System and method for analyzing data in a report

• US 8,200,618 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Leikucs, Andrew Alexander, Winter, Stewart James, Gibson, Stephen David
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Wilson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Jessica N
• Application Number:
  US11/934,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/603
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and a system for analyzing a data value of interest in a multidimensional database. The data value of interest is first identified in a structured report. The data source for the structured report is retrieved. A context for the data value of interest in the data source is collected, for example, by extracting a slicer from the structured report, by extracting members of master-detail pages, or by extracting a default measure from the structured report. An analysis specification based on the collected context is then built, and the data value of interest is analyzed using the analysis specification. The result from analyzing the data value of interest may be presented in an analysis view.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a cross-tab intersection in a cross-tab;

retrieving a data source for a structured report;

collecting a context for the cross-tab intersection in the data source, wherein the context includes a data value;

building an analysis specification, with a processor, based on the collected context by

extracting a slicer from the structured report and adding the slicer to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having said slicer,

extracting a member of one or more master-detail pages and adding the one or more master-detail pages to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having one or more master-detail pages,

extracting a default measure from the structured report and adding the default measure to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having a default measure, and

adding at least one child of the member to the analysis specification based upon the member being an innermost nested member; and

analyzing, with an analysis tool, the cross-tab intersection using the analysis specification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a result from analyzing the cross-tab intersection in an analysis view.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cross-tab intersection has multiple columns.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cross-tab intersection has multiple rows.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis specification is explorer style.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis specification is for driving factor analysis.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the slicer is a set of members that generates a subset of a multidimensional cube.

8. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

identify a cross-tab intersection in a cross-tab;

retrieve a data source for a structured report;

collect a context for the cross-tab intersection in the data source, wherein the context includes a data value;

build an analysis specification based on the collected context by

extracting a slicer from the structured report and adding the slicer to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having said slicer,

extracting a member of one or more master-detail pages and adding the one or more master-detail pages to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having one or more master-detail pages,

extracting a default measure from the structured report and adding the default measure to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having a default measure, and

adding at least one child of the member to the analysis specification based upon the member being an innermost nested member; and

analyze, with an analysis tool, the cross-tab intersection using the analysis specification.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising means for presenting a result from analyzing the cross tab intersection in an analysis view.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the slicer is a set of members that generates a subset of a multidimensional cube.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the cross-tab intersection has multiple columns.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the cross-tab intersection has multiple rows.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the analysis specification is explorer style.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the analysis specification is for driving factor analysis.

15. A non-transitory storage medium readable by a computer encoding a computer program for execution by the computer to carry out a method for analyzing a data value of interest in a multidimensional database comprising:

identifying a cross-tab intersection in a cross-tab;

retrieving a data source for a structured report;

collecting a context for the cross-tab intersection in the data source, wherein the context includes a data value;

building an analysis specification based on the collected context by

extracting a slicer from the structured report and adding the slicer to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having said slicer,

extracting a member of one or more master-detail pages and adding the one or more master-detail pages to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having one or more master-detail pages,

extracting a default measure from the structured report and adding the default measure to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having a default measure, and

adding at least one child of the member to the analysis specification based upon the member being an innermost nested member; and

analyzing, with an analysis tool, the cross-tab intersection using the analysis specification.

16. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, further comprising means for presenting a result from analyzing the cross-tab intersection in an analysis view.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the slicer is a set of members that generates a subset of a multidimensional cube.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises presenting a result from analyzing the cross-tab intersection in an analysis view.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the cross-tab intersection has multiple columns.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the cross-tab intersection has multiple rows.

21. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the analysis specification is explorer style.

22. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the analysis specification is for driving factor analysis.