System and method of adapting automatic output of service related OLAP reports to disparate output devices

• US 6,260,050 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Trenkamp, Robert G., Wilding, Peter G., Yost, Kyle N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bashore, William L.
• Application Number:
  US09/343,561
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/103, 707/1, 707/3, 707/513, 707/531, 709/200, 709/232, 709/201, 725/25
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system for generation of output from an on-line analytical processing system to user output devices that comprises a service processor that processes at least one scheduled service in an on-line analytical processing system and generating a service output, each service comprising at least one query to be performed by the on4ine analytical processing system. The system then formats the service output according to styles specified for each user output device specified to receive that service output. The system then forwards the formatted service output to the user output devices specified for that service. The styles specified comprise a plurality of predefined parameters regarding the format for the service output for use by that user output device, including enclosure handling parameters and text grid parameters. The output may be formatted into multiple messages and may be formatted for an HTML mail system, an audio system, particular types of pager systems, electronic mail, web pages, mobile phones, telephones, facsimiles, personal digital assistants, and other electronic devices. A natural language formatting system may also be employed to generate natural language output.

Claims

1. In a system for generation of output from an on-line analytical processing system to user output devices, a server system comprising:

service processing means for processing at least one scheduled service in an on-line analytical processing system according to a schedule established for the service and generating a service output, each service comprising at least one query to be performed by the on-line analytical processing system and at least one user device subscribed to that service;

service subscription means for enabling a plurality of subscribers to subscribe to the scheduled service and enabling the subscriber to specify at least one user output device at which to receive service outputs from the service processing means;

wherein each user output device subscribed to that service is associated with a device-specific style that designates the format in which that particular type of user output device receives service outputs to maintain integrity of the service output;

output determination means for determining whether to forward output from the service to each subscriber output device subscribed to the service;

output formatting means for creating a device-specific formatted output for each user device determined to receive output from the service by the output determination means, the output formatting means creating the device-specific formatted output according to a selection of predefined values specified for each of a plurality of predefined parameters, the output formatting means determining the selection of a value for each of the plurality of predefined parameters from the style specified for the user output device. each style thus providing a selection of a value for each of the predefined parameters; and

output forwarding means for automatically forwarding a device-specific formatted service output to each of the user output devices selected by the output determining means to receive output;

wherein the output determination means determines whether each user device subscribed to the service is an alert subscription or a periodic subscription and selects the user device if it is a periodic subscription or if an alert condition specified in the alert subscription has been satisfied.

2. The server system of claim 1 wherein the predefined parameters comprise enclosure handling parameters that define how the user output device handles enclosures to the service output and text grid parameters that define how the user output device presents text that is presented in a grid.

3. The server system of claim 1 wherein the predefined parameters includes a parameter for segmenting a service output, the style for a particular device specifies a value as to how a service is to be segmented for the user output device, and the output formatting means further comprises segmenting means for segmenting the service output into multiple service outputs to be sent to one or more user output devices based on the style specified for that user output device.

4. The server system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the user output devices comprises an HTML mail system and the output formatting means formats the service output for delivery to the HTML mail system.

5. The server system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the user output devices comprises an audio system and the output formatting means formats the service output to deliver an audio version of the service output.

6. The server system of claim 1 wherein the output formatting means formats the service output into a natural language output format.

7. The server system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the user output devices comprises a particular type of pager and wherein the output formatting means formats the service output into a pager message using the style for the particular type of pager specified.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the predefined parameters includes a parameter for segmenting a service output, the style for a particular device specifies a value as to how a service is to be segmented for the user output device, and further comprising the step of segmenting the service output into multiple service outputs to be sent to one or more user output device based on the style specified for that user output device.

8. A method for generating output from an on-line analytical processing system to user output devices comprising the steps of:

processing at least one scheduled service in an on-line analytical processing system according to a schedule established for the service and generating a service output, each service comprising at least one query to be performed by the on-line analytical processing system and at least one user device subscribed to that service;

enabling a plurality of subscribers to subscribe to the scheduled service and enabling the subscriber to specify at least one user output device at which to receive service outputs from the service;

wherein each user device subscribed to that service is associated with a device-specific style that designates the format in which that particular type of user device is to output to the service outputs to a user to maintain the integrity of the service outputs;

determining whether to forward the generated output to one or more user devices based on output conditions specified for each user device subscribed to the service;

creating a device-specific formatted output for each user device subscribed to the service selected to receive the output according to a selection of predefined values specified for each of a plurality of predefined parameters provided by the style specified for the user output device, and

automatically forwarding a device-specific formatted service output to each of the user output devices selected to receive the output for that service;

wherein the determining step comprises determining whether each user device subscribed to the service is an alert subscription or a periodic subscription and selecting the user device if it is a periodic subscription or if an alert condition specified in the alert subscription has been satisfied.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the predefined parameters comprise enclosure handling parameters that define how the user output device handles enclosures to the service output and text grid parameters that define how the user output device presents text that is presented in a grid.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one of the user output devices comprises an HTML mail system and further comprising the step of formatting the service output for delivery to the HTML mail system.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one of the user output devices comprises an audio system and further comprising the step of formatting the service output to deliver an audio version of the service output.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of formatting the service output into a natural language output format.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one of the user output devices comprises a particular type of pager and further comprising the step of formatting the service output into a pager message using the style for the particular type of pager specified.

15. A medium having processor readable program code embodied therein for generating output from an on-line analytical processing system to user output devices, the processor readable code in the medium comprising:

service processing code for causing a processor to process at least one scheduled service according to the schedule established for the service in an on-line analytical processing system and generating a service output, each service comprising at least one query to be performed by the on-line analytical processing system and at least one user device subscribed to that service;

service subscribing code for causing a processor to enable a plurality of subscribers to subscribe to the scheduled service and enabling the subscriber to specify a user output device at which to receive a report from the service;

wherein each user device subscribed to that service is associated with a device-specific style that designates the format in which that particular type of user device is to output to the service output to a user to maintain the integrity of the service output;

determining code for causing a processor to determine whether to forward the generated output to one or more user devices based on output conditions specified for each user device subscribed to the service;

formatting code for causing a processor to create a device-specific formatted output for each user device subscribed to the service selected to receive the output according to a selection of predefined values specified for each of a plurality of predefined parameters provided by the style specified for the user output device;

forwarding code for causing a processor to forward a device-specific formatted service output to the user output devices selected to receive the output; and

wherein the determining code determines whether each user device subscribed to the service is an alert subscription or a periodic subscription and selects the user device if it is a periodic subscription or if an alert condition specified in the alert subscription has been satisfied.