Context driven help function

• US 8,850,314 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Thompson, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOWENBERGER, AARON J
• Application Number:
  US12/542,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20100050079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 715/705, 715/708, 715/714
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems for generating dynamic context aware help for operations supported by at least one reporting system. The methods and systems relate to receiving a help request for an operation from a client computer including at least one report file, analyzing the at least one report file to generate context data, dynamically generating help data according to the context data and the operation and sending the generated help data to the client computer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a dynamic context aware help data for operations supported by at least one reporting system, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a client computer, a help request for an operation related to analysis of data in a report file;

analyzing the report file to determine a context data of the report file;

dynamically generating help data for the operation based on a semantic relationship between one or more objects included in the report file and the operation, wherein the generated help data includes a combination of one or more operators included in the operation and the one or more objects included in the report file, the one or more operators suggested within the help data prioritized based on;

a selected focus in the report file,

the one or more objects included in the report file compared to operations indexed in an indexed database of reports, and

frequency and recent use of the operation in other report files of similar context; and

sending the generated help data to the client computer.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the help data comprises one or more examples and at least one template for the operation based on the context data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the template comprises a description of an output written in natural language.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the context data of the report file comprises information on the one or more objects corresponding to a content of the report file or the semantics on the report file.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein dynamically generating help data comprises:

dynamically generating a first drop down list for the help data comprising the one or more objects from the report file usable within a template; and

dynamically generating a second drop down list for the help data comprising the one or more operators for the operation usable within the template.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein dynamically generating the help data comprises:

receiving from the client computer the selected focus for the report file; and

dynamically generating one or more examples according to the selected focus.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein dynamically generating the help data comprises:

receiving the operation and storing the operation in the context data, wherein the operation is performed before receiving the help request; and

dynamically generating the help data based on the context data and the operation performed.

20. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the help data is generated by matching the context data with functions and operators used in the operations of other client computers in a context same as the context data of the report file.

22. The computer implemented according to claim 1, wherein dynamically generating the help data includes:

based on data corresponding to the one or more objects in the report file, calculating, by the processor of the computer, a result value for the operation; and

inserting the calculated result value in the help data.

8. A computer system for generating a dynamic context aware help data for operations supported by at least one reporting system, the computer system comprising:

an input device operable to receive, from a client computer, a help request for an operation related to analysis of data in a report file;

a processing unit operable to analyze the report file to determine a context data of the report file;

a hard disk to store computer readable instructions, data structures and program modules, the data structures including relevant data of implementation for generating dynamic context aware help data based on a semantic relationship between one or more objects included in the report file and the operation, wherein the generated dynamic context aware help data includes a combination of one or more operators included in the operation and the one or more objects included in the report file, the one or more operators suggested within the help data prioritize based on;

a selected focus in the report file,

the one or more objects included in the report file compared to operations indexed in an indexed database of reports, and

frequency and recent use of the operation in other report files of similar context; and

an output device operable to render the generated dynamic context aware help data to the client computer.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the input device comprises a client user interface.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the client user interface is configured to:

send a help request for an operation to a server computer, wherein the operation can be used to analyze the report file; and

receive help data for the operation,

wherein the dynamic context aware help data is dynamically generated according to the context data and the operation, the context data being generated by analyzing the report file, the dynamic context aware help data is generated by matching the context data with functions and operators used in operations other users have applied in a context same as the context data of the report file, and

wherein the dynamic context aware help data includes one or more examples and at least one template for the operation based on the context data.

11. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the data structures stored in the hard disk are further configured to:

dynamically generate a first drop down list for the dynamic context aware help data including the one or more objects from the report file usable within a template; and

dynamically generate a second drop down list for the dynamic context aware help data including the one or more operators for the operation that is usable within the template.

12. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the data structures stored in the hard disk are further configured to:

receive from the client computer the selected focus for the report file; and

dynamically generate the one or more examples according to the selected focus.

13. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the data structures stored in the hard disk are further configured to:

receive the operation and store the operation in the context data, wherein the operation is performed before receiving the dynamic context aware help request; and

dynamically generate the dynamic context aware help data based on the context data and the performed operation.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the template comprises a description of an output written in natural language.

15. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising instructions which when executed by a machine cause the machine to perform operations comprising;

sending, to a server computer, a help request for an operation related to analysis of data in a report file; and

receiving a help data for the operation, wherein the help data is dynamically generated according to a context data and the operation, the context data being generated by analyzing the report file, the help data is generated based on a semantic relationship between one or more objects included in the report file and the operation wherein the generated help data includes a combination of one or more operators included in the operation and the one or more objects included in the report file, the one or more operators suggested within the help data prioritized based on;

a selected focus in the report file,

the one or more objects included in the report file compared to operations indexed in an indexed database of reports, and

frequency and recent use of the operation in other report files of similar context; and

sending the generated help data to the client computer.

16. The article of manufacture in claim 15, wherein the help data comprises one or more examples and at least one template for the operation based on the context data.

17. The article of manufacture in claim 15, wherein dynamically generating help data comprises:

dynamically generating a first drop down list for the help data comprising the one or more objects from the report file usable within a template; and

dynamically generating a second drop down list for the help data comprising the one or more operators for the operation usable within the template.

18. The article of manufacture in claim 15, wherein dynamically generating the help data according to the context data comprises:

receiving from the client computer the selected focus for the report file; and

dynamically generating one or more examples according to the selected focus.

19. The article of manufacture in claim 15, wherein the context data of the report file comprises the one or more objects corresponding to a content of the report file or the semantics of the report file.

21. The article of manufacture according to claim 15, wherein the help data is generated by matching the context data with functions and operators used in the operations of other client computers in a context same as the context data of the report file.

23. The article of manufacture according to claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed by the computer further causes the computer to:

based on data corresponding to the one or more objects in the report file, calculate a result value for the operation; and

insert the calculated result value in the help data.