BUSINESS INFORMATION SERVICE TOOL

• US 20160267090A1
• Filed: 03/12/2015
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Sengupta, Dipti, Tiwari, Rahul, Acharya, Pranav, Mavinakuli, Prasanna Bhat
• Granted Patent: US 10,025,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations

Abstract

The disclosure generally describes computer-implemented methods, software, and systems, including a method for providing suggestions. Transaction information is received that is associated with user actions during use by a user of a business intelligence tool. Each user action is associated with an operation in a particular stage of processing on business data obtained from one or more databases. The transaction information for a particular user action includes a user identifier identifying the user performing the particular user action, stage information, an associated operation, and parameters. The transaction information is stored. Subsequent user actions are monitored, including determining a time at which stage conditions match stage information in the stored transaction information. In response to determining matching stage conditions, pertinent transactions are identified. Suggestions are created. Each suggestion is associated with groups of one or more transactions of the pertinent transactions. The suggestions are provided for presentation to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving transaction information associated with user actions during use by a user of a business intelligence tool, each user action associated with an operation in a particular stage of processing on business data obtained from one or more databases, the transaction information for a particular user action including;

a user identifier identifying the user performing the particular user action;

stage information identifying the particular stage of the processing in which the particular user action occurs;

the operation associated with the particular user action; and

one or more parameters used in the operation;

storing the transaction information;

monitoring subsequent user actions by the user, including determining a time at which stage conditions associated with a current session for the user match the user and the stage information in the stored transaction information; and

in response to determining that matching stage conditions exist;

identifying pertinent transactions associated with the matching stage conditions;

creating one or more suggestions for presentation to the user, each suggestion of the one or more suggestions being associated with groups of one or more transactions of the pertinent transactions; and

providing the one or more suggestions for presentation to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after providing the one or more suggestions:

receiving an identification of a particular suggestion from the provided one or more suggestions;

performing, using the identified particular suggestion, a new operation using transaction information for the particular suggestion in a new operation on business data being manipulated by the user, including using the one or more parameters from the stored transaction information; and

updating the stored transaction information for the particular suggestion to indicate an additional use of an associated user action.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein stages are sequential and are selected from the group comprising a data preparation stage in which data is prepared, a visualization stage in which data is presented in a visualization to the user, a synthesis stage in which a business story is created from one or more visualizations, and a sharing stage in which business information associated with previous stages is shared.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein user actions in the data preparation stage include actions selected from a group comprising:

selecting a dataset, selecting a column in the data set, selecting a custom range in the data set, filtering the data set, sorting the data set, converting the data set, renaming the data set, create a measure or dimension for the data set, creating a hierarchy for the data set, duplicating data in the data set, and grouping data by range in the dataset.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the suggestions to produce ranked suggestions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each ranked suggestion is ranked according to a transaction rank determined from one or more of a favorite index, a frequency count, and a references count.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more suggestions provided to the user include, for each ranked suggestion, a suggestion identifier, a feature name, the favorite index, the frequency count, the references count, one or more parameters, one or more column names associated with the one or more parameters, a stage category, and a transaction rank.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein each ranked suggestion is further ranked using a measure of time since an occurrence of an associated user action.

9. A system comprising:

memory storing;

a transaction repository defining transaction information received from the plural client devices, including information for specific user actions on business data being used, manipulated or otherwise processed; and

an application for;

receiving the transaction information associated with user actions during use by a user of a business intelligence tool, each user action associated with an operation in a particular stage of processing on business data obtained from one or more databases, the transaction information for a particular user action including;

a user identifier identifying the user performing the particular user action;

stage information identifying the particular stage of the processing in which the particular user action occurs;

the operation associated with the particular user action; and

one or more parameters used in the operation;

storing the transaction information;

monitoring subsequent user actions by the user, including determining a time at which stage conditions associated with a current session for the user match the user and the stage information in the stored transaction information; and

in response to determining that matching stage conditions exist;

identifying pertinent transactions associated with the matching stage conditions;

creating one or more suggestions for presentation to the user, each suggestion of the one or more suggestions being associated with groups of one or more transactions of the pertinent transactions; and

providing the one or more suggestions for presentation to the user.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising in the application, after providing the one or more suggestions:

receiving an identification of a particular suggestion from the provided one or more suggestions;

performing, using the identified particular suggestion, a new operation using transaction information for the particular suggestion in a new operation on business data being manipulated by the user, including using the one or more parameters from the stored transaction information; and

updating the stored transaction information for the particular suggestion to indicate an additional use of an associated user action.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein stages are sequential and are selected from the group comprising a data preparation stage in which data is prepared, a visualization stage in which data is presented in a visualization to the user, a synthesis stage in which a business story is created from one or more visualizations, and a sharing stage in which business information associated with previous stages is shared.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein user actions in the data preparation stage include actions selected from a group comprising:

selecting a dataset, selecting a column in the data set, selecting a custom range in the data set, filtering the data set, sorting the data set, converting the data set, renaming the data set, create a measure or dimension for the data set, creating a hierarchy for the data set, duplicating data in the data set, and grouping data by range in the dataset.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising in the application ranking the suggestions to produce ranked suggestions.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each ranked suggestion is ranked according to a transaction rank determined from one or more of a favorite index, a frequency count, and a references count.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable media encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving transaction information associated with user actions during use by a user of a business intelligence tool, each user action associated with an operation in a particular stage of processing on business data obtained from one or more databases, the transaction information for a particular user action including;

a user identifier identifying the user performing the particular user action;

stage information identifying the particular stage of the processing in which the particular user action occurs;

the operation associated with the particular user action; and

one or more parameters used in the operation;

storing the transaction information;

monitoring subsequent user actions by the user, including determining a time at which stage conditions associated with a current session for the user match the user and the stage information in the stored transaction information; and

in response to determining that matching stage conditions exist;

identifying pertinent transactions associated with the matching stage conditions;

creating one or more suggestions for presentation to the user, each suggestion of the one or more suggestions being associated with groups of one or more transactions of the pertinent transactions; and

providing the one or more suggestions for presentation to the user.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, the operations further comprising, after providing the one or more suggestions:

receiving an identification of a particular suggestion from the provided one or more suggestions;

performing, using the identified particular suggestion, a new operation using transaction information for the particular suggestion in a new operation on business data being manipulated by the user, including using the one or more parameters from the stored transaction information; and

updating the stored transaction information for the particular suggestion to indicate an additional use of an associated user action.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein stages are sequential and are selected from the group comprising a data preparation stage in which data is prepared, a visualization stage in which data is presented in a visualization to the user, a synthesis stage in which a business story is created from one or more visualizations, and a sharing stage in which business information associated with previous stages is shared.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein user actions in the data preparation stage include actions selected from a group comprising:

selecting a dataset, selecting a column in the data set, selecting a custom range in the data set, filtering the data set, sorting the data set, converting the data set, renaming the data set, create a measure or dimension for the data set, creating a hierarchy for the data set, duplicating data in the data set, and grouping data by range in the dataset.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, the operations further comprising ranking the suggestions to produce ranked suggestions.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein each ranked suggestion is ranked according to a transaction rank determined from one or more of a favorite index, a frequency count, and a references count.