Dynamically generated HTML formatted reports

• US 6,539,370 B1
• Filed: 11/13/1998
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tung, Randy Yuan-Yi, Chang, Sandra Sheu, Wone, May Ngun
• Primary Examiner(s): Homere, Jean R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, KHANH B
• Application Number:
  US09/192,030
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 707/103.R, 707/513, 707/501.1, 345/352, 345/354
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A report generating and viewing method (10) for generating and viewing reports (72) over the internet (16). A request from a browser (14) is sent to a server (12) whereupon a generate reports program (38) in a server (12) creates an intermediate file (44) containing all the necessary data and metadata. When a request from the browser (14) to view the report (72) is sent, a view reports program (60) in the server (12) parses the intermediate file (44) and sends a menu (66) to the browser (14). The user then selects a report from the menu (66) and the server (12) sends the report (72) to the browser (14).

Claims

1. A computer report generating method for generating reports from data in a database, the method comprising:

a) reading the database to access specified portions of data;

b) generating an intermediate file including the accessed data, the data being organized by rows and columns, the intermediate file also including meta data that facilitates generation of a plurality of different available reports each incorporating at least one associated row and at least one associated column of the accessed data, the meta data having a plurality of report sections each defining an associated one of the available reports;

c) storing the intermediate file in a data storage medium;

d) receiving a request to generate a report in accordance with a specified one of the report sections of the intermediate file;

e) accessing the intermediate file from the data storage medium; and

f) parsing the intermediate file to produce a report defined by the specified report section.

2. The computer report generating method of claim 1, wherein:

steps a, b, and c are accomplished when a user requests that the report be created.

3. The computer report generating method of claim 2, wherein:

a message is sent from a browser, though the internet, to a server; and

steps a, b, and c are performed within the server.

4. The computer report generating method of claim 1, wherein:

steps d, e, and f are performed when a user requests to view the report.

5. The computer report generating method of claim 4, wherein:

a message is sent from a browser, through the internet, to a server; and

steps d, e, and f are performed within the server.

6. The computer report generating method of claim 1, wherein:

steps d, e, and f can be accomplished upon a request from a browser after the intermediate files are created.

7. The computer report generating method of claim 1, wherein said steps d and e further include:

parsing the intermediate file to create a menu of the available reports, each of the available reports being defined by an associated one of the report sections; and

enabling a user to select from the available reports.

8. The computer report generating method of claim 7, wherein:

steps a, b, and c are accomplished in a server; and

the report is sent to a browser to be viewed by the user after performance of steps d, e, and f.

9. The computer report generating method of claim 7, wherein:

steps a, b, and c are accomplished in a server; and

the report is sent over the internet to be viewed by the user after performance of steps d, e, and f.

10. The computer report generating method of claim 1, wherein:

the report is in hyper text markup language format.

11. The computer report generating method of claim 1, wherein each of the report sections of the meta data includes:

a chart entry indicating a beginning of the associated report section;

a subtitle entry indicating a name of the associated report section;

a domain label entry listing a domain name associated with a heading of a corresponding one of the columns of the associated report section; and

a data entry line for each entry in a column of the associated report section.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable code embodied thereon configured to operate on a computer, comprising:

a report generating program for performing the steps of,

a) reading a database to access specified portions of data,

b) generating an intermediate file including the accessed data, the data being organized by rows and columns, the intermediate file also including meta data that facilitates generation of a plurality of different available reports each incorporating at least one associated row and at least one associated column of the accessed data, the meta data having a plurality of report sections each defining an associated one of the available reports, and

c) storing the intermediate file in a data storage medium; and

a report viewing program for performing the steps of,

d) receiving a request to generate a report in accordance with a selected one of the report sections of the intermediate file,

e) accessing the intermediate file from the data storage medium, and

f) parsing the intermediate file to produce a report defined by the selected report section.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein each of the report sections of the meta data includes:

a chart entry indicating a beginning of the associated report section;

a subtitle entry indicating a name of the associated report section;

a domain label entry listing a domain name associated with a heading of a corresponding one of the columns of the associated report section; and

a data entry line for each entry in a column of the associated report section.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

said report generating program and said report viewing program reside in a server which is accessible through the internet from a browser.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

said report viewing program is initiated when a request is sent from a browser to view the report.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the report viewing program parses the intermediate file to produce an index.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the report viewing program parses the intermediate file to generally simultaneously derive the information necessary to produce an index of available reports, and further to derive the information necessary to produce the report.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

more than one intermediate file is produced.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

more than one report is available to be selected from an index when the report viewing program is initiated.