INTELLIGENT PROCESSING OF USER INPUT TO A BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SOFTWARE APPLICATION

• US 20140365519A1
• Filed: 06/10/2013
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TARGIT A/S
• Original Assignee: TARGIT A/S
• Inventors: MIDDELFART, Morten, LAU, Bue, KROGSGAARD, Jan
• Application Number:
  US13/914,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20140365519A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of processing an input via a user interface of a business intelligence software application for a database, wherein the software applications performs: listening for a user'"'"'s input, and processing said input while it is received to identify input elements thereof; said input elements comprising at least a first and a second input element; searching among the executable functions for a named executable function that matches the first identified input element; searching in the set of named metadata items for matching metadata items that match the second identified input element; eliminating predefined patterns that do not match the named executable function and matching metadata items while keeping the matching ones; assigning a matching metadata item to one or more matching executable functions in the first predefined patterns according to its/their syntax; and selecting a pattern among the kept ones of predefined patterns and executing the function named in the selected predefined pattern with assigned metadata.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of processing an input via a user interface of a business intelligence software application, wherein the software applications performs:

listening for a user'"'"'s input, and processing said input while it is received to identify input elements thereof;

said input elements comprising at least a first and second input element;

searching among predefined named executable functions for a matching executable function that match the first identified input element;

searching in a predefined set of named metadata items for a matching metadata item that match the second identified input element;

eliminating, from a set of syntax patterns with syntactically valid combinations of named executable functions and types of metadata, patterns that do not comprise the matching executable function and the matching metadata item;

wherein a first set of patterns remains;

assigning a matching metadata item to one or more of the patterns in the first set;

selecting a pattern among first set of patterns and executing the function named in the selected predefined pattern with assigned metadata.

2. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1,

wherein the step of assigning a matching metadata item to one or more matching executable functions assigns a matching metadata item, of an identified type, firstly mentioned in the input to a firstly selected field requiring the identified type of metadata item.

3. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the step of searching for matching metadata items is performed:

in a first step of searching a first storage section storing a complete set of named metadata items wherein each named metadata item is unique in the complete set, and/or

in a second step of searching a second storage section storing multiple documents each containing a collection metadata items comprising at least a measure, a dimension and a formatting item.

4. A computer-implemented method according to claim 3, wherein a document comprising multiple sets of metadata items is rendered to provide visualisation of multiple sets of data.

5. A computer-implemented method according to claim 3, wherein the step of executing the function named in the selected predefined pattern with its assigned metadata is performed:

in a first option, where metadata are retrieved from the input and from documents, or

in a second option, where metadata are determined from the input and where content in documents is disregarded;

comprising presenting to the user, via the user interface, a selectable choice between the first option or the second option.

6. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining at least one association, of a dimension and a measure, by combination of a measure and dimension identified in the user'"'"'s input, or by addition of a dimension or measure to an identified measure or dimension, respectively.

7. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, comprising:

computing a linguistic distance between an input element and an executable function or a named metadata item; and

comparing the linguistic distance to a threshold to decide whether there is a match.

8. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the software application comprises a data structure with a group of synonyms for a respective, named metadata item or a named executable function;

and wherein;

the processing of said input comprises identifying an input elements by looking up the group of synonyms and identifying the input element as the respective, named metadata item or a named executable function.

9. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, comprising the step of identifying which types of metadata items in the syntax pattern that remains unassigned and providing an input element for an unassigned field by:

assigning a default value to the field;

or

prompting a user to input a value for an unassigned field.

10. A data processing system having stored thereon program code means adapted to cause the data processing system to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1, when said program codes means are executed on the data processing system.

11. A computer program product comprising program code means adapted to cause a data processing system to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1, when said program code means are executed on the data processing system.

12. A computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the software application comprises:

a user interface configured to receive a user'"'"'s input in sequential form;

named executable functions that are configured to;

receive a parameter in the form of a named metadata item;

retrieve data defined by said named metadata item from a database; and

output a result of processing the data; and

a set of predefined patterns of named executable functions and their formal syntax, and a set of named metadata items.