Dynamic accessible reporting tool (DART)

• US 7,644,100 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Morgan Stanley Services Group Inc. (Morgan Stanley)
• Original Assignee: Morgan Stanley
• Inventors: Unnithan, Sunil, Balda, Matthew, Gorvits, Jeff, Chang, Chengping, Goel, Amit, Das, Shubhendu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ruiz; Angelica
• Application Number:
  US11/900,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A flexible metadata driven and workflow based report generation system is disclosed. The system comprises a Flexible Reporting GUI with four components that allow the user direct control in the creation of a report within a single application: a Data Generator for retrieving data, a Report Designer with a built-in report designer application, a Report Deployment element for deploying the report and an Report Run element for interactively running the report. The Flexible Reporting GUI allows a user to run a report with updated data stores, and to define the various parameters that affect the content of the generated report with great flexibility. Through the system of the invention, the user can be directly involved in all the report generation steps, through a user friendly interface, and a simplified environment. Moreover, the system in the invention provides improved solutions for updated data retrieval from protected data sources.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for designing a new report template and running a new report comprising:

(i) displaying, via a client computer device and a data generator component of a graphical user interface, a plurality of data category fields each associated with a data category to be used in designing a new report template;

(ii) receiving, via the client computer device and a data generator component of a graphical user interface, a selection of one or more data categories to be used in designing the new report template, wherein each data category field corresponding to the selected one or more data categories enables the selection of one or more data retrieval parameters, wherein each data category is associated with a data accessor for retrieving data from one or more enterprise databases, and wherein each data accessor targets for retrieval data associated with its corresponding data category, whereby a user designing the new report template need not know the underlying data structure of the one or more enterprise databases;

(iii) receiving, by one or more computer devices comprising at least one processor and an operatively associated computer readable medium, in response to a data retrieval request initiated via the graphical user interface, selected data retrieval parameter values;

(iv) invoking the data accessors associated with the data categories, retrieving data from the one or more enterprise databases based on the selected data retrieval parameter values and storing the retrieved data in a staging database, wherein the data structure of the staging database comprises a plurality of staging tables corresponding to the data categories and a controller table, wherein the retrieved data for a given data retrieval request is stored as a plurality of records in the staging tables that are linked by a unique key assigned by the one or more computer devices;

(v) designing the new report template, where designing the new report template comprises, via the client computer device, a report designer component of the graphical user interface, and a report designer application;

(a) receiving a selection of report fields for the new report template, (b) receiving a selection of report parameters for refining data selection for the new report template, and (c) accessing and displaying the retrieved data from the staging tables, whereby the user is enabled to design the new report template;

(vi) storing the new report template in a report repository, wherein the stored new report template does not include the data retrieved by the accessors and used to design the new report template;

(vii) linking, via the client computer device and a report deployment component of the graphical user interface, a selected report template with data accessors previously used to retrieve data during the new template design process, and triggering the storing of metadata for the selected report template in a reports metadata database;

(viii) generating a new report based on data retrieved from the reports metadata database, wherein generating further comprises the steps of, via said client computer device and a run report component of the graphical user interface;

specifying the report template for the new report to be run, specifying parameter values for the new report, and retrieving data for the new report based on the data accessors linked to the specified report template.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting the metadata from the report template via an application programming interface of the report designer application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said designing step further comprises loading the report designer application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said report designer application is a web based application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step comprises a run method selected from the group consisting of:

an ad hoc run method and a batch run method.

9. The data storage medium of claim 1, wherein said report designer application is a web based application.

6. A computer-readable data storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a computer comprising one or more processors, cause the one or more computer processors to:

(i) generate a user interface comprising;

a data generator component;

a data report designer component;

a report deployment component; and

a report run component for; and

(ii) display, via said data generator component, a plurality of data category fields each associated with a data category to be used in designing a new report template;

(iii) receive, via said data generator component, a selection of one or more data categories to be used in designing the new report template, wherein each data category field corresponding to the selected one or more data categories enables the selection of one or more data retrieval parameters, wherein each data category is associated with a data accessor for retrieving data from one or more enterprise databases, and wherein each data accessor targets for retrieval data associated with its corresponding data category, whereby a user designing the new report template need not know the underlying data structure of the one or more enterprise databases;

