Enhanced user interface and data handling in business intelligence software

• US 20090300544A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eThority LLC (Equifax, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eThority LLC (Equifax, Inc.)
• Inventors: Duncan, Brian, Psenka, Mike, Booty, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A business intelligence and reporting solution can include a databook interface that acts as both as a reporting mechanism and an interface for providing data visualization parameters. In some embodiments, the databook includes a plurality of palettes whereby visualization parameters can be specified through a drag-and-drop interaction with the databook. The databook can include a tab interface to select between data views, graphic visualizations of data currently in the databook, and a composite visualization mechanism that provides output to place one or more rows in context to other data in the databook and/or to forecast trends for one or more databook values. The databook may rely on an underlying dataset collected from multiple distinct sources, such as different databases. The solution may include a security policy restricting access to certain fields, records, and/or columns based on a user'"'"'s role in an organization, data content, and/or a defined access hierarchy for different data items.

Claims

1. A data reporting system comprising at least one computing device, the computing device adapted to access an operational data set and render a databook interface based on at least one databook definition parameter;

a. wherein the databook interface comprises;

i. a plurality of palette regions, and

ii. a data display area including a plurality of rows, each displayed row corresponding to an individual record from the operational data set, with each row including a plurality of fields, each field corresponding to a column; and

b. wherein the interface provides a plurality of column headers and supports dragging and dropping of one or more column headers into the palette regions to define at least one definition parameter to thereby control how data from the operational data set is visualized in the databook.

2. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the interface includes at least a group, sort, and filter palette whereby definition parameters for grouping rows of data, sorting rows of data, and filtering data from the operational dataset can be specified, respectively.

3. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the databook interface includes a graphical selection mechanism for specifying one of a plurality of views, the plurality of views including:

a. a data view wherein the data display area is visible and at least some rows and columns of data from the operational data set are displayed based on the at least one definition parameter, and

b. a graph view rendering at least one graph based on the at least some rows and columns.

4. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the databook interface includes a graphical selection mechanism for specifying one of a plurality of views, the plurality of views including:

a. a data view wherein the data display area is visible and at least some rows and columns of data from the operational data set are displayed based on the at least one definition parameter, and

b. a composite evaluation view in which output of a composite data visualization mechanism is rendered based on comparing respective column values from a selected row in the data displayed in the data display area to the respective column values from at least some of the other rows displayed in the data view.

5. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein the composite evaluation view comprises at least one graphical representation of a ranking of a column value for the selected row relative to the column value of other rows in the remainder of data displayed in the data view.

6. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein the composite evaluation view comprises a histogram illustrating the distribution of values for a particular column across the data displayed in the data view and the location within said distribution of the column value for the selected row in the data view.

7. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein the composite evaluation view comprises at least one graphical representation illustrating a trend analysis based on identifying a plurality of rows sharing at least one identical column value with the selected row, with the trend analysis illustrating changes in at least one column value over a range of another column value amongst the plurality of rows.

8. The system set forth in claim 7, wherein the composite evaluation view comprises a forecast based on the trend analysis.

9. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is adapted to:

a. identify when rows of data span will span multiple pages,

b. divide the rows for display on multiple pages, and

c. render a row browsing interface in response to a user command;

d. wherein the row browsing interface comprises a visually-compressed view of the fields of at least one column for at least some of the rows that would otherwise be displayed on multiple pages;

e. wherein the row browsing interface comprises a magnified view area that can be selected to increase the size of a portion of the visually-compressed view; and

f. wherein, in response to user input provided after selection of a portion of the visually-compressed view, the data display area is updated to select the page containing the rows in the selected magnified view area.

10. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the operational data set is maintained in memory of at least one computing device, and the at least one computing device is further adapted to:

access a plurality of data sources stored in memory separate from the memory in which the operational dataset is maintained; and

copy data from the accessed data sources into the operational dataset.

11. The system set forth in claim 10, wherein the at least one computing device is adapted to access the data sources and update the operational data set independently of the databook display parameter.

12. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further adapted to:

a. identify a user and,

b. when rendering the databook interface, determine whether the identified user should have access to one or more data items before including the one or more fields in the databook, with access rights determined based on a security control policy.

13. The system set forth in claim 12, wherein the security control policy comprises a content-based security control parameter, and wherein the user'"'"'s access rights to a record are based on the contents of at least one data item.

14. The system set forth in claim 12, wherein the security control policy comprises a role based security control parameter, and wherein the user'"'"'s access rights to a data item are based on identifying a user'"'"'s role in a set of predefined roles and determining the roles that are allowed access to the data item.

15. The system set forth in claim 12, wherein the security control policy comprises a hierarchical-based security control parameter, and wherein the user'"'"'s access rights to a data item are based on identifying a user'"'"'s position in a predefined hierarchy and determining whether the user'"'"'s position in the hierarchy is sufficient to allow access to the data item.

16. A computerized data visualization method, comprising:

a. rendering a databook interface, the databook interface comprising a plurality of palette regions and a data display area;

b. querying an operational data set based on at least one databook definition parameter and displaying at least some columns and rows of data from the operational data source returned in response to the query;

c. adjusting at least one databook definition parameter in response to user interaction with one of the palette regions; and

d. querying the operational data set based on the at least one databook definition parameter as adjusted and displaying at least some columns and rows of data form the operational data set returned in response to the query.

17. The method set forth in claim 16, further comprising:

rendering at least one visualization based on the data returned for display in the databook based on the second query.

18. The method set forth in claim 17, further comprising

performing at least one statistical analysis of a value of at least one column of interest across the rows of the data returned for display in the databook based on the second query;

wherein the visualization is based on comparing the value of the column of interest for a row of interest to the statistical analysis of the column of interest

19. The method set forth in claim 18, wherein the at least one visualization is a graph generated form the data returned for display in the databook based on the second query.