Report generation using metadata

• US 7,805,400 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Skrivan, Samuel Hugh, Ravindran, Karthik, Takacs, Daniel, Nuthakki, Manoj, Teh, Jin Teik
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz; Apu M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Jessica N
• Application Number:
  US11/343,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20070179975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/101, 707/102, 707/3, 707/100, 707/600, 707/601, 707/603
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system for use in rendering a report for a client application, client server application or multi-tier applications. The system includes a report definition generator that is configured to generate a report definition using metadata located in a metadata store. A database in the application configured to receive a query and to provide a data set. A design engine is configured to render the report based on the report definition, parameters and the data set.

Claims

1. A system for use in generating a report for a client application, the system comprising:

a computer storage medium including a metadata store comprising;

design-time metadata including metadata for use in designing a report, the design-time metadata related to properties of entity data structures formed from information located in a database of the client application and related to relationships between the entity data structures;

run-time metadata including metadata for use in generating a report previously designed, the run-time metadata related to properties of the entity data structures and related to relationships between the entity data structures;

a processor that implements;

a report controller receiving relational entity queries and entity cube queries from the design-time metadata stored in the metadata store and the run-time metadata stored in the metadata store;

a report definition language generator generating a report definition using metadata from one of the design-time metadata stored in the metadata store and the run-time metadata stored in the metadata store depending on whether a report is to be designed by a developer or a select report is to be generated for interaction with a user;

a query services engine executing a query of the database of the client application using the relational entity queries and entity cube queries received by the report controller from the design-time metadata and the run-time metadata to uncover a data set;

a preview module that receives an indication that the report is to be previewed, the preview module obtains a validating session key to allow the report controller to decrypt and access information from the run-time metadata to preview the report; and

a design engine rendering the report based on the report definition, parameters defined by the query of the database and the data set.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application comprises at least one of an enterprise resource planning system and a customer relationship management system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the query services engine re-executes the query of the database based on an indication from the report controller s to refresh the dataset.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application comprises a physical controller that provides the report controller with additional parameters.

5. A computer-implemented method of generating a report for a client application, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, relational entity queries and entity cube queries from a computer storage medium having design-time metadata store and run-time metadata store, the design-time metadata for use in designing a report that are related to properties of entity data structures formed from information located in a database of the client application and related to relationships between the entity data structures and the run-time metadata for use in generating a report that are related to properties of the entity data structures and related to relationships between the entity data structures;

generating, by the processor, a report definition using metadata from one of the design-time metadata and the run-time metadata located in the metadata storage depending on whether a report is to be designed by a developer or a select report is to be generated for interaction with a user;

executing, by the processor, a query of the database in the client application to retrieve a data set using the relational entity queries and entity cube queries abstracted from the design-time metadata and run-time metadata stored in the metadata store;

receiving, by a processor, an indication that the report is to be previewed and obtaining, by a processor, a validating session key to allow the report controller to decrypt and access information from the run-time metadata to preview the report; and

rendering the report based on the generated report definition, parameters defined by the query of the database and the data set.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the report is selected from a plurality of created reports based on a user input when the report is to be generated the report definition of designed reports.