Autocompleting with queries to a database

• US 8,234,293 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Martynov, Alexander, Gainer, David F., Dickerman, Howard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bétit, Jacob F
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, BAO G
• Application Number:
  US11/222,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,518 Days
• Field of Search: 707/534, 707/3, 707/5, 707/999.102, 707/999.002, 707/999.004, 707/999.001, 707/999.003, 707766-769, 707/802, 707/803, 707/804, 707/809, 707/811, 365/200, 715255-272, 715/230, 715/234, 715/484, 715/248, 715/209, 715/210
• US Class Current: 707/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

An autocomplete method and system provides suggested completions for partial data entries based upon predefined coordinates, operands and/or commands. In one embodiment, the partial data entry may be in an active cell of a spreadsheet and the predefined coordinates may be queried from a separate, preconfigured, multi-dimensional database linked to the active cell or the spreadsheet.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for suggesting completion of partial data entries within an active cell in a spreadsheet, the computer-implemented method comprising:

linking, by a computer, the spreadsheet to a plurality of multi-dimensional databases that are independent of the spreadsheet, wherein each of the plurality of multi-dimensional databases comprises a plurality of elements, wherein each element of the plurality of elements corresponds to an element type comprising one of;

a dimension, a member, a function, and a hierarchy, wherein the linking comprises;

communicatively coupling the spreadsheet to each of the plurality of multi-dimensional databases, and

generating a unique link label for each of the plurality of multi-dimensional databases; and

receiving a first partial data entry within the active cell, wherein the first partial data entry corresponds to a set of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements within at least one of the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases;

querying, by the computer, the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases to identify the set of one or more first elements within the at least one of the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases corresponding to the first partial data entry, wherein the querying of the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases is performed as the user enters the first partial data entry within the active cell so that when a new character is added to the partial data entry a new query is executed, wherein queries to the multi-dimensional databases are formatted as multi-dimensional expressions (MDX);

displaying, by the computer, on a display device the set of one or more first elements as a suggested completion for the first partial data entry, wherein an indicator is displayed adjacent each of the one or more first elements, wherein the indicator identifies an element type corresponding to each of the one or more first elements, and wherein a different indicator identifies each element type;

receiving a modification to the first partial data entry within the active cell, wherein the modified first partial data entry corresponds to a different set of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements within at least one of the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases;

displaying, by the computer, on a display device the different set of one or more first elements as a suggested completion for the modified first partial data entry;

receiving a selection of a first element of the different set of one or more first elements;

storing the accepted first element within the first active cell;

receiving a second partial data entry within the active cell, wherein the second partial data entry corresponds to a set of one or more second elements within at least one of the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases;

querying, by the computer, the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases to identify the set of one or more second elements within the at least one of the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases corresponding to the second partial data entry;

displaying, by the computer, on the display device the set of one or more second elements as a second suggested completion for the second partial data entry, wherein an indicator is displayed adjacent each of the one or more second elements, wherein the indicator identifies an element type corresponding to each of the one or more second elements, and wherein a different indicator identifies each element type;

receiving a selection of a second element that is one of the set of one or more second elements; and

adding the second element to a string comprising the first element in the active cell.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first element is a dimension-type element, the method further comprising:

responsive to the receiving a selection of the first element, the computer storing a matching dimension within the active cell.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer receiving a user-initiated command pertinent to the suggested completion;

the computer operating on the suggested completion in accordance with the user-initiated command; and

when the user-initiated command contains a modified partial data entry, then the computer displaying on the display device a modified suggested completion that corresponds to the modified partial data entry.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of linked multi-dimensional databases is an online analytical processing (OLAP) database.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second partial data entry is different from the first partial data entry.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second element is different from the first element.

5. A computer-implemented method for autocompleting a partial entry in a first active cell and a second active cell of a spreadsheet utilizing a plurality of preconfigured databases independent from the spreadsheet, wherein each of the plurality of preconfigured databases comprises a plurality of elements, wherein each element of the plurality of elements corresponds to an element type comprising one of:

a dimension, a member, a function, and a hierarchy, the computer-implemented method comprising;

a computer linking the spreadsheet to the plurality of preconfigured databases to allow the spreadsheet to utilize data within the preconfigured database, wherein the linking comprises;

communicatively coupling the spreadsheet to each of the plurality of preconfigured databases, and

generating a unique link label for each of the plurality of preconfigured databases;

defining the first partial data entry within the first active cell, the first partial data entry comprising a portion of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements in the plurality of preconfigured databases;

