Hyper related OLAP

• US 8,468,444 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2004
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TARGIT A/S
• Original Assignee: TARGIT A/S
• Inventors: Middelfart, Morten
• Primary Examiner(s): Hillery, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US10/802,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20050210389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,380 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 715/513, 715/517
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

Generating a presentation requested from a graphical data report; comprising: displaying a data report which contains a collection of graphical elements, where a graphical element is bound to a data item, and where a data item is specified by metadata, which comprises one or more of a dimension, a dimension value, and a measure. In response to a user'"'"'s directed action to the given graphical element, determining at least one association, of a dimension and a measure, by identification of measures and dimensions in the applicable metadata and identification of associations thereof and/or addition of a dimension or measure to an identified measure or dimension. Subsequently, searching for a stored, like association, where stored associations are related to stored presentation properties, and applying the related presentation properties to make a presentation of further data items which are specified by the determined, at least one association.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of preparing a presentation requested from a data report;

the method comprising the steps of;

displaying a first data report which contains at least one graphical element linked to a first data item specified by metadata, said metadata comprising a dimension or a dimension value and a measure, wherein the first data item is categorized as the dimension or dimension value or the measure;

in response to a user'"'"'s action of selecting the graphical element, automatically generating and presenting, to the user, an analysis of data represented by the graphical element including;

determining the metadata of the first data item linked to the graphical element and at least one association of the dimension and measure of the determined metadata, wherein the association of the first data item dimension and measure specifies a set of data;

retrieving, from a storage memory, a stored association comparable to the determined association, the stored association being related to presentation properties so as to provide stored presentation properties that

(i) describe different presentations with different collections of graphical elements, and

(ii) relate to an association in such a way that individual instances of associations relate to different instances of presentation properties;

generating a second data report by applying the presentation properties, related to the stored association, to second data items specified by the stored association; and

displaying, to the user, the second data report.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of displaying a second data report comprises a step of:

displaying a report confined to a subset of the second data items, which subset is specified by the determined association and a dimension value in the applicable metadata.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second data items are additionally specified by a dimension value;

and wherein the presentation properties are divided into a first group and a second group; and

wherein properties of the first group are applied to the second data items as specified by the determined association; and

wherein properties of the second group are applied to a subset of the second data items as further specified by a dimension value of the applicable metadata.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of searching for a stored association comprises the steps of:

in case a stored association is not found, generating presentation properties; and

relating the generated presentation properties to the determined association.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first data report is configured with a tool providing a user with controls for manipulating presentation properties according to either one of the following steps in response to a user'"'"'s action;

selecting a presentation object from a collection of presentation objects and selecting graphical properties of the selected presentation object;

or

changing an applied presentation object and/or selecting graphical properties of the applied presentation object.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of searching for a stored association comprises:

determining whether an identified measure or dimension or association thereof can be deemed to be incomplete, and in that event searching for stored, like metadata with associated presentation properties, in which the deemed incomplete metadata are contained.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the step of searching for stored, like metadata comprises:

determining whether the determined association can be deemed to be different from stored associations, and in that event searching for a stored association with related presentation properties, in which a measure or dimension of the determined association is contained; and

applying the presentation properties related to the stored association, which contains the dimension or the measure, to make the presentation.

8. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

determining multiple associations based on retrieving associations wherein a dimension identified in the applicable metadata is a constituent to thereby discover multiple measures which each forms an association in combination with the identified dimension.

9. A method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

for a determined association, determining predefined combinations of preferred presentation objects, and

for each combination, applying the related presentation properties to make a presentation of further data items by means of the preferred presentation objects.

10. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

at a first point in time, registering an application of a presentation object to an association to retrieve that object as a preferred presentation object for a determined association at a later point in time.

11. A method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

registering a count of application of a presentation object to a given association;

applying a presentation object with a relatively high count as a preferred presentation object.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein specific metadata that applies to the data item bound to a given graphical element is determined by a framework of the report layout.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein values of the data items are obtained by transmitting a request to a dataset or retrieved from the request itself.

14. A method according to claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

from a client computer, sending a request for the second data report to a web server;

at the web server, processing the request and sending information to the client for it to render the second data report;

in addition to determining the association in response to a user'"'"'s directed action, sending a request to the web server with the association for the web server to perform the search for a stored, like association related to stored presentation properties, and to retrieve the second data items; and

from the web server, sending the second data items and the presentation properties to the client for it to apply the obtained presentation properties.

15. A computer-readable data recording device encoded with a program which, when run on a computer, executes the method comprising:

displaying a first data report which contains at least one graphical element bound to a first data item specified by metadata, said metadata comprising a dimension or a dimension value and a measure, wherein the first data item is categorized as the dimension or dimension value or the measure;

in response to a user'"'"'s action of selecting the graphical element, automatically generating and presenting, to the user, an analysis of data represented by the graphical element including;

determining the metadata of the first data item bound to the graphical element and at least one association of the dimension and measure of the determined metadata, wherein the association of the first data item dimension and measure specifies a set of data;

retrieving, from a storage memory, a stored association comparable to the determined association, the stored association being related to presentation properties so as to provide stored presentation properties that

(i) describe different presentations with different collections of graphical elements, and

(ii) relate to an association in such a way that individual instances of associations relate to different instances of presentation properties;

generating a second data report by applying the presentation properties, related to the stored association, to second data items specified by the stored association; and

displaying, to the user, the second data report.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the operations of determining of at least one association and searching for a stored matching association are integrated in a first individual software application.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the operations of displaying the second data report and applying the presentation properties are integrated in a second individual software application.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the method is implemented as client software and server software which interoperate when run on a client and a server computer, respectively, by:

from the client computer, sending a request for the data report to the server computer;

at the server computer, processing the request and sending information to the client computer for it to render the data report;

in addition to determining the at least one association in response to a user'"'"'s directed action, sending a request to the server computer with the determined association for the server computer to perform the search for a stored matching association related to stored presentation properties, and to retrieve the second data items; and

from the server computer, sending the second data items and the presentation properties to the client computer for it to apply the related presentation properties.