System and method for remote manipulation of analytic reports

• US 7,228,303 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2001
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Ramachandran, Ramkumar, Oliver, Arturo, Brenes, Gunther L., Everhart, L. Douglas, Wang, Xinyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S.
• Application Number:
  US09/884,477
• Time in Patent Office: 2,176 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/103, 707/104, 707/1, 707/10, 707/102, 707/101, 705/37, 705/26, 714/1, 709200-219
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A remote client interface to manipulate OLAP and other reports is described. A Web client or other thin client may access an intelligence server via an intermediate network server. The network server may translate between HTML or other code supplied by the client, in order to access a database serviced by the intelligence server in all its functionality. For instance, a user may clink onto a linkable URL to access a stored report run against the remote database, and perform operations on that report, such as doing a table pivot, page down, running totals or averages, or other functions. Multiple users may access the report and other data resources using different interfaces.

Claims

1. A system for remote interactive access to data, comprising:

a network server performing;

receiving user input to remotely manipulate or modify at least one report generated by at least one data source based on content in the data source,

wherein the report was previously served to a user system;

presenting one or more markup language constructs associated with actions to manipulate or modify the at least one report;

enabling user input in the report,

wherein the user input is initiated by activation of a markup language construct associated with the at least one report that was served to the user system and translating the user input received via first network enabled code to second network enabled code;

a reporting server being configured to respond to the user input, performing;

communicating with the user interface;

accessing an image of the at least one report;

manipulating the at least one report generated from the at least one data source; and

generating results to present via the user interface; and

a user interface performing;

remotely accessing and viewing at least one report generated from at least one remote data source; and

providing user input to remotely manipulate or modify the at least one report,

wherein the user input being provided by activating a markup language construct, and

wherein the user input being translated from a first network enabled code to a second network enabled code.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image of the at least one report comprises an image stored in at least one of an electronic memory and a storage medium of the reporting server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network server comprises a Web server.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the Web server is configured to—

access the at least one data resource via the second network enabled code; and

present results to the user via the first network enabled code.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first network enabled code comprises at least HTML code.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the second network enabled code comprises at least XML code.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the user input is received from a Web browser.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one data source comprises at least one OLAP-enabled database.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the results presented to the user are modifiable.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the modifications to the results comprise at least one of a table pivot, a pageby, a recalculated sum and a recalculated sort.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the modifications to the results are activated by at least one of a URL link and a query box.

12. A method for remote interactive access to data, comprising:

a network server performing;

receiving user input to remotely manipulate or modify at least one report generated by at least one data source based on content in the data source,

wherein the report was previously served to a user system;

presenting one or more markup language constructs associated with actions to manipulate or modify the at least one report;

enabling user input in the report,

wherein the user input is initiated by activation of a markup language construct associated with the at least one report that was served to the user system and translating the user input received via first network enabled code to second network enabled code;

a reporting server being configured to respond to the user input, performing;

communicating with the user interface;

accessing an image of the at least one report;

manipulating the at least one report generated from the at least one data source; and

generating results to present via the user interface; and

a user interface performing;

remotely accessing and viewing at least one report generated from at least one remote data source; and

providing user input to remotely manipulate or modify the at least one report,

wherein the user input being provided by activating a markup language construct, and

wherein the user input being translated from a first network enabled code to a second network enabled code.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step c) of storing the image of the at least one report in at least one of an electronic memory and a storage medium of a reporting server.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of d) communicating with the user interface via a network server.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the network server comprises a Web server.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the Web server is configured to—

access the at least one data resource via the second network enabled code; and

present results to the user via the first network enabled code.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first network enabled code comprises at least HTML code.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second network enabled code comprises at least XML code.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the user interface comprises a Web browser.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one data source comprises at least one OLAP-enabled database.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the results presented to the user are modifiable.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising a step of e) modifying the results by executing at least one of a table pivot, a pageby, a recalculated sum and a recalculated sort.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising a step of f) modifying the results by activating by at least one of a URL link and a query box.

24. A machine readable storage medium, the machine readable medium being readable to execute a method for remote interactive access to data, the method comprising:

a network server;

receiving user input to remotely manipulate or modify at least one report generated by at least one data source based on content in the data source,

wherein the report was previously served to a user system;

presenting one or more markup language constructs associated with actions to manipulate or modify the at least one report;

enabling user input in the report,

wherein the user input is initiated by activation of a markup language construct associated with the at least one report that was served to the user system and translating the user input received via first network enabled code to second network enabled code;

a reporting server being configured to respond to the user input;

communicating with the user interface;

accessing an image of the at least one report;

manipulating the at least one report generated from the at least one data source; and

generating results to present via the user interface; and

a user interface;

remotely accessing and viewing at least one report generated from at least one remote data source; and

providing user input to remotely manipulate or modify the at least one report,

wherein the user input being provided by activating a markup language construct, and

wherein the user input being translated from a first network enabled code to a second network enabled code.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein the method further comprises a step of c) storing an image of the at least one report in at least one of an electronic memory and a storage medium of a reporting server.