Centralized KPI framework systems and methods

• US 7,716,253 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2005
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pasumansky, Mosha, Petculescu, Cristian, Zare, Robert B., Netz, Amir, Gorbach, Irina G., D'Hers, Thierry
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): XUE, BIN
• Application Number:
  US11/050,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20060010164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/104
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

The subject invention pertains to a centralized key performance indicator (KPI) framework and systems and methods of utilization. In particular, KPIs can be defined and centrally stored as data or metadata in a data store. Systems and methods are provided to enable, among other things, KPI definition, storage, identification of defined or available KPIs, and interaction with the KPIs. For instance, an interface is provided to allow KPI data to be requested and retrieved from a source such as a database. A generic application program or users thereof can then interact with and display KPI data without knowing anything a priori about the stored data or the structure thereof.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a processor that processes one or more key performance indicator (KPI) components that define KPI, the KPIs being part of metadata that describes data from which the KPIs are generated, wherein the one or more KPI components are located in a data store that also stores the data from which the KPIs are generated, wherein each KPI includes a plurality of attributes including name, value, status, and trend, as well as expressions for retrieving KPI component data;

an expression engine through which a generic application component communicates with the data store to facilitate retrieval and receipt of KPI component data;

an inference component of the expression engine to generate and cache KPIs proactively by determining a probability that an expression of a KPI component will be requested and upon determining that the probability exceeds a threshold, automatically generating and caching the KPI from the expression;

an intelligent assist component that automatically predicts, suggests, or infers possible attributes to be included in a KPI component and/or performs KPI component adjustments to support defined KPIs;

a KPI design component to facilitate definition of one or more KPIs;

a linking component that links an extension component that provides additional KPI attributes to an existing KPI component; and

the generic application component that extracts and displays data from the data store without a priori knowledge of an actual data schema of the data store, wherein the application component includes an interface to aid retrieval and receipt of KPIs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the generic application component includes an interface to aid retrieval and receipt of KPIs.

3. A computer implemented key performance indicator (KPI) interaction method comprising the following steps performed by a processor:

receiving, from a generic application component, a request at an expression engine, for KPI data, the KPI data being metadata to data in a database such that the KPI data is stored centrally in the database, the data being used to generate the KPI data, the KPI data comprising KPI attributes or elements including name, value, status, and trend, as well as expressions for retrieving KPI component data, wherein the expression engine includes the following components;

an inference component to generate and cache KPIs proactively by determining a probability that an expression of a KPI component will be requested and upon determining that the probability exceeds a threshold, automatically generating and caching the KPI from the expression;

an intelligent assist component that automatically predicts, suggests, or infers possible attributes to be included in a KPI component and/or performs KPI component adjustments to support defined KPIs;

a KPI design component to facilitate definition of one or more KPIs; and

a linking component that links an extension component that provides additional KPI attributes to an existing KPI component;

the expression engine locating the requested KPI data in the database;

for any attribute of the located KPI data that comprises an expression, the expression engine calculating the value of the attribute; and

the expression engine returning the KPI data to the generic application component, wherein the generic application component extracts the KPI data from the database using an application program interface that abstracts the actual schema for making requests for data of the database such that the KPI data is extracted and displayed without a priori knowledge of the actual schema for making requests for data of the database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a database query command or function.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the command or function is a multidimensional expression (MDX).

6. A computer storage readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor of a computing system perform steps comprising:

receiving, from a generic application component, a request, at an expression engine, for KPI data, the KPI data being metadata to data in a database such that the KPI data is stored centrally in the database, the data being used to generate the KPI data, the KPI data comprising KPI attributes or elements including name, value, status, and trend, as well as expressions for retrieving KPI component data, wherein the expression engine includes the following components;

an inference component to generate and cache KPIs proactively by determining a probability that an expression of a KPI component will be requested and upon determining that the probability exceeds a threshold, automatically generating and caching the KPI from the expression;

an intelligent assist component that automatically predicts, suggests, or infers possible attributes to be included in a KPI component and/or performs KPI component adjustments to support defined KPIs;

a KPI design component to facilitate definition of one or more KPIs; and

a linking component that links an extension component that provides additional KPI attributes to an existing KPI component;

the expression engine locating the requested KPI data in the database;

for any attribute of the located KPI data that comprises an expression, the expression engine calculating the value of the attribute; and

the expression engine returning the KPI data to the generic application component, wherein the generic application component extracts the KPI data from the database using an application program interface that abstracts the actual schema for making requests for data of the database such that the KPI data is extracted and displayed without a priori knowledge of the actual schema for making requests for data of the database.