data of the selected data metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, within the GUI, user input to navigate through and select one or more of the branches in the selection tree; and

sending each generated data query to the data storage system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if a branch within the selection tree that is selected comprises a sub-branch of a parent branch within the selection tree, the method comprises generating, for the selected sub-branch, a data query that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected sub-branch and that further matches the data attribute corresponding to the parent branch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending each generated data query to the data storage system comprises sending each generated data query to the data storage system within a batch query command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending each generated data query to the data storage system comprises sending each generated data query to an enterprise server of the data storage system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each branch that is selected, receiving a data response from the data storage system containing data of the selected metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch; and

displaying each data response.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying each data response comprises displaying each data response within the GUI.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying each data response comprises displaying each data response in a graphical dashboard window to update one or more real-time data views within the one or more graphical dashboard windows.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, within the GUI, user input to select a view type for the one or more data views in the graphical dashboard window, the view type being associated with types of branches that are included within the selection tree; and

displaying, within the GUI, the one or more data views within the graphical dashboard window of the selected view type.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, within the GUI, user input to navigate through and select one or more of the branches in the selection tree by checking one or more checkboxes, each checkbox being associated with a branch in the selection tree.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, within the GUI, user input to navigate through and select one or more of the branches in the selection tree by navigating through a graphically expandable/collapsible parent branch within the selection tree, such that the user may navigate to one or more sub-branches of the graphically expandable/collapsible parent branch.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

upon receipt of user input to navigate through the graphically expandable/collapsible parent branch within the selection tree, sending to the data storage system a request for displayable values of one or more sub-branches of the navigated parent branch; and

receiving, from the data storage system, the displayable values corresponding to the request; and

displaying, within the GUI, the displayable values received from the data storage system of the one or more sub-branches of the navigated parent branch.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, within the GUI, user input to navigate through and select a sub-branch of a parent branch within the selection tree, the selected sub-branch corresponding to a generic data attribute for the parent branch;

subsequently receiving, from the data storage system, displayable value information for one or more sub-branches of the navigated parent branch that are each associated with the generic data attribute; and

displaying, within the GUI, the displayable value information for the one or more sub-branches of the navigated parent branch within the selection tree.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected sub-branch corresponding to the generic data attribute within the parent branch comprises a sub-branch named “

others”

.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, within the GUI, user input to select a second predefined data metric, and wherein the method comprises generating, for each branch that is selected, a data query to request, from the data storage system, data of the selected data metric and the selected second data metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, within the GUI, a plurality of branches in the selection tree associated with a second data dimension, each branch corresponding to a data attribute within the second data dimension;

receiving, within the GUI, user input to navigate through and select one or more of the branches in the selection tree associated with the second data dimension;

for each branch associated with the second data dimension that is selected, generating a data query to request, from the data storage system, data of the selected data metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch; and

sending each generated data query to the data storage system.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions embodied therein that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

receive, within a graphical user interface (GUI), user input to select a predefined data metric;

display, within the GUI, a selection tree containing a plurality of graphical branches associated with a data dimension, each branch corresponding to a data attribute within the data dimension; and

for each branch in the selection tree that is selected, generate a data query to request, from a data storage system, data of the selected data metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch.

18. A device comprising:

one or more processors;

a data selection component executable by the one or more processors to receive, within a graphical user interface (GUI), user input to select a predefined data metric, and to display, within the GUI, a selection tree containing a plurality of graphical branches associated with a data dimension, each branch corresponding to a data attribute within the data dimension; and

a query engine executable by the one or more processors to generate, for each branch in the selection tree that is selected, a data query to request data of the selected data metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein:

the data selection component is further operable to receive, within the GUI, user input to navigate through and select one or more of the branches in the selection tree; and

the query engine is further operable to send each generated data query to a data storage system.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein if a branch within the selection tree that is selected comprises a sub-branch of a parent branch within the selection tree, the query engine generates, for the selected sub-branch, a data query that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected sub-branch and that further matches the data attribute corresponding to the parent branch.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein:

for each branch that is selected, the query engine is operable to receive a data response from the data storage system containing data of the selected metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch; and

the device further comprises a data display component operable to display each data response within the GUI.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the data display component includes a graphical dashboard, such that display of each data response updates one or more real-time data views within the graphical dashboard.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein:

the data selection component is further operable to receive, within the GUI, user input to select a view type for the one or more data views in the graphical dashboard, the view type being associated with types of branches that are included within the selection tree; and

the data display component is further operable to display, within the GUI, the one or more data views within the graphical dashboard of the selected view type.

24. A device comprising:

means for receiving input to select a predefined data metric;

means for displaying a selection tree containing a plurality of graphical branches associated with a data dimension, each branch corresponding to a data attribute within the data dimension; and

for each branch in the selection tree that is selected, means for generating a data query to request data of the selected data metric that matches the data attribute corresponding to the selected branch.