User Interface for Data Comparison

• US 20120272186A1
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: MeLLmo Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kraut, Joel
• Granted Patent: US 9,239,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

Systems and methods perform comparison of data represented as charts, for example, bar graphs, pie charts, line charts or stacked bar charts. The charts present visual representations mapping source values to target values. A user can select charts associated with a data records for comparison from an index of data records. The user selects a chart and a particular source value from the reference chart. The target values corresponding to the source value from other charts are compared against the target value from the reference chart. An aggregate of the target values associated with the source value from each chart may be presented to the user. The user can also use multi-touch input to select object representing data and drag them to perform actions associated with the objects. The actions performed on the objects depend on the locations of the objects as the user drags them.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying on a display screen a comparison of data presented as charts, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of charts on a display device, each chart including a plurality of tuples, each tuple having a source value and a target value;

receiving an input selecting a first tuple of a first chart, the first chart included in the plurality of displayed charts;

displaying on each of the other charts in the plurality of charts, a tuple from the chart including the selected source value and indicia of a difference between the target value of the tuple from the chart and target value of the selected tuple.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an index of database records, each database record associated with a chart; and

receiving a selection of the plurality of charts from the index.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each selection of a chart from the index causes the index to display a gap in place of the reference chart.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each selection of a data set from the index causes a chart corresponding to the selected data set to appear in a display portion of the screen adjacent to the index.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a chart is one of a pie chart, a line chart, a bar chart, or a stacked bar chart.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a chart includes a slider for receiving selections of data points, the method further comprising:

receiving a dynamic input indicating movement along the slider, the movement causing the first source value to change; and

updating for each chart the display of indicia of difference between the target value and the source value as the source value changes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each source value is a multidimensional coordinate value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a chart is a stacked bar chart and the target value of the first tuple is an aggregate value based on the stacked bars for the first source value.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a chart is a stacked bar chart and the first source value comprises a selection of a bar from a stacked bar of the first tuple.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each chart is a pie chart associated with a centerline axis, the method further comprising:

presenting each pie chart in a first orientation with its centerline axis coinciding with a first sector corresponding to the first tuple;

receiving an input identifying a second tuple from the reference chart, the second tuple associating a second source value with a second target value; and

presenting each pie chart along a second orientation with the centerline axis of the pie chart coinciding with a second sector of the pie chart corresponding to the second tuple.

11. A method for displaying on a display screen aggregate values based on data from charts, the method comprising:

presenting a plurality of charts on a display device, each chart associated with a plurality of source values and comprising tuples, each tuple mapping a source value to a target value;

receiving an input identifying a first source value;

displaying on each of the plurality of charts, a tuple from the chart including the first source value; and

presenting an aggregate value based on the target values from the displayed tuples from each of the plurality of chart.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein an aggregate value comprises a statistical metric based on target values from the displayed tuples.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the aggregate value comprises indicia of a difference between target values of displayed tuples from two of the plurality of charts.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

presenting an index displaying database records, each database record associated with a chart; and

receiving a selection of the plurality of charts from the index.

15. A computer-implemented system for displaying on a display screen comparison of data presented as charts, the system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program modules configured to execute on the computer processor, the computer program modules comprising;

an user interface manager module configured to;

display a plurality of charts on a display device, each chart including a plurality of tuples, each tuple having a source value and a target value;

receive an input selecting a first tuple of a first chart, the first chart included in the plurality of displayed charts;

display on each of the other charts in the plurality of charts, a tuple from the chart including the selected source value and indicia of a difference between the target value of the tuple from the chart and target value of the selected tuple.

16. A computer program product having a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable code for displaying on a display screen comparison of data presented as charts, the code comprising:

an user interface manager module configured to;

display a plurality of charts on a display device, each chart including a plurality of tuples, each tuple having a source value and a target value;

receive an input selecting a first tuple of a first chart, the first chart included in the plurality of displayed charts;

display on each of the other charts in the plurality of charts, a tuple from the chart including the selected source value and indicia of a difference between the target value of the tuple from the chart and target value of the selected tuple.