(iv) receive, in response to a data retrieval request initiated via the graphical user interface, selected data retrieval parameter values;

(v) invoke the data accessors associated with the data categories, retrieve data from the one or more enterprise databases based on the selected data retrieval parameter values and store the retrieved data in a staging database, wherein the data structure of the staging database comprises a plurality of staging tables corresponding to the data categories and a controller table, wherein the retrieved data for a given data retrieval request is stored as a plurality of records in the staging tables that are linked by a unique key assigned by the one or more computer devices;

(vi) design the new report template, where designing the new report template comprises, via said report designer component and a report designer application;

(a) receiving a selection of report fields for the new report template, (b) receiving a selection of report parameters for refining data selection for the new report template, and (c) accessing and displaying the retrieved data from the staging tables, whereby the user is enabled to design the new report template;

(vii) store the new report template in a report repository, wherein the stored new report template does not include the data retrieved by the accessors and used to design the new report template;

(viii) link, via said report deployment component, a selected report template with data accessors previously used to retrieve data during the new template design process, and trigger the storing of metadata for the selected report template in a reports metadata database; and

(ix) generate a new report based on data retrieved from the reports metadata database, wherein generating further comprises the steps of, via said run report component;

specifying the report template for the new report to be run, specifying parameter values for the new report, and retrieving data for the new report based on the data accessors linked to the specified report template.

7. The data storage medium of claim 6, further comprising instructions for causing the one or more computer processors to:

extract the metadata from the report template via an application programming interface of the report design application.

8. The data storage medium of claim 6, wherein said designer component loads the report designer application.

10. The data storage medium of claim 6, wherein the said report is run with a run method selected from the group consisting of:

an ad hoc run method and a batch run method.

11. A computer-implemented reporting system for designing and running a new report template comprising:

at least one client computer terminal;

one or more computing devices programmed to retrieve data, design report templates, store metadata and run reports, and that communicate with;

(a) at least one enterprise database;

(b) a staging database, wherein the staging database comprises staging tables;

(c) a reports metadata database, wherein the reports metadata database comprises one or more tables that store metadata;

a data network to connect the at least one client computer terminal to the one or more computing devices; and

wherein the at least one client computer terminal enables a user to access a graphical user interface comprising;

a data generator component;

a data report designer component;

a report deployment component; and

a report run component; and

one or more computer processors configured to;

(i) display, via said data generator component, a plurality of data category fields each associated with a data category to be used in designing a new report template;

(ii) receive, via said data generator component, a selection of one or more data categories to be used in designing the new report template, wherein each data category field corresponding to the selected one or more data categories enables the selection of one or more data retrieval parameters, wherein each data category is associated with a data accessor for retrieving data from one or more enterprise databases, and wherein each data accessor targets for retrieval data associated with its corresponding data category, whereby a user designing the new report template need not know the underlying data structure of the one or more enterprise databases;

(iii) receive, in response to a data retrieval request initiated via the graphical user interface, selected data retrieval parameter values;

(iv) invoke the data accessors associated with the data categories, retrieve data from the one or more enterprise databases based on the selected data retrieval parameter values and store the retrieved data in a staging database, wherein the data structure of the staging database comprises a plurality of staging tables corresponding to the data categories and a controller table, wherein the retrieved data for a given data retrieval request is stored as a plurality of records in the staging tables that are linked by a unique key assigned by the one or more computer devices;

(v) design the new report template, where designing the new report template comprises, via said report designer component and a report designer application;

(a) receiving a selection of report fields for the new report template, (b) receiving a selection of report parameters for refining data selection for the new report template, and (c) accessing and displaying the retrieved data from the staging tables, whereby the user is enabled to design the new report template;

(vi) store the new report template in a report repository, wherein the stored new report template does not include the data retrieved by the accessors and used to design the new report template;

(vii) link, via said report deployment component, a selected report template with data accessors previously used to retrieve data during the new template design process, and trigger the storing of metadata for the selected report template in a reports metadata database; and

(viii) generate a new report based on data retrieved from the reports metadata database, wherein generating further comprises the steps of, via said run report component;

specifying the report template for the new report to be run, specifying parameter values for the new report, and retrieving data for the new report based on the data accessors linked to the specified report template.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface is implemented as software code executed by a processor of the at least one client computer terminal.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface is implemented as software code executed by a processor of a remote server.