Dynamically filtering aggregate reports based on values resulting from one or more previously applied filters

• US 7,831,539 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Folting, Allan, Hayrapetyan, Tigran, Hawking, Robert, Zhong, Weide
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pulliam; Christyann R
• Application Number:
  US11/157,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20060287998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,967 Days
• Field of Search: 715/218
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24556 Aggregation; Duplicate elimination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products dynamically filter an aggregate report based on values resulting from one or more filters previously applied to the aggregate report. A method involves maintaining a collection of filters to be applied in a designated evaluation order to the aggregate report, applying a first filter to the aggregate report, and evaluating values in the aggregate report to produce aggregate values resulting from applying the first filter. The method also involves applying a next filter to the aggregate report and evaluating the aggregate values in the aggregate report resulting from applying the first filter therein producing aggregate values resulting from applying the next filter to the aggregate report. Additionally, the method involves displaying the aggregate report wherein evaluating values resulting from previously applying any filter to the aggregate report involves evaluating visual values displayed in the aggregate report after each previous filter has been applied.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for dynamically filtering aggregate reports based on visible values in the aggregated reports, the method comprising:

a) maintaining a plurality of filters to be applied in a designated order to the aggregated reports, wherein the each of the aggregated reports comprises a plurality of fields for displaying report details, wherein the report details are collapsible within each of the plurality of fields causing the report details to be hidden;

b) applying, by the computer, a first filter to an original aggregate report, wherein the first filter is applied to the original aggregate report only when the report details for at least one of the plurality of fields are hidden with respect to other report details which are displayed within at least one other field within the plurality of fields;

c) evaluating values of the original aggregated report based on the first filter therein producing an intermediate filtered aggregate report, wherein evaluating values of the original aggregated report comprises filtering inner nested fields based on visible values for a corresponding outer nested field;

d) applying a next filter to the intermediate filtered aggregate report; and

e) evaluating visible values of the intermediate filtered aggregate report based on the next filter therein producing a next filtered aggregate report, wherein evaluating visible values comprises aggregating totals from applying the first filter and using the totals aggregated as inputs for aggregating totals from applying the next filter and wherein evaluating visible values of the intermediate aggregated report also comprises filtering inner nested fields based on visible values for a corresponding outer nested field.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

f) determining whether there is another next filter from the plurality of filters yet to be applied;

g) in response to determining that there is another next filter yet to be applied;

storing the next filtered aggregate report as the intermediate filtered aggregate report; and

repeating d)-g); and

h) in response to determining that there is not another next filter yet to be applied, storing the next filtered aggregate report as a final filtered aggregate report.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the visible values of the intermediate filtered aggregate report.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a refresh instruction; and

in response to receiving the refresh instruction;

retrieving updated source data; and

reapplying the plurality of filters in the designated order based on the updated source data therein producing an updated final filtered aggregate report.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein reapplying the plurality of filters comprises reapplying the plurality of filters in a single operation without displaying the intermediate filtered aggregate report.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the refresh instruction comprises receiving a refresh instruction in response to at least one of adding a field to an aggregated report or removing a field from a aggregate report, further comprising:

receiving notice that a field has been removed from a aggregate report;

in response to the field being removed, removing any filters only associated with the field from the plurality of filters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated order is based on an order in which each filter is added to the plurality of filters, further comprising:

adding a new filter to the plurality of filters; and

determining an evaluation order placement for the new filter.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a change in order policy for the plurality of filters; and

in response to receiving the change in order policy, reordering the evaluation order placement for the plurality of filters wherein the plurality of filters having a designated order of evaluation is exposed by an application program interface.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying multiple filters of the plurality of filters at the same time to different fields of an aggregate report wherein the different fields reside in at least one of a row area of the aggregated report, a column area of the aggregate report, a hidden area of the aggregate report, or a page filter area of the aggregate report.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the first filter to the original aggregate report and applying a next filter to the intermediate filtered aggregate report comprises applying filters to a relational aggregate report or to an online analytical processing (OLAP) aggregate report and wherein maintaining a plurality of filters comprises maintaining at least one of the following filter types:

