Data processing apparatus and method including proportional updating of data
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for managing data in a computer system comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of data records in a memory unit, each of said data records comprising at least two key fields and a quantity field, wherein a first set of said key fields defines a first hierarchical relationship and a second set of said key fields defines a second hierarchical relationship;
representing said first hierarchical relationship on a first dimension on a display screen and said second hierarchical relationship on a second dimension on said display screen, wherein an intersection of said first dimension and said second dimension on said display screen defines a cell including a cell bit vector;
displaying a value in said cell, wherein said value represents the contents of the quantity fields of the data records which are represented by said cell; and
prorating a change made to a value displayed in a cell among the quantity fields of all data records which are represented by said cell by using said cell bit vector.
17 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A hierarchical database reporting and updating system is disclosed. The invention makes unique use of bit vectors to represent the relationship between various data items to enable the system to provide powerful data analysis functions. The data structure allows users to change values which represent intermediate or grand summary levels. Such changes are prorated across all lower level data items which make up the intermediate or grand summary level. The invention also allows for the graphical representation of data. Users may modify these graphical representations and the system will update the underlying data.
70 Citations
34 Claims
-
1. A method for managing data in a computer system comprising the steps of:
-
storing a plurality of data records in a memory unit, each of said data records comprising at least two key fields and a quantity field, wherein a first set of said key fields defines a first hierarchical relationship and a second set of said key fields defines a second hierarchical relationship; representing said first hierarchical relationship on a first dimension on a display screen and said second hierarchical relationship on a second dimension on said display screen, wherein an intersection of said first dimension and said second dimension on said display screen defines a cell including a cell bit vector; displaying a value in said cell, wherein said value represents the contents of the quantity fields of the data records which are represented by said cell; and prorating a change made to a value displayed in a cell among the quantity fields of all data records which are represented by said cell by using said cell bit vector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method for managing data in a computer system comprising the steps of:
-
storing a plurality of data records in a memory unit, each of said data records comprising a plurality of key fields and at least one quantity field, wherein each unique combination of values of said key fields defines a unique record; defining a plurality of data hierarchies based upon a plurality of sets of said key fields, each of said data hierarchies comprising; a plurality of levels, said number of levels being equal to the number of key fields in the set of key fields defining the hierarchy, wherein each key field in said set of key fields is associated with one level, wherein each of said plurality of levels comprises a plurality of nodes, said number of nodes being equal to the number of unique values present in the data records in the key field associated with that level, wherein each of said nodes represents one of said unique values; generating at least one node list associated with each level of each of said data hierarchies, each of said node lists comprising; a bit vector associated with a node of the associated level, said bit vector representing the data records which contain the unique value represented by the associated node, and a pointer associated with a node of the associated level, said pointer pointing to the lower level node list associated with the nodes which subordinate the associated node, if such subordinate nodes exist; and storing said at least one node list in a memory unit. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A method for the graphical display and updating of data, the method comprising the steps of:
-
storing data records in a memory unit, each of said data records comprising a quantity field having a bit vector; displaying a graphical representation of the sum of the quantity fields of at least two of said data records; manipulating said graphical representation on the display screen so as to increase or decrease the graphical representation of said sum; and proportionally updating the quantity fields of each of said at least two data records in response to the manipulation of said graphical representation using said bit vector of each of said quantity fields. - View Dependent Claims (13)
-
-
14. A database reporting method comprising the steps of:
-
storing data records in a memory unit, each of said data records comprising a plurality of key fields and at least one quantity field and having a bit vector, wherein a first set of said key fields defines a first hierarchical relationship, a second set of said key fields defines a second hierarchical relationship, and a third set of said key fields defines a third hierarchical relationship; identifying all unique combinations of values in said third set of key fields; and generating a plurality of reports using said bit vectors, each of said reports associated with one of said unique combinations of values, wherein each report display said first hierarchical relationship on a first dimension and said second hierarchical relationship on a second dimension, and wherein each report displays values at the intersections of said first and second dimensions, wherein said values represent the contents of the quantity fields of the data records which are represented by said intersections and which contain the unique combination of values associated with the report and are obtained using said bit vectors. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A system for managing data comprising:
-
a computer processor; a display monitor connected to the computer processor for the display of graphical and textual information; textual data entry means connected to the computer processor; graphical data entry means connected to the computer processor; a memory unit connected to the computer processor for the storage of a plurality of data records, each of said data records comprising at least two key fields and a quantity field, wherein a first set of said key fields defines a first hierarchical relationship and a second set of said key fields defines a second hierarchical relationship; means for representing said first hierarchical relationship on a first dimension on said display screen and said second hierarchical relationship on a second dimension on said display screen, wherein an intersection of said first dimension and said second dimension on said display screen defines a cell; means for displaying a value in said cell, wherein said value represents the contents of the quantity fields of the data records which are represented by said cell; and means for changing the value displayed in said cell and prorating said change among the quantity fields of all data records which are represented by said cell. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 33, 34)
-
-
24. A hierarchical database system comprising:
-
a computer processor; a memory unit connected to said computer processor for the storage of a plurality of data records, each of said data records comprising a plurality of key fields and at least one quantity field, wherein each unique combination of values of said key fields defines a unique record; a plurality of sets of said key fields defining a plurality of data hierarchies, each of said data hierarchies comprising; a plurality of levels, said number of levels being equal to the number of key fields in the set of key fields defining the hierarchy, wherein each key field in said set of key fields is associated with one level, wherein each of said plurality of levels comprises a plurality of nodes, said number of nodes being equal to the number of unique values present in the data records in the key field associated with that level, wherein each of said nodes represents one of said unique values; at least one node list associated with each level of each of said data hierarchies, each of said node lists comprising; a bit vector associated with a node of the associated level, said bit vector representing the data records which contain the unique value represented by the associated node; and a pointer associated with a node of the associated level, said pointer pointing to the lower level node list associated with the nodes which subordinate the associated node, if such subordinate nodes exist; and means for storing said at least one node in said memory unit. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. A system for the graphical display and updating of data, the system comprising:
-
a computer processor; a display monitor connected to the computer processor for the display of graphical and textual information; textual data entry means connected to the computer processor; graphical data entry means connected to the computer processor; a memory unit connected to the computer processor for the storage of data records, each of said data records comprising a quantity field including a bit vector; means for displaying a graphical representation of the sum of the quantity fields of at least two of said data records; means for manipulating said graphical representation on the display screen so as to increase or decrease the graphical representation of said sum; and means for proportionally updating the quantity fields of each of said at least two data records in response to the manipulation of said graphical representation, said means comprising using said bit vector of each of said quantity fields. - View Dependent Claims (30)
-
-
31. A database reporting system comprising:
-
a computer processor; a display device connected to the computer processor for the display of graphical and textual information; a memory unit connected to the computer processor for the storage of data records, each of said data records comprising a plurality of key fields and at least one quantity field and having a bit vector, wherein a first set of said key fields defines a first hierarchical relationship, a second set of said key fields defines a second hierarchical relationship, and a third set of said key fields defines a third hierarchical relationship; means for identifying all unique combinations of values in said third set of key fields; and means for generating a plurality of reports using said bit vectors, each of said reports associated with one of said unique combinations of values, wherein each report displays said first hierarchical relationship on a first dimension and said second hierarchical relationship on a second dimension, and wherein each report displays values at the intersections of said first and second dimensions, wherein said values represent the contents of the quantity fields of the data records which are represented by said intersections and which contain the unique combination of values associated with the report and are obtained using said bit vectors. - View Dependent Claims (32)
-
Specification