Metamodel-based automatic report generation

• US 8,479,093 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2007
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ravindran, Karthik, Nuthakki, Manoj
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta, Soumya
• Application Number:
  US11/713,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20080215621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,315 Days
• Field of Search: 715/255, 715/222
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A metamodel-based system for automatically generating reports is provided. Much of the work involved in creating report designs and reports is automated, allowing developers to produce a broad variety of report designs and reports in a fraction of the time required with standard report development, according to one illustrative embodiment. Metamodels for data and style templates may be created, that allow for the automated design and manipulation of report models. The report models may be used to generate reports that include the indicated data, arranged according to indicated data field properties, settings, and style templates. Changes made in the metamodels can automatically be reflected in reports designed according to those metamodels.

Claims

1. A method, implemented by a computing system, the method comprising:

displaying, on a graphical user interface display, a set of dataset icons, each dataset icon corresponding to a different dataset;

displaying, on the graphical user interface display, a set of design icons, each design icon corresponding to a different report design;

generating a report dataset metamodel by receiving a drag and drop input, on the graphical user interface display, visually associating a given dataset icon with a given design icon, the report dataset metamodel representing a given report layout type design that results from applying the report design corresponding to the given design icon to the dataset corresponding to the given dataset icon;

automatically applying style properties, from a report style template metamodel associated with the report design corresponding to the given design icon, to the given report layout design represented by the report dataset metamodel, to obtain a report metamodel that includes an abstract definition of a production report;

processing the report metamodel into a physical report definition schema; and

displaying the production report based on the physical report definition schema.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the report metamodel is automatically generated at design time for the report design.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the report dataset metamodel incorporates data from at least one report query implementation selected from among the group consisting of:

modeled queries, native database queries, native database stored procedures, and imperative application business logic.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the report dataset metamodel based on a query made in a relational database management system, and on the data returned by the query.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a representation of elements of the report dataset metamodel in an integrated development environment.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing one or more options for a layout associated with the report dataset metamodel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more options for the layout comprise at least one option from a group consisting of:

table, matrix, list, column chart, bar chart, line chart, pie chart, and doughnut chart.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the definition of one or more data fields selected from a group consisting of:

customer name, customer account number, customer contact information, customer location, partner name, partner account number, partner contact information, partner location, supplier name, supplier account number, supplier contact information, supplier location, service provider name, service provider account number, service provider contact information, service provider location, units of time, type of transactions, value of transaction.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the definition of one or more properties for one or more data fields, and one or more property setting options associated with at least one of the one or more properties.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more properties comprise at least one property selected from among the group consisting of:

type of data, format string, alias, field type, aggregation function, grouping type, and caption.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the property setting options associated with the field type property comprise at least one of a data option and a grouping option.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the property setting options associated with the grouping type property comprise at least one of a category option and a series option.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a representation of the properties and the property setting options in an integrated development environment.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a preview of the report design based on a then-current definition of the one or more properties and the one or more property setting options.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the report style template metamodel to be generated for one or more report layout templates and one or more data region style templates.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more report layout templates and one or more data region style templates comprise at least one property selected from among a group consisting of:

color scheme, grouping indentation, file caption rendering, and data navigation.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a report style schema to be selected, and enabling the report style template metamodel to be mapped to the selected report style schema.

18. A hardware computer storage memory storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer system, cause the computing system to perform a method comprising:

displaying, on a graphical user interface display, a set of dataset icons, each dataset icon corresponding to a different dataset;

displaying, on the graphical user interface display, a set of design icons, each design icon corresponding to a different report design;

generating a report dataset metamodel by receiving a drag and drop input, on the graphical user interface display, visually associating a given dataset icon with a given design icon, the report dataset metamodel representing a given report layout type design that results from applying the report design corresponding to the given design icon to the dataset corresponding to the given dataset icon;

automatically applying style properties, from a report style template metamodel associated with the report design corresponding to the given design icon, to the given report layout design represented by the report dataset metamodel, to obtain a report metamodel that includes an abstract definition of a production report;

processing the report metamodel into a physical report definition schema; and

displaying the production report based on the physical report definition schema.