17. A computer-implemented method for displaying on a display screen a comparison of data presented as charts, the method comprising:

presenting an index displaying database records, each database record associated with a chart;

receiving a selection of a plurality of charts from the index;

presenting the plurality of charts on a display device, each chart displaying a plurality of tuples, each tuple associating a source value with a target value;

receiving an input identifying a first tuple from a reference chart, the first tuple associating a first source value with a target value;

displaying on each of the other plurality of charts, a tuple from the chart including the first source value;

displaying on each of the other displayed plurality of charts, indicia of a difference between the target value of the displayed tuple and the target value of the first tuple;

receiving a dynamic input indicating movement causing the first source value to change; and

updating for each chart the display of indicia of difference between the target value and the source value as the source value changes.

18. A method for performing actions associated with objects on a screen using multi-touch input, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of objects on a display device, each object having a displayed first position on the display device;

receiving multi-touch input selecting at least a first object and a second object from the plurality of objects, the multi-touch input dragging the first object from its first position to a first destination position and the second object from its first position to a second destination position;

performing a first action on the first object, the first action determined according to the first destination position; and

performing a second action on the second selected object, the second action determined according to the second destination position.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first position of the first selected object is on a first display portion of the touch screen and the second position of the second selected object is on a second display portion of the touch screen, the method first comprising:

determining the first action based on the presence of the first object on the first portion of the touch screen; and

determining the second action based on the presence of the second object on the second portion of the touch screen.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first action and the second action is determined based on a distance between the first position of the first object and the second position of the second object.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first action and the second action are combined into a single action based on the first object and the second object.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the single action determines an aggregate of a value associated with the first object and a value associated with the second object.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the single action comprises a comparison of a value associated with the first object and a value associated with the second object.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein a metric used for determining the aggregate value depends on a position of the first object and a position of the second object.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the metric used for determining the aggregate value depends on a distance between the first object and the second object.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the destination position of the first object corresponds to an original position of the second object and the destination position of the second object corresponds to an original first position of the first object, thereby causing the first object and the second object to swap positions.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

responsive to the first selected object being continued to be dragged from the first to a third position, performing a third action on the first selected object; and

responsive to the second selected object being continued to be dragged from the second position to a third position, performing a fourth action on the second selected object.

28. A method for displaying objects on a screen using multi-touch input, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of objects in a first region of a display screen of a device, each object associated with a data record;

receiving a multi-touch input selecting a first object and a second object from the plurality of objects;

receiving a multi-touch drag input moving the first object to a first destination position and the second object to a second destination position, the first and second positions associated with a second region of the display screen of the device;

presenting a first chart associated with the first object and a second chart associated with the second object;

receiving an input identifying a first tuple from the first chart, the first tuple associating a source value with a first target value;

identifying in the second chart a second target value associated with the source value;

displaying an aggregate value based on the first target value and the second target value.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the aggregate value determines an indicia of comparison between the first target value and the second target value.

30. A computer-implemented system for performing actions associated with objects on a screen using multi-touch input, the system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program modules configured to execute on the computer processor, the computer program modules comprising;

an user interface manager module configured to;

display a plurality of objects on a display device, each object having a displayed position on the display device;

receive a multi-touch input selecting at least a first object and a second object from the plurality of objects, the multi-touch input dragging the first object to a first destination position and the second object to a second destination position;

perform a first action on the selected first object, the first action determined according to the first destination position; and

perform a second action on the second selected object, the second action determined according to the second destination position.

31. A computer program product having a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable code for performing actions associated with objects on a screen using multi-touch input, the code comprising:

an user interface manager module configured to;

display a plurality of objects on a display device, each object having a displayed position on the display device;

receive a multi-touch input selecting at least a first object and a second object from the plurality of objects, the multi-touch input dragging the first object to a first destination position and the second object to a second destination position;

perform a first action on the selected first object, the first action determined according to the first destination position; and

perform a second action on the second selected object, the second action determined according to the second destination position.

32. A computer-implemented method for comparing data from a plurality of data records, the method comprising:

displaying indicia of a plurality of records in a first region of a display device;

receiving user input via a touch screen of the display device, the input selecting a plurality of the displayed records;

displaying a plurality of graphs, each graph associated with one of the selected records;

receiving user input selecting a data point displayed on one of the plurality of graphs;

highlighting data points on each of the other displayed graphs, the highlighted data points corresponding to the selected data point; and

displaying comparison information indicating for each of the highlighted data points a difference between a value of the data point and a value of the selected data point.