Drilling on elements in arbitrary ad-hoc reports

• US 8,024,650 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Carlson, Jason David, Meyers, Robert Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US11/396,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20070233666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/201, 715/204, 715/205, 715/210, 715/212, 715/215, 715/219, 715/220, 715/226, 715/227, 715/229, 715/231, 715/234, 715/243, 715/253, 715/255, 715/273, 715/760, 707 1- 4, 707/6, 707/7, 707/100, 707/102, 707/200, 707/201, 707/601, 707/602, 707/713, 707/714, 707/716, 707/717, 707/754, 707/763, 707/769, 707/774, 707/805, 707/999.001, 707/999.1, 707/999.102
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for drilling on data elements in arbitrary ad-hoc reports. Data elements in one ad-hoc report can be examined and then drilled on, in order to obtain other related data elements in other ad-hoc reports. Thus, in one exemplary aspect of the disclosure, when a user selects a data element in an ad-hoc report, another ad-hoc report is generated containing data elements that are obtained as a result of taking into account 1) the original query associated with data element in the ad-hoc report; 2) the context of the selection in the ad-hoc report, and 3) the granularity of the resulting query associated with the resulting ad-hoc report.

Claims

1. A system for drilling on at least one element in an arbitrary ad-hoc report, comprising:

a memory including a first data element residing in a generated first ad-hoc report stored in said memory; and

a computer configured to generate a second ad-hoc report containing a second data element as a response to receiving data associated with selection of the first data element,

the computer configured to drill from the first data element to the second data element along a drill path upon receipt of the data associated with selection of the first data element,

the drill path created dynamically as a response to receiving data associated with selection of the first data element,

the drill path created by using an original query associated with the first data element and system-provided suggestions indicating a data element selection to create a drill path that obtains a desired result, a first context of the data element selection, and a granularity of a destination query associated with the second data element,

wherein the first ad-hoc report is dynamically generated based on the original query,

wherein the instruction associated with the first data element is received via a user interface, and

wherein upon receipt of an instruction associated with selection of the first data element, a first filter is applied; and

subtracting the first filter upon receiving second data indicating the selection of a return to the first ad-hoc report, a second context thereafter being associated with the first ad-hoc report.

2. The system according to claim 1, the context of the selection corresponding to a row that the first data element resides in.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second ad-hoc report is generated dynamically following of receipt of the instruction associated with the first data element.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an additional ad-hoc report containing an additional data element, wherein the additional ad-hoc report is generated by the computer upon receipt of an instruction associated with of the second data element.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first data element and the second data element are on different drill paths.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first data element and the second data element are on the same drill path.

7. A computer-implemented method for drilling on at least one element in an arbitrary ad-hoc report, comprising:

providing, by a computer, a first ad-hoc report with a first data element;

configuring, by the computer, the first data element to be selected;

drilling, by the computer, from the first data element to a second data element in a second ad-hoc report upon receiving an indication of a selection of the first data element via a user interface; and

,

generating the second ad-hoc report upon receipt of data indicating a selection of the first data element and the drilling is accomplished by drilling along a drill path,

the drill path being created dynamically upon receipt of the data indicating a selection of through of one or more data elements, the drill path being created using an original query associated with the first data element and computer-provided suggestions indicating a data element selection and considering a first context of the selection and a granularity of a destination query associated with the second data element,

wherein the providing of the first ad-hoc report comprises dynamically generating the first ad-hoc report based on the original query, and

wherein upon receipt of the information indicating selection of the first data element, a first filter is applied; and

subtracting the first filter upon receiving second data indicating the selection of a return to the first ad-hoc report, a second context thereafter being associated with the first ad-hoc report.

8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising from a first path wherein the first data element resides, to a second drill path wherein the second data element resides.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising drilling on a path containing both the first data element and the second data element.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the configuring comprises accounting for the context of the selection that corresponds to a row that the first data element resides in.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising dynamically generating the second ad-hoc report upon the selection of the first data element.

12. A computer readable storage medium excluding signals having stored thereon computer executable instructions that when processed by a computer cause said computer to:

provide a first ad-hoc report with a first data element;

generate a second ad-hoc report containing a second data element as a response to receiving data associated with selection of the first data element;

drill from the first data element in the first ad-hoc report to the second data element in the second ad-hoc report, along a drill path, upon receipt of the data associated with selection of the first data element;

the drill path created dynamically upon receipt of data indicating a selection of the first data element,

the drilling created by using an original query associated with the first data element and computer-provided suggestions indicating a data element selection to create a drill path that obtains a desired result, and considers a context of a selection of the first data element and a granularity of a destination query associated with the second data element,

apply a first filter corresponding to a first data element upon receipt of the data indicating the selection of a user of the first data element; and

subtract the first filter upon receiving second data indicating the selection of a return to the first ad-hoc report, a second context thereafter being associated with the first ad-hoc report,

wherein the first ad-hoc report is dynamically generated based on the original query, and

wherein the instruction associated with the first data element is received via a user interface.

13. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12 further comprising, across different paths.

14. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12 further comprising, drilling along one path.

15. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, further comprising drilling following the selection of said one or more data elements by a user.

16. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the drilling results in generating the second ad-hoc report.