the computer querying the plurality of preconfigured databases to find the one or more first elements of the plurality of elements corresponding to the first partial data entry, wherein the querying of the plurality of preconfigured databases is performed as the first partial data entry is defined within the first active cell so that when a new character is added to the first partial data entry a new query is executed, wherein queries to the plurality of preconfigured databases are formatted as multi-dimensional expressions (MDX);

the computer displaying on a display device a set of the one or more first elements of the plurality of elements as a suggested completion for the first partial data entry, wherein an indicator is displayed adjacent each of the one or more first elements, wherein the indicator identifies an element type corresponding to each of the one or more first elements, and wherein a different indicator identifies each type;

receiving a modification to the first partial data entry within the active cell, wherein the modified first partial data entry corresponds to a different set of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements within at least one of the plurality of preconfigured databases;

the computer displaying on a display device the different set of one or more first elements as a suggested completion for the modified first partial data entry;

the computer receiving an acceptance command related to one of the displayed different set of one or more first elements;

the computer storing the accepted first element within the first active cell;

receiving a second partial data entry within the second active cell, wherein the second partial data entry corresponds to a set of one or more second elements of the plurality of elements within at least one of the plurality of preconfigured databases;

the computer querying the plurality of preconfigured databases to find the set of one or more second elements corresponding to the second partial data entry, wherein the querying of the plurality of preconfigured databases is performed as the second partial data entry is defined within the second active cell so that when a new character is added to the second partial data entry a new query is executed, wherein queries to the plurality of preconfigured databases are formatted as multi-dimensional expressions (MDX);

the computer displaying on a display device the set of one or more second elements as a suggested completion for the second partial data entry, wherein an indicator is displayed adjacent each of the one or more second elements, wherein the indicator identifies an element type corresponding to each of the one or more second elements, and wherein a different indicator identifies each element type;

the computer receiving an acceptance command related to one of the displayed set of one or more second elements of the plurality of elements;

the computer storing the accepted second element within the second active cell.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of preconfigured databases are on-line analytical processing OLAP databases.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the second partial data entry is different from the first partial data entry.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the accepted second element is different from the accepted first element.

7. One or more computer storage media storing computer executable instructions that when executed perform a method for autocompleting partial entries in an active cell of a spreadsheet utilizing a plurality of preconfigured databases, wherein the plurality of preconfigured databases are independent from the spreadsheet, the method comprising:

linking the spreadsheet to the plurality of preconfigured databases to allow the spreadsheet to utilize data within the plurality of preconfigured databases, wherein each of the plurality of preconfigured databases comprises a plurality of elements, and wherein each element of the plurality of elements corresponds to an element type comprising one of;

a dimension, a member, a function, and a hierarchy;

wherein the linking comprises;

communicatively coupling the spreadsheet to the plurality of preconfigured databases, and

generating a unique link label for each of the plurality of preconfigured databases;

defining a first partial data entry within the active cell, wherein the first partial data entry corresponds to a set of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements in the preconfigured database;

querying the plurality of preconfigured databases to find the set of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements corresponding to the first partial data entry, wherein the querying of the plurality of preconfigured databases is performed as the first partial data entry is defined within the active cell so that when a new character is added to the first partial data entry a new query is executed, wherein queries to the plurality of preconfigured databases are formatted as multi-dimensional expressions (MDX);

displaying on a display device the set of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements corresponding to the first partial data entry as a suggested completion for the first partial data entry, wherein an indicator is displayed adjacent each of the one or more first elements, wherein the indicator identifies an element type corresponding to each of the one or more first elements, and wherein a different indicator identifies each element type;

receiving a modification to the first partial data entry within the active cell, wherein the modified first partial data entry corresponds to a different set of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements within at least one of the plurality of preconfigured databases;

displaying on a display device the different set of one or more first elements as a suggested completion for the modified first partial data entry;

receiving an acceptance command related to one of the displayed different set of one or more first elements of the plurality of elements;

storing the accepted first element within the active cell;

receiving a second partial data entry within the active cell, wherein the second partial data entry corresponds to a set of one or more second elements within the plurality of preconfigured databases;

querying the plurality of preconfigured databases to identify the set of one or more second elements corresponding to the second partial data entry;

displaying on a display device the set of one or more second elements as a suggested completion for the second partial data entry, wherein an indicator is displayed adjacent each of the one or more second elements, wherein the indicator identifies an element type corresponding to each of the one or more second elements, and wherein a different indicator identifies each element type;

receiving an acceptance command related to one of the displayed set of one or more second elements;

storing the accepted second element within the active cell.

8. The one or more computer storage media of claim 7, wherein the preconfigured database is an on-line analytical processing (OLAP) database.

13. The one or more computer storage media of claim 7, wherein the second partial data entry is different from the first partial data entry.

14. The one or more computer storage media of claim 7, wherein the accepted second element is different from the accepted first element.