Method and system for data reporting and analysis

• US 8,793,701 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Engrand, Ludovic, Nasarre, Christophe, Salinas, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, TUAN C.
• Application Number:
  US12/471,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• US Class Current: 719/312
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Described are methods and systems related to data report and analysis. A first business intelligence (BI) block is imported to a host analytics user interface (UI). The first BI block includes synchronizable dimensions to synchronize values of the first BI block with other BI blocks, and propagatable dimensions to propagate values of the first BI block to other BI blocks. A host data context of the host analytics UI is updated by propagating the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block. A second BI block is imported to the host analytics UI. The second BI block includes at least one synchronizable dimension in common with at least one propagatable dimension of the first BI block. The synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block are synchronized to the updated host data context. The first BI block and the synchronized second BI block are rendered on the host analytics UI.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine-accessible medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising;

importing a first business intelligence (BI) block to a host analytics user interface (UI) by copying an instance of the first BI block from an analytical report to the host analytics user interface, the analytical report comprising one or more instances of the first BI block arranged in a hierarchy, each of the instances of the first BI block based on a combination of values of one or more dimensions identified as propagatable dimensions and synchronizable dimensions, the first BI block including at least one dimension designated as synchronizable and at least one dimension designated as propagatable;

propagating at least one of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block by storing the propagatable dimensions in a host data context associated with the host analytics UI;

importing a second BI block to the host analytics UI, the second BI block including at least one dimension that is designated as synchronizable in common with the at least one propagatable dimension of the first BI block; and

upon determining at least one of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block that is in common with at least one of the synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block, propagating only the common propagatable dimensions of the first BI block from the host data context to the corresponding common synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block by modifying values of the common synchronizable dimension of the second BI block to match values of the corresponding propagatable dimension of the first BI block.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1 further comprising rendering the first BI block and the modified second BI block on the host analytics UI.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the one or more synchronizable dimensions of the first BI block by accepting values from propagatable dimensions of one or more other BI blocks.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1, further comprising propagating a change of value performed on the first BI block by the propagatable dimensions.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein updating the host data context of the host analytics UI further comprises:

determining one or more values of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block; and

changing one or more values of the host data context to match the values of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 1, further comprising to propagate a change made to the propagatable dimension of the second BI block to one or more other BI blocks by one or more propagatable dimensions of the second BI block.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the host data context is updated based upon one or more rules defining acceptable over-writing of one or more values of the synchronizable dimensions and the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the common synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block further comprises:

adding the synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block into the host data context; and

generating a data filter for every synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block, with the values available in the host data context.

9. A computer implemented method for generating a composite data analytics user interface, the method comprising:

importing a first business intelligence (BI) block to a host analytics user interface (UI) by copying an instance of the first BI block from an analytical report to the host analytics user interface, the analytical report comprising one or more instances of the first BI block arranged in a hierarchy, each of the instances of the first BI block based on a combination of values of one or more dimensions identified as propagatable dimensions and synchronizable dimensions, the first BI block including at least one dimension designated as synchronizable and at least one dimension designated as propagatable;

propagating at least one of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block by storing the propagatable dimensions in a host data context associated with the host analytics UI;

importing a second BI block to the host analytics UI, the second BI block including at least one dimension that is designated as synchronizable in common with the at least one propagatable dimension of the first BI block;

upon determining at least one of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block that is in common with at least one of the synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block, propagating only the common propagatable dimensions of the first BI block from the host data context to the corresponding common synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block by modifying values of the common synchronizable dimension of the second BI block to match values of the corresponding propagatable dimension of the first BI block; and

generating a composite data analytics UI by rendering the first BI block and the second BI block including the modified values of the common synchronizable dimension.

10. A computing device to generate a composite data analytics user interface, comprising:

a processor to read and execute instructions stored in one or more memory elements; and

the one or more memory elements storing instructions related to;

an importation module to import a first business intelligence (BI) block on to a host analytics user interface (UI), by copying an instance of the first BI block from an analytical report to the host analytics user interface, the analytical report comprising one or more instances of the first BI block arranged in a hierarchy, each of the instances of the first BI block based on a combination of values of one or more dimensions identified as propagatable dimensions and synchronizable dimensions, the first BI block including at least one dimension designated as synchronizable and at least one dimension designated as propagatable;

analytics controller to propagate at least one of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block by storing the propagatable dimensions in a host data context associated with the host analytics UI;

the importation module to import a second BI block to the host analytics UI, the second BI block including at least one dimension that is designated as synchronizable in common with the at least one propagatable dimension of the first BI block; and

a comparator to determine at least one of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block that is in common with at least one of the synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block, and to propagate only the common propagatable dimensions of the first BI block from the host data context to the corresponding common synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block by modifying values of the common synchronizable dimension of the second BI block to match values of the corresponding propagatable dimension of the first BI block.

11. The computing device of claim 10 further comprising:

an index to organize and synchronize at least the first and the second BI blocks within the host data context.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the host analytics UI is operable to receive a user interaction, including a mouse hover or a mouse click.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the analytical controller is operable to transform user interaction into a change of one or more dimension values in the host data context, and to propagate the changed values to one or more BI blocks.

14. An article of manufacture, comprising a non-transitory machine-accessible medium comprising machine readable instructions which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

importing a first business intelligence block to the host analytics user interface (UI) by copying an instance of the first BI block from an analytical report to the host analytics UI, the analytical report comprising one or more instances of the first BI block arranged in a hierarchy, each of the instances of the first BI block based on a combination of values of one or more dimensions identified as propagatable dimensions and synchronizable dimensions, the first BI block including at least one dimension designated as synchronizable and at least one dimension designated as propagatable;

receiving an input to modify at least one propagatable dimension of the first BI block comprised in the host analysis UI;

based upon the received input, updating the host analytics UI by modifying the one or more propagatable dimensions of the first BI block and propagating at least one of the modified propagatable dimensions of the first BI block;

based upon the updated host analytics UI, synchronizing a second BI block including at least one dimension that is designated as synchronizable in common with the at least one modified propagatable dimension of the first BI block by;

propagating only the common modified propagatable dimension of the first BI block from the host data context to the corresponding common synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block by modifying values of the common synchronizable dimension of the second BI block to match values of the corresponding modified propagatable dimension of the first BI block; and

rendering the modified first BI block and the synchronized second BI block on the host analytics UI.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14 further comprising:

modifying the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block by changing one or more values of the propagatable dimensions of the first BI block.

16. A computer implemented method for updating a composite data analytics user interface for rendering analytical business information, the method comprising:

importing a first business intelligence block to the host analytics UI by copying an instance of the first BI block from an analytical report to the host analytics user interface, the analytical report comprising one or more instances of the first BI block arranged in a hierarchy, each of the instances of the first BI block based on a combination of values of one or more dimensions identified as propagatable dimensions and synchronizable dimensions, the first BI block including at least one dimension designated as synchronizable and at least one dimension designated as propagatable;

receiving an input to modify at least one propagatable dimension of the first BI block comprised in the host analysis UI;

based upon the received input, updating the host analytics UI by modifying the one or more propagatable dimensions of the first BI block and propagating at least one of the modified propagatable dimensions of the first BI block;

based upon the updated host analytics UI, synchronizing a second BI block including at least one dimension that is designated as synchronizable in common with the at least one modified propagatable dimension of the first BI block by;

propagating only the common modified propagatable dimension of the first BI block from the host data context to the corresponding common synchronizable dimensions of the second BI block by modifying values of the common synchronizable dimension of the second BI block to match values of the corresponding modified propagatable dimension of the first BI block; and

rendering the modified first BI block and the synchronized second BI block on the host analytics UI.