APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR NAVIGATING A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL DATABASE

• US 20090327852A1
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP France SA (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects SA (SAP SE)
• Inventors: MacGregor, John Malcolm, MacCormick, Donald Alastair, McAlpine, Ian Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,122,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/214
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• 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: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines

Abstract

A computer readable storage medium comprises executable instructions to provide a Graphical User Interface for displaying visualizations of a multi-dimensional database. An action is received within a visualization of a table of the multi-dimensional database, the action performed by a user when selecting a cell of the table. A slice in the visualization is populated in response to the action. The visualization is filtered to drill down on dimensions associated with the cell.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions to:

provide a graphical user interface for displaying visualizations of a multi-dimensional database;

receive an action within a visualization of a table of the multi-dimensional database, the action performed by a user when selecting a cell of the table;

populate a slice in the visualization in response to the action; and

filter the visualization to drill down on dimensions associated with the cell.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to provide a graphical user interface comprise executable instructions to display a crosstab.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the visualization of a table of the multi-dimensional database comprises a first dimension across the crosstab and a second dimension down the crosstab.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions to receive an action within a visualization of a table comprise executable instructions to highlight a cell of the crosstab comprising a value associated with the first dimension and the second dimension.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the executable instructions to receive an action within a visualization of a table comprise executable instructions to display a menu of user choices in response to the user selecting a cell of the crosstab.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the value associated with the first dimension and the second dimension comprises a value associated with a member of the first dimension and a member of the second dimension.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions to populate a slice in the visualization in response to the user selection comprise executable instructions to populate a slice in the visualization with the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions to filter the visualization comprise executable instructions to:

receive a drag-and-drop of a third dimension and a fourth dimension, the third and fourth dimensions selected by the user and having values associated with the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension;

display the third dimension across the crosstab; and

display the fourth dimension down the crosstab.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions to filter the visualization comprise executable instructions to:

select a third dimension and a fourth dimension from a list of dimensions ordered according to a predetermined order, the third and fourth dimensions having values associated with the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension;

display the third dimension across the crosstab; and

display the fourth dimension across the crosstab.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the predetermined order is selected from the group comprising a default order in the multi-dimensional database, a user-selected order, and a usage-based order.

11. A computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions to:

provide a visualization of a multi-dimensional database, the visualization displaying a crosstab having a first dimension across the crosstab and a second dimension down the crosstab;

populate a slice in the visualization with a member of the first dimension and a member of the second dimension in response to a user selection of a cell in the crosstab; and

filter the visualization based on the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the executable instructions to populate a slice in the visualization comprise executable instructions to highlight the cell of the crosstab selected by the user, the cell comprising a value associated with a member of the first dimension and a member of the second dimension.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the executable instructions to populate a slice in the visualization comprise executable instructions to display a menu of user choices in response to the user selection.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the executable instructions to populate a slice in the visualization comprise executable instructions to populate a slice in the visualization with the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the executable instructions to filter the visualization comprise executable instructions to:

receive a drag-and-drop of a third dimension and a fourth dimension, the third and fourth dimensions selected by the user and having values associated with the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension;

display the third dimension across the crosstab; and

display the fourth dimension down the crosstab.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the executable instructions to filter the visualization comprise executable instructions to:

select a third dimension and a fourth dimension from a list of dimensions ordered according to a predetermined order, the third and fourth dimensions having values associated with the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension;

display the third dimension across the crosstab; and

display the fourth dimension across the crosstab.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the predetermined order is selected from the group comprising a default order in the multi-dimensional database, a user-selected order, and a usage-based order.

18. A method for navigating through a multi-dimensional database, comprising:

providing a visualization of a multi-dimensional database, the visualization displaying a crosstab having a first dimension across the crosstab and a second dimension down the crosstab; and

updating the crosstab to display dimensions associated with a member of the first dimension and a member of the second dimension, the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension represented in a cell of the crosstab selected by a user.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising populating a slice in the visualization to display the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising highlighting the cell of the crosstab selected by the user and displaying a menu of user choices in response to the user selection.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein updating the crosstab comprises:

receiving a drag-and-drop of a third dimension and a fourth dimension, the third and fourth dimensions selected by the user and having values associated with the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension;

displaying the third dimension across the crosstab; and

displaying the fourth dimension down the crosstab.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein updating the crosstab comprises:

selecting a third dimension and a fourth dimension from a list of dimensions ordered according to a predetermined order, the third and fourth dimensions having values associated with the member of the first dimension and the member of the second dimension;

displaying the third dimension across the crosstab; and

displaying the fourth dimension across the crosstab.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the predetermined order is selected from the group comprising a default order in the multi-dimensional database, a user-selected order, and a usage-based order.