DATA-DRIVEN MODEL IMPLEMENTED WITH SPREADSHEETS

• US 20100321407A1
• Filed: 06/19/2009
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rubin, Darryl E., Mital, Vijay
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/643
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics

Abstract

Visual items may each be constructed and placed in position using logic defined by a view component corresponding to each visual item, where that logic may depend on one or more values populated into parameter(s) of the view component. Some of those parameter values may correspond to known model parameter values. Others, however, may have been solved for using a model that defines analytical relationships between the model parameters. In one embodiment, which of the model parameters are known, and which are unknown, may not be predetermined. Accordingly, a solver might be prepared for multiple solve operation paths even using a single model. The view composition process may be entirely data-driven, with the solve and/or the visual items implemented using spreadsheets.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer-readable media having thereon one or more computer-executable instruction(s) that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to generate a composite view of visual items using the following plurality of components:

a data-model binding component configured to bind canonical data to corresponding model parameters of a plurality of model parameters;

a modeling component that

     1) defines analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters,

     2) identifies which of the plurality of model parameters are input model parameter(s) and which are output model parameter(s), and

     3) solves for the output model parameter(s) that are identified as being output model parameter(s), and

     4) makes the solved-for output model parameter(s) available to a model-visual binding component such that the value(s) of the plurality of model parameters may be bound to parameter(s) of the parameterized view components;

a view components repository that is capable of containing a plurality of heterogeneous view components, each corresponding to a visual item that may be displayed, and at least some of which being parameterized;

a model-visual binding component configured to bind the plurality of model parameter values to parameter(s) of at least one of a parameterized view components contained within the view components repository; and

a view composition module configured to formulate instructions for rendering a view that contains at least some of the visual items corresponding to the plurality of heterogeneous view components, wherein for at least some of the visual items that are to be rendered in the view, view component logic associated with the corresponding view component dictates the manner in which the rendering of the visual item occurs such that the rendering is dependent upon one or more parameters of the corresponding view component,

wherein at least a portion of one or more of the following are implemented using a set of one or more spreadsheets;

the data-model binding component;

the modeling component;

the view components repository;

the model-visual binding component; and

the view composition module.

2. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the data-model binding component is implemented using a spreadsheet.

3. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the modeling component is implemented using a spreadsheet.

4. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the view composition module is implemented using a spreadsheet.

5. The computer program product in accordance with claim 4, wherein the spreadsheet used to implement the modeling component is the same as the spreadsheet used to implement the view composition module.

6. The computer program product in accordance with claim 4, wherein the spreadsheet used to implement the modeling component is the different than the spreadsheet used to implement the view composition module.

7. The computer program product in accordance with claim 4, wherein the spreadsheet used to implement the view composition module contains linked expressions that at least partially assists in the rendering of the visual item.

8. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the spreadsheet solves for the identified output model parameter(s).

9. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the set of one or more spreadsheet is a plurality of spreadsheets, one for each of at least most of the possible solve directions, wherein the spreadsheet is configured to solve in the direction defined by the identification of the input model parameter(s) and the output model parameter(s).

10. The computer program product in accordance with claim 3, wherein the spreadsheet performs the set of one or more spreadsheets is a plurality of spreadsheets.

11. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the view components repository is implemented using a spreadsheet.

12. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the model-visual binding component is implemented using a spreadsheet.

13. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the modeling component is implemented using a plurality of spreadsheets, one spreadsheet for each possible solve direction.

14. The computer program product in accordance with claim 13, wherein the modeling component is further configured to select one of the plurality of spreadsheets upon identifying the input model parameter(s) and the output model parameter(s), the selected spreadsheet containing linked expressions that are specially configured to solve for the identified model parameter(s) given the input model parameter(s).

15. A method using a computing system for constructing a view on a display, the view comprising a plurality of visual items, the method comprising:

an act of accessing input data that at least collectively affects what visual items are displayed or how a given one or more of the visual items are displayed;

an act of binding the input data to a plurality of model parameters by binding at least some of the input data to at least some of a plurality of model parameters, wherein the model defines analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters;

an act of solving for one or more output model variables after the act of binding and using a spreadsheet;

an act of binding the model parameters, including at least one of the one or more output model variables whose value solved for in the act of solving as input parameters to one or more parameterized view components; and

an act of generating a view of visual items corresponding to the view components using the parameter value(s) bound to at least some of the view components in the act of binding the model parameters.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the act of generating is also at least partially performed using a spreadsheet.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the spreadsheet used to solve for one or more output model variables is performed by the same spreadsheet as the spreadsheet used to at least partially perform the act of generating.

18. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the spreadsheet used to solve for one or more output model variables is performed by a different spreadsheet as the spreadsheet used to at least partially perform the act of generating.

19. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein a solver used to perform the act of solving for one or more output model variables contains a plurality of spreadsheets, one for each possible direction of solve, wherein the act of solving also comprising an act of identifying the input model parameter(s) and the output model parameter(s), and selecting the spreadsheet as corresponding to the direction of solve given the identified input model parameter(s) and the identified output model parameter(s).

20. A method using a computing system for constructing a view on a display, the view comprising a plurality of visual items, the method comprising:

an act of accessing input data that at least collectively affects what visual items are displayed or how a given one or more of the visual items are displayed;

an act of binding the input data to a plurality of model parameters by binding at least some of the input data to at least some of a plurality of model parameters, wherein the model defines analytical relationships between the plurality of model parameters;

an act of solving for one or more output model variables after the act of binding and using a spreadsheet;

an act of binding the model parameters, including at least one of the one or more output model variables whose value solved for in the act of solving as input parameters to one or more parameterized view components; and

an act of generating a view of visual items corresponding to the view components using the parameter value(s) bound to at least some of the view components in the act of binding the model parameters, the act of generating is also at least partially performed using a spreadsheet.