TECHNIQUES FOR FILTER SHARING

• US 20090313250A1
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Berry, Gabhan, Grabar, Anatoly, Garbuzov, Andrew, Khen, Danny, Folting, Allan
• Granted Patent: US 8,341,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation

Abstract

Techniques for filter sharing are described. An apparatus may comprise a shared filter manager component for an application program. The shared filter manager component may be operative to manage shared filtering operations for the application program. The shared filter manager component may comprise a shared filter interface module operative to receive a selection for a shared filter component to filter multiple source data objects, and assign the shared filter component to the multiple source data objects. The shared filter manager component may further comprise a shared filter control module communicatively coupled to the shared filter interface module. The shared filter control module may be operative to filter data from the multiple source data objects using the shared filter component. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a selection for a shared filter component;

assigning the shared filter component to multiple source data objects; and

filtering data from multiple source data objects using the shared filter component.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising assigning any shared filter components used by the multiple source data objects to a shared filter group of shared filter components.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising assigning a first shared filter component for a first source data object to a second source data object.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising assigning a second shared filter component for a second source data object to a first source data object.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting another shared filter component in a same hierarchy as the selected shared filter component.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising assigning the shared filter component to a spreadsheet formula.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising recalculating a calculation chain having a spreadsheet formula with the shared filter component.

8. The method of claim 2, comprising removing the selected shared filter component from the shared filter group of shared filter components when the selected shared filter component is no longer assigned to any of the multiple source data objects.

9. An article comprising a storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

receive a selection for a first shared filter component for a first source data object;

assign the first shared filter component to a second source data object; and

filter data from first and second source data objects using the first shared filter component.

10. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to assign a second shared filter component for the second source data object to the first source data object.

11. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to assign any shared filter components for the first and second source data objects to a shared filter group of shared filter components.

12. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to select a third shared filter component in a same hierarchy as the selected shared filter component.

13. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to assign the shared filter component to a spreadsheet formula.

14. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to recalculate a calculation chain having a spreadsheet formula with the shared filter component.

15. The article of claim 9, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to assign the first shared filter component to the second source data object sharing a data connection with the first source data object.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a shared filter manager component for an application program, the shared filter manager component operative to manage shared filtering operations for the application program, the shared filter manager component comprising;

a shared filter interface module operative to receive a selection for a shared filter component to filter multiple source data objects, and assign the shared filter component to the multiple source data objects; and

a shared filter control module communicatively coupled to the shared filter interface module, the shared filter control module operative to filter data from the multiple source data objects using the shared filter component.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the shared filter interface module operative to assign any shared filter components used by the multiple source data objects to a shared filter group of shared filter components.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, the shared filter interface module operative to automatically select another shared filter component in a same hierarchy as the selected shared filter component.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, the shared filter interface module operative to assign the shared filter component to a spreadsheet formula.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, the shared filter control module operative to filter the multiple source data objects to obtain filter results when a calculation chain having the spreadsheet formula is recalculated, and cause the spreadsheet formula to be recalculated when the shared filter component produces different filter results.