VISUALIZATION AND INTERACTION WITH FINANCIAL DATA USING SUNBURST VISUALIZATION

• US 20120240064A1
• Filed: 03/15/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramsay, Neil, Wampler, Terrance
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation

Abstract

A system and method for illustrating and interacting with data. An example method includes grouping data according to two or more user-specified dimensions and determining one or more hierarchical relationships between the two or more user-specified dimensions. Plural bands are depicted in a first order based on the one or more intrinsic hierarchical relationships. A first user option enables a user to selectively change the first order to a second order, thereby selectively changing the one or more hierarchical relationships. In an illustrative embodiment, the data includes financial data. The plural bands illustrate only those bands that the user has access permissions or privileges to view. A second user option enables a user to selectively omit one or more of the plural bands while maintaining the one or more hierarchical relationships between remaining displayed bands. Additional user options enable a user to adjust a hierarchical relationship used to depict the plural bands; to trigger tabular view of underlying data, and so on. In a specific embodiment, the bands include concentric bands or rings displayed in a sunburst visualization.

Claims

1. A method for illustrating data, the method comprising:

grouping data according to plural user-specified dimensions;

determining one or more hierarchical relationships between the plural user-specified dimensions;

depicting plural bands or portions thereof in a first order based on the one or more hierarchical relationships, and providing a visualization in response thereto; and

providing a first user option to change the first order to a second order, thereby selectively changing the one or more hierarchical relationships.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes financial data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein depicting plural bands includes depicting only bands or portions thereof that are associated with data that a user has access permissions to view.

4. The method of claim 1, further including providing a second user option to omit one or more of the plural bands while maintaining the one or more hierarchical relationships between remaining displayed bands.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining further includes providing a user interface control to enable a user to adjust a hierarchical relationship used to depict the plural bands or portions thereof.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the bands include concentric bands displayed as rings or portions thereof.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plural bands include one or more sectors.

8. The method of claim 7, further including providing a third user option to sort sectors of a band according to a user-specified criterion.

9. The method of claim 7, further including providing a fourth user option to select a sector sizing criterion for sizing of depicted sectors of depicted bands.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein depicting further includes illustrating an inner most ring corresponding the first band and illustrating an adjacent ring corresponding to the second band.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein depicting further includes displaying a graphical representation of a hierarchy using concentric rings, wherein adjacent hierarchy levels or dimensions correspond to adjacent rings, with central rings representing higher levels in the hierarchy than outer rings.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the first user option includes providing a user interface control for enabling a user to alter the displayed graphical representation and accompanying hierarchy by selectively changing an order of the rings.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the displayed graphical representation includes a sunburst visualization with three or more rings corresponding to one or more dimensions of an intrinsic hierarchy used to characterize the data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein providing a second user option further includes providing a user interface control to enable a user to trigger generation of a new graphical representation characterized by a central ring that corresponds to a user selected ring other than a previously displayed central ring, wherein the new graphical representation omits display of one or more rings that were more centrally positioned than the user selected ring in a previous graphical representation.

15. The method of claim 14, further including providing a fifth user option to trigger display of the data via a table from a user interface display screen showing the visualization.

16. The method of claim 14, further including providing a sixth user option to activate an application associated with the data, wherein the application includes an application used to enter the data.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more hierarchical relationships include a user specified intrinsic hierarchy, and wherein one or more of the plural user-specified dimensions each include one or more data levels.

18. The method of claim 1, further including providing a seventh user option to add a dimension and corresponding band to the visualization.

19. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the one or more processors and when executed operable to;

grouping data according to plural user-specified dimensions;

determining one or more hierarchical relationships between the two or more user-specified dimensions;

depicting plural bands or portions thereof in a first order based on the one or more hierarchical relationships; and

providing a first user option to change the first order to a second order, thereby selectively changing the one or more hierarchical relationships.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a digital processor coupled to a display screen and to a processor-readable storage device, wherein the processor-readable storage device includes one or more instructions executable by the digital processor to perform the following acts;

grouping data according to plural user-specified dimensions;

determining one or more hierarchical relationships between the two or more user-specified dimensions;

depicting plural bands in a first order based on the one or more hierarchical relationships; and

providing a first user option to change the first order to a second order, thereby selectively changing the one or more hierarchical relationships.