Interest-Driven Business Intelligence Systems and Methods of Data Analysis Using Interest-Driven Data Pipelines

• US 20130226860A1
• Filed: 04/11/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Platfora Incorporated (Workday Incorporated)
• Inventors: Eshleman, John Glenn, Werther, Benjamin Mark, Beyer, Kevin Scott, Babcock, Brian F., Zhang, Yewei
• Application Number:
  US13/861,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226860A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Interest-driven Business Intelligence (BI) systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention are illustrated. In one embodiment of the invention, a data processing system includes raw data storage containing raw data, metadata storage containing metadata that describes the raw data, and an interest-driven data pipeline that is automatically compiled to generate reporting data using the raw data, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is compiled based upon reporting data requirements automatically derived from at least one report specification defined using the metadata.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising:

raw data storage containing raw data;

metadata storage containing metadata that describes the raw data; and

an interest-driven data pipeline that is automatically compiled to generate reporting data using the raw data;

wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is compiled based upon reporting data requirements automatically derived from at least one report specification defined using the metadata.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is automatically compiled based upon at least one change selected from the group consisting of a change to the reporting data requirements, a change to the metadata, and a change to the raw data.

3. The data processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

source data storage configured to store source data; and

wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is configured to create source data by performing an extract, transform, and load (ETL) process on raw data using a source model.

6. The data processing system of claim 1, further comprising an intermediate processing layer, wherein the intermediate processing layer comprises:

a data manager configured to store data models; and

an interest-driven data pipeline compiler.

7. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the intermediate processing layer accesses data within the raw data storage.

8. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is automatically compiled utilizing the interest-driven data pipeline compiler.

9. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the intermediate processing layer is configured to perform raw data intake comprising updating raw data and updating reporting data.

10. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein:

the data processing system is configured as an interest-driven business intelligence system comprising;

a business intelligence reporting engine;

wherein the business intelligence reporting engine includes reporting data storage configured to store reporting data.

11. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 10, wherein the business intelligence reporting engine comprises a user interface configured to display data and receive requests for data.

12. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 10, further comprising:

report specification storage configured to store report specifications;

wherein the interest-driven business intelligence system is configured to receive at least one report specification.

13. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 12, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is configured to automatically generate reporting data requirements using at least one report specification.

14. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 13, wherein the business intelligence reporting engine is configured to generate a report utilizing the report specification and the reporting data.

15. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 14 comprising an interest-driven data pipeline compiler, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is configured to:

convert the raw data into source data utilizing an extract, transform, and load (ETL) process;

utilize the reporting data requirements to generate aggregation processes that are applied to the source data to generate aggregate data; and

generate a data model based upon the reporting data requirements and to populate the data model using the aggregate data to generate reporting data;

wherein the interest-driven data pipeline compiler is configured to automatically compile the interest-driven data pipeline in response to the interest-driven business intelligence system receiving a report specification modifying the reporting data requirements.

16. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 15, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline compiler is configured to update the ETL process in response to the modifications to the reporting data requirements.

17. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 15, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline compiler is configured to generate new aggregations in response to the modifications to the reporting data requirements.

18. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 15, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline compiler is configured to generate a new data model in response to the modifications to the reporting data requirements.

19. The interest-driven business intelligence system of claim 15, wherein the report comprises at least one visualization, where the at least one visualization is configured to process and display reporting data.

4. The data processing system of claim 4, further comprising:

aggregate data storage configured to store aggregate data; and

wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is configured to generate aggregate data by performing aggregations using the source data.

5. The data processing system of claim 4, wherein the interest-driven data pipeline is configured to generate aggregations utilizing the reporting data requirements.

20. A method for creating a report utilizing an interest-driven business intelligence system, comprising:

storing raw data in raw data storage;

receiving report definitions generated utilizing metadata describing the raw data using the interest-driven business intelligence system;

automatically generating reporting data requirements derived from report definitions using the interest-driven business intelligence system;

automatically compiling an interest-driven data pipeline that is part of the interest-driven business intelligence system using the reporting data requirements and the raw data;

generating reporting data from the reporting data requirements using the interest-driven data pipeline;

populating reports with the reporting data using the interest-driven business intelligence system;

providing interactive exploration of the reports using the interest-driven business intelligence system; and

automatically compiling the interest-driven data pipeline to generate additional reporting data in response to changes in the reporting data requirements defined during the interactive exploration of the reports using the interest-driven business intelligence system.