a text filter operative to dynamically filter by captions;

a value filter operative to dynamically filter by a value of a data field;

a date filter operative to dynamically filter by a value of a date item; and

a top/bottom filter operative to dynamically filter by values of data fields.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer-storage medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to dynamically filter an aggregate report based on values resulting from one or more filters previously applied to the aggregate report, the control logic comprising computer-readable program code for causing the computer to:

a) maintain a collection of filters to be applied in a designated evaluation order to the aggregate report, wherein the aggregate report comprises a plurality of fields for displaying report details, wherein the report details are collapsible within each of the plurality of fields causing the report details to be hidden;

b) apply a first filter to the aggregate report, wherein the first filter is applied to the aggregate report only when the report details for at least one of the plurality of fields are hidden with respect to other report details which are displayed within at least one other field within the plurality of fields;

c) evaluate aggregate values in the aggregate report based on the first filter therein producing aggregate values in the aggregate report resulting from applying the first filter, wherein evaluate aggregate values of the aggregate report comprises filtering inner nested fields based on visible values for a corresponding outer nested field;

d) apply a next filter to the aggregate report; and

e) based on the next filter, evaluate the aggregate values in the aggregate report resulting from any filters previously applied therein producing aggregate values in the aggregate report resulting from applying the next filter, wherein the evaluation based on the next filter comprises aggregating totals from applying the first filter and using the totals aggregated as inputs for aggregating totals from applying the next filter and wherein evaluate the aggregate values of the aggregate report comprises filtering inner nested fields based on visible values for a corresponding outer nested field.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the computer to:

f) determine whether there is another next filter yet to be applied from the collection of filters;

g) apply the another next filter to the aggregate report in response to determining that there is another next filter yet to be applied;

h) based on the another next filter, evaluate the aggregate values in the aggregate report resulting from any filters previously applied therein producing aggregate values in the aggregate report resulting from applying the another next filter; and

i) repeat f)-h).

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the computer to:

display the aggregate report wherein the computer-readable program code for causing the computer to evaluate values resulting from any filters previously applied comprises computer-readable program code for causing the computer to evaluate visual values displayed in the aggregate report.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer-readable program code for causing the computer to:

receive a refresh instruction; and

in response to receiving the refresh instruction;

retrieve updated source data; and

reapply the collection of filters in the designated evaluation order based on the updated source data therein producing an updated final filtered aggregate report.

15. A computer-implemented method for dynamically filtering an aggregate report based on values resulting from one or more filters previously applied to the aggregate report, the method comprising:

a) maintaining a collection of filters to be applied in a designated evaluation order to the aggregate report, wherein the aggregate report comprises a plurality of fields for displaying report details, wherein the report details are collapsible within each of the plurality of fields causing the report details to be hidden;

b) applying, by the computer, a filter to the aggregate report, wherein the filter is applied to the aggregate report in response to hiding the report details displayed within at least one of the plurality of fields;

c) based on the filter, evaluating aggregate values in the aggregate report to produce aggregate values resulting from applying the filter, wherein evaluating aggregate values of the aggregate report comprises filtering inner nested fields based on visible values for a corresponding outer nested field;

d) applying another filter to the aggregate report; and

e) based on the another filter, evaluating the values in the aggregate report resulting from applying the filter therein aggregating the aggregate values resulting from applying the another filter, wherein evaluating the values based on the another filter comprises aggregating totals from applying the filter and wherein evaluating the values in the aggregate report based on the another filter also comprises filtering inner nested fields based on visible values for a corresponding outer nested field.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

f) determining whether there is a next filter yet to be applied from the collection of filters;

g) applying the next filter to the aggregate report in response to determining that there is a next filter yet to be applied;

h) based on the next filter, evaluating values in the aggregate report resulting from previously applying any filters therein aggregating aggregate values in the aggregate report resulting from applying the next filter; and

i) repeating f)-h).

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying the aggregate report wherein evaluating the aggregate values resulting from previously applying any filter comprises evaluating visual values displayed in the aggregate report after the any filters have been applied.