DIMENSIONAL DATA EXPLORER

• US 20120089636A1
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Inventors: Qayyum, Kashif, Ruggiero, Jon
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A dimensional data explorer for an enterprise system is disclosed. Dimensional data exploration includes providing a list of dimensions by which aggregated data in a report can be disaggregated and reaggregated. Aggregated data comprises a set of measures that have been aggregated for each object of a set of objects. Dimensional data exploration further includes providing the aggregated data disaggregated and reaggregated using a dimension from the list of dimensions.

Claims

1. A system for reporting, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine whether a data comprises an aggregated data in a report, wherein the aggregated data comprises a set of measures that have been aggregated for each object of a set of objects;

in the event that the data comprises the aggregated data in the report;

determine a list of dimensions by which the aggregated data can be disaggregated and reaggregated; and

receive a selected dimension from the list of dimensions; and

provide the aggregated data disaggregated and reaggregated using the selected dimension;

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a request to explore the aggregate data.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to store the aggregate data in the report with a link to the set of objects.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to present a new report of the aggregated data disaggregated and reaggregated using the dimension from the list of dimensions.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein the set of measures is aggregated using an aggregation function.

6. A system as in claim 5, wherein the aggregation function comprises one of the following:

a summing function, an averaging function, a minimum function, a maximum function, or a counting function.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to build the set of objects, wherein the set of related objects is built by executing a method of a parent object.

8. A system as in claim 1, wherein a set of sets of related objects is built by executing a method of each of a set of parent objects.

9. A system as in claim 1, wherein a measure is any method of an object in the set of related objects that returns a number.

10. A system as in claim 1, wherein a dimension is any method of an object in the set of related objects that returns a set of object instances.

11. A system as in claim 1, wherein aggregated data can be disaggregated and reaggregated using two or more dimensions in a single new report.

12. A system as in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to build the report, wherein data in the report is aggregated from objects accessible from a parent object.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein data in the report is organized into one or more columns defined by a report creator.

14. A system as in claim 12, wherein each object in an instance set returned by a report data source method of the parent object is assigned to a row of the report.

15. A method for reporting, comprising:

determining, using a processor, whether a data comprises an aggregated data in a report, wherein the aggregated data comprises a set of measures that have been aggregated for each object of a set of objects;

in the event that the data comprises the aggregated data in the report;

determining a list of dimensions by which the aggregated data can be disaggregated and reaggregated; and

receiving a selected dimension from the list of dimensions; and

providing the aggregated data disaggregated and reaggregated using the selected dimension.

16. A computer program product for reporting, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining whether a data comprises an aggregated data in a report, wherein the aggregated data comprises a set of measures that have been aggregated for each object of a set of objects;

in the event that the data comprises the aggregated data in the report;

determining a list of dimensions by which the aggregated data can be disaggregated and reaggregated; and

receiving a selected dimension from the list of dimensions; and

providing the aggregated data disaggregated and reaggregated using the selected dimension.