Computer systems and methods for visualizing data

• US 7,756,907 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Inventors: Stolte, Chris, Hanrahan, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): FILIPCZYK, MARCIN R
• Application Number:
  US10/667,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,492 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102, 707/200, 707/201, 715/502, 715/503, 715/700, 345/418, 345/440
• US Class Current: 707/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

A method for forming a visual plot using a hierarchical structure of a dataset. The dataset comprises a measure and a dimension. The dimension consists of a plurality of levels. The plurality of levels form a dimension hierarchy. The visual plot is constructed based on a specification. A first level from the plurality of levels is represented by a first component of the visual plot. A second level from the plurality of levels is represented by a second component of the visual plot. The dataset is queried to retrieve data in accordance with the specification. The data includes all or a portion of the dimension and all or a portion of the measure. The visual plot is populated with the retrieved data in accordance with the specification.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for visualizing a hierarchical, multi-dimensional dataset having a plurality of dimensions and measures, comprising:

at a computer having one or more processors and memory storing programs executed by the one or more processors;

displaying a graphical user interface window for visualizing the dataset, wherein one of the dimensions is a hierarchical dimension that includes a first dimension level and a second dimension level, the graphical user interface window including a schema display region and a data visualization region, wherein;

the schema display region includes metadata identifying the plurality of measures and dimensions including the first dimension level and the second dimension level, and wherein the schema display region is generated by;

identifying one or more measures from the dataset;

generating a list of the first and second dimension levels and a list of the identified measures; and

displaying the lists of the first and second dimension levels and the identified measures in the schema display region;

the data visualization region includes a first axis shelf, a second axis shelf, and a visual table;

detecting user requests to associate the metadata identifying the first dimension level with the first axis shelf, associate the metadata identifying the second dimension level with the second axis shelf, and associate the metadata of a measure selected from the schema display region with the first or second axis shelf;

in response to the user requests,

forming in the visual table a plurality of panes, each pane having a first axis corresponding to the first dimension level associated with the first axis shelf and a second axis corresponding to the second dimension level associated with the second axis shelf;

dividing the dataset into a plurality of subsets, each subset corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of panes; and

populating each pane in the visual table with a respective subset of the dataset in accordance with the arrangement of the first and second axes, wherein the first and second axes have different directions, further including;

displaying one or more data values associated with the first dimension level in the respective subset along the first axis of the pane;

displaying one or more data values associated with the second dimension level in the respective subset along the second axis of the pane; and

displaying one or more marks in the pane, each mark corresponding to a respective data value associated with the measure in the respective subset.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an icon for the first dimension level in the schema display region;

detecting a user selection of the icon in the schema display region;

detecting a user selection of the first axis shelf in the data visualization region; and

moving a copy of the icon from the schema display region into the first axis shelf in the data visualization region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each mark is positioned along the first axis of the pane in accordance with the corresponding data value associated with the first dimension level and the mark is positioned along the second axis of the pane in accordance with the corresponding data value associated with the second dimension level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein populating each pane in the visual table further includes:

constructing a visual specification, wherein the visual specification defines a mapping from the dataset to each pane in the visual table; and

retrieving data records from the dataset in accordance with the visual specification.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first axis is in the horizontal direction and the second axis is in the vertical direction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical dimension is time and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical dimension is location and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical dimension is product and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of product.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the dataset is an OLAP data cube.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical dimension includes a third dimension level, the first, second, and third dimension levels having a natural order, and wherein the first axis of each pane corresponds the first and third dimension levels and the second axis of each pane corresponds to the second dimension level.

11. A computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein for forming a visual table from a hierarchical, multi-dimensional dataset having a plurality of dimensions and measures, wherein one of the dimensions is a hierarchical dimension that includes a first dimension level and a second dimension level, the computer program mechanism comprising instructions that are executed by a computer system to:

display a graphical user interface window for visualizing the dataset, the graphical user interface window including a schema display region and a data visualization region, wherein;

the schema display region includes metadata identifying the plurality of measures and dimensions including the first dimension level and the second dimension level, and wherein the schema display region is generated by;

identifying one or more measures from the dataset;

generating a list of the first and second dimension levels and a list of the identified measures; and

displaying the lists of the first and second dimension levels and the identified measures in the schema display region;

the data visualization region includes a first axis shelf, a second axis shelf, and a visual table;

detect user requests to associate the metadata identifying the first dimension level with the first axis shelf, associate the metadata identifying the second dimension level with the second axis shelf, and associate the metadata of a measure selected from the schema display region with the first or second axis shelf;

in response to the user requests,

form in the visual table a plurality of panes, each pane having a first axis corresponding to the first dimension level associated with the first axis shelf and a second axis corresponding to the second dimension level associated with the second axis shelf in response to the user requests;

divide the dataset into a plurality of subsets, each subset corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of panes; and

populate each pane in the visual table with a respective subset of the dataset in accordance with the arrangement of the first and second axes, wherein the first and second axes have different directions, further including;

displaying one or more data values associated with the first dimension level in the respective subset along the first axis of the pane;

displaying one or more data values associated with the second dimension level in the respective subset along the second axis of the pane; and

displaying one or more marks in the pane, each mark corresponding to a respective data value associated with the measure in the respective subset.

12. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, further comprising:

instructions for displaying an icon for the first dimension level in the schema display region;

instructions for detecting a user selection of the icon in the schema display region;

instructions for detecting a user selection of the first axis shelf in the data visualization region; and

instructions for moving a copy of the icon of the first dimension level from the schema display region into the first axis shelf in the data visualization region.

13. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, wherein each mark is positioned along the first axis of the pane in accordance with the corresponding data value associated with the first dimension level and the mark is positioned along the second axis of the pane in accordance with the corresponding data value associated with the second dimension level.

14. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, wherein the instructions for populating each pane in the visual table further include:

instructions for constructing a visual specification, wherein the visual specification defines a mapping from the dataset to each pane in the visual table; and

instructions for retrieving data records from the dataset in accordance with the visual specification.

15. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, wherein the first axis is in the horizontal direction and the second axis is in the vertical direction.

16. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, wherein the hierarchical dimension is time and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of time.

17. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, wherein the hierarchical dimension is location and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of location.

18. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, wherein the hierarchical dimension is product and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of product.

19. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, wherein the dataset is an OLAP data cube.

20. The computer readable storage medium and computer program mechanism of claim 11, wherein the hierarchical dimension includes a third dimension level, the first, second, and third dimension levels having a natural order, and wherein the first axis of each pane corresponds the first and third dimension levels and the second axis of each pane corresponds to the second dimension level.

21. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the programs including;

instructions for displaying a graphical user interface window for visualizing a hierarchical, multi-dimensional dataset having a plurality of dimensions and measures, wherein one of the dimensions is a hierarchical dimension that includes a first dimension level and a second dimension level, the graphical user interface window including a schema display region and a data visualization region, wherein;

the schema display region includes metadata identifying the plurality of measures and dimensions including the first dimension level and the second dimension level, and wherein the schema display region is generated by;

identifying one or more measures from the dataset;

generating a list of the first and second dimension levels and a list of the identified measures; and

displaying the lists of the first and second dimension levels and the identified measures in the schema display region;

the data visualization region includes a first axis shelf, a second axis shelf, and a visual table;

instructions for user requests to associate the metadata identifying the first dimension level with the first axis shelf associate the metadata identifying the second dimension level with the second axis shelf, and associate the metadata of a measure selected from the schema display region with the first or second axis shelf;

instructions for, in response to the user requests,

forming in the visual table a plurality of panes, each pane having a first axis corresponding to the first dimension level associated with the first axis shelf and a second axis corresponding to the second dimension level associated with the second axis shelf in response to the user requests;

dividing the dataset into a plurality of subsets, each subset corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of panes; and

instructions for populating each pane in the visual table with a respective subset of the dataset in accordance with the arrangement of the first and second axes, wherein the first and second axes have different directions, further including;

instructions for displaying one or more data values associated with the first dimension level in the respective subset along the first axis of the pane;

instructions for displaying one or more data values associated with the second dimension level in the respective subset along the second axis of the pane; and

instructions for displaying one or more marks in the pane, each mark corresponding to a respective data value associated with the measure in the respective subset.

22. The computer system of claim 21, further comprising:

instructions for displaying an icon for the first dimension level in the schema display region;

instructions for detecting a user selection of the icon in the schema display region;

instructions for detecting a user selection of the first axis shelf in the data visualization region; and

instructions for moving a copy of the icon of the first dimension level from the schema display region into the first axis shelf in the data visualization region.

23. The computer system of claim 21, wherein each mark is positioned along the first axis of the pane in accordance with the corresponding data value associated with the first dimension level and the mark is positioned along the second axis of the pane in accordance with the corresponding data value associated with the second dimension level.

24. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the instructions for populating each pane in the visual table further include:

instructions for constructing a visual specification, wherein the visual specification defines a mapping from the dataset to each pane in the visual table; and

instructions for retrieving data records from the dataset in accordance with the visual specification.

25. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the first axis is in the horizontal direction and the second axis is in the vertical direction.

26. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the hierarchical dimension is time and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of time.

27. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the hierarchical dimension is location and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of location.

28. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the hierarchical dimension is product and the first level is higher than the second level in the natural hierarchy of product.

29. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the dataset is an OLAP data cube.

30. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the hierarchical dimension includes a third dimension level, the first, second, and third dimension levels having a natural order, and wherein the first axis of each pane corresponds the first and third dimension levels and the second axis of each pane corresponds to the second dimension level.