Time-sensitive cube

• US 8,868,486 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2013
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Tamayo, Juan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chbouki, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US14/102,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20140279824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• US Class Current: 707/603
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A time-sensitive cube data system is disclosed in which time-sensitive and/or time-series data objects are output in response to a user'"'"'s operations on a time-sensitive OLAP cube. The time-sensitive and/or time-series data objects output by the time-sensitive cube data system may be displayed to the user in any way that may be advantageous to the user'"'"'s understanding. The time-series objects output by the time-sensitive cube data system are more helpful than a single snapshot, as a user is able to see data trends over time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing multi-dimensional time series objects to a user, the method comprising:

providing an electronic database configured to store a plurality of time-series metric objects and a plurality of dimension objects, each of the plurality of time-series metric objects including a plurality of values associated with corresponding times;

generating, by a computing system including one or more hardware computer processors, based at least in part on the plurality of time-series metric objects and the plurality of dimension objects, a time-sensitive OLAP cube;

receiving, via an input device of the computing system, an operation from a user comprising a selection of at least two of the plurality of dimension objects;

determining, by the computing system, based on the received operation, a plurality of relevant time-series metric objects associated with each of the selected dimension objects; and

providing to the user, on an electronic display of the computing system, a table comprising a plurality of rows corresponding to values of at least one of the selected dimension objects, a plurality of columns corresponding to values of at least one other of the selected dimension objects, and cells associated with each combination of the rows and columns, each cell including one of the plurality of relevant time-series metric objects associated with respective row and column values, each one of the plurality of relevant time-series metric objects provided as a two-dimensional graph indicating a historical trend configured for comparison with other ones of the plurality of relevant time-series metric objects associated with other combinations of row and column values, wherein a first dimension of each of the two-dimensional graphs is a time dimension having a common scale and a common interval among the two-dimensional graphs, and a second dimension of each of the two-dimensional graphs has another common scale and another common interval among the two-dimensional graphs.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of dimension objects includes one or more characteristics.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the one or more characteristics are structured hierarchically.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the received operation further comprises a selection of at least one of the one or more characteristics.

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

providing, on the electronic display of the computing system, an interface configured to allow the user to manipulate the time-sensitive OLAP cube and provide operations.

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

receiving an expression from the user; and

applying the received expression to the plurality relevant time-series metric objects.

7. A computer system comprising:

one or more hardware processors in communication with a computer readable medium storing software modules including instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors in order to cause the computer system to;

access, from an electronic data store, a plurality of time-sensitive objects including measures and dimensions, each of the plurality of time-sensitive objects including a plurality of values associated with corresponding times;

generate, based at least in part on the accessed plurality of time-sensitive objects, a time-sensitive OLAP cube;

receive one or more OLAP operations including a selection of at least two dimensions of the time-sensitive OLAP cube; and

apply the received one or more OLAP operations to the time-sensitive OLAP cube and output calculated time-sensitive objects in a user interface based at least in part on the OLAP operations, wherein the user interface includes at least a table comprising a plurality of rows corresponding to values of at least one of the selected at least two dimensions, a plurality of columns corresