Presentation of data using meta-morphing

• US 7,779,018 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TARGIT A/S
• Original Assignee: TARGIT A/S
• Inventors: Middelfart, Morten
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ruiz; Angelica
• Application Number:
  US10/556,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,283 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24522 Translation of natural language queries to structured queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for presenting data is disclosed. The method includes determining items in a question that are contained in a predefined list of items and are defined to be measures or dimensions, determining an association based on the determined items and, based on the determined association, retrieving presentation properties related to a stored association, applying the determined association query the database, and retrieving data which is presented using the presentation properties. The method also includes registering a count that representing a frequency of use of the presentation properties.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of making a presentation of data retrieved by submitting a query to a database including data categorized as a measures-type, which includes data representing amounts, and data categorized as a dimensions-type, which includes data along which measures-type data can be arrayed, said method comprising:

receiving, from a computer-user interface device, a question including a plurality of data items;

comparing the plurality of data items in the question to a set of reference data items in the database, said reference data items belonging to either of the measures-type category or the dimensions-type category;

identifying, based on said comparing, a first of the plurality of data items in the question that is included in the set of reference data items and belongs to the measures-type category;

identifying, based on said comparing, a second of the plurality of data items in the question that is included in the set of reference data items and belongs to the dimensions-type category;

determining whether a first, predefined association exists between the first data item and the second data item;

in the event that a first, predefined association exists between the first data item and the second data item;

determining a similarity between the first association and one or more second associations stored in the database, said second associations having corresponding presentation properties;

retrieving presentation properties corresponding to one of said second associations based on the determined similarity of the second association and the first association;

generating a database query based on the first association;

retrieving data from the database, said retrieved data corresponding to a result obtained by querying the database using said generated query; and

presenting the retrieved data on a display device according to the retrieved presentation properties;

registering in the database the first association and the second association with a count that represents a frequency of use; and

in the event that no first, predefined association exists between the first data item and the second data item;

identifying one of the plurality of data items in the question that belongs to either the dimensions-type or the measures-type,

selecting a data item belonging to either the measures-type or the dimensions-type, respectively, from a data storage device, wherein said selecting is based on the most frequently used data item of the dimensions-type or the measures-type, respectively, and

creating a third association between the selected data item and the determined one of the plurality of data items.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining items in the question includes:

parsing the question to identify fractions of the question;

comparing identified fractions to items comprised in the predefined list of items; and

selecting an item being determined as matching the fraction as a determined item.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes:

receiving a spoken question, which is processed by a step of performing speech recognition to provide items in the question in computer-readable form.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein identifying data items in the question includes:

determining whether a word in the question is similar to an item in the predefined list of items;

if the word is determined not to be similar, discarding the word; and

if the word is determined to be similar, storing the word as a identified data item.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining a similarity comprises:

searching a first storage device to detect a previously used association, if any, involving the determined data items, and

in the event no previously used association involving the identified data items are found, creating an association including the identified data items.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

examining the question to detect combinations of associations;

determining presentation properties by searching stored combinations of associations with assigned presentation properties; and

applying the presentation properties to make a presentation of data specified by the combinations of associations.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of selecting a data item of the measures type or dimensions type includes:

selecting from a storage device the data items that can be associated with the identified data item in the question to create an association.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying a data item of the measures type involves selecting from a storage device the data items that are determined to be the most frequently used data items in association with the determined data item in the question.

9. the method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

creating a memory object for each determined data item of the dimensions type.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving the presentation properties of the second association comprises:

applying the presentation properties to make a presentation of the data specified by the second association.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination

of presentation properties comprises a layered search for presentation properties.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the layered search comprises a first level with a search for a match of measures and same dimensions.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the layered search comprises a second level with a search for a match of measures and different dimensions.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the layered search comprises a third level with a search for a match of dimension at primarily same level of dimension or secondarily at a different level of dimension.

15. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of applying an expert system, arranged to determine and apply presentation properties, in the event no like association is found.

16. A computer-readable medium encoded with a program implementing the method set forth in claim 1 when run on a computer.

17. A computer program product implementing the method set forth in claim 1 when run on a computer.

18. A computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a computer, controls the computer provide a user-interface arranged to make a presentation of data according to method set forth in claim 1.

19. A system comprising:

a processor;

a computer-user interface device;

a display device;

a database including data categorized as a measures-type, which includes data representing amounts, and data categorized as a dimensions-type, which includes data along which measures-type data can be arrayed; and

a computer-readable data recording device having program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform a method of making a presentation of data retrieved by submitting a query to the database, said method comprising;

receiving, from the computer-user interface device, a question including a plurality of data items;

comparing the plurality of data items in the question to a set of reference data items in the database, said reference data items belonging to either of the measures-type category or the dimensions-type category;

identifying, based on said comparing, a first of the plurality of data items in the question that is included in the set of reference data items and belongs to the measures-type category;

identifying, based on said comparing, a second of the plurality of data items in the question that is included in the set of reference data items and belongs to the dimensions-type category;

determining whether a first, predefined association exists between the first data item and the second data item;

in the event that a first, predefined association exists between the first data item and the second data item;

determining a similarity between the first association and one or more second associations stored in the database, said second associations having corresponding presentation properties;

retrieving presentation properties corresponding to one of said second associations based on the determined similarity of the second association and the first association;

generating a database query based on the first association;

retrieving data from the database, said retrieved data corresponding to a result obtained by querying the database using said generated query;

presenting the retrieved data on the display device according to the retrieved presentation properties, and

registering in the database the first association and the second association with a count that represents a frequency of use; and

in the event that no first predefined association exists between the first data item and the second data item;

identifying one of the plurality of data items in the question that belongs to either the dimensions-type or the measures-type,

selecting a data item belonging to either the measures-type or the dimensions-type, respectively, from a data storage device, wherein the selecting is based on being the most frequently used data item of the dimensions-type or the measures-type, respectively, and

creating a third association between the selected data item and the determined one of the plurality of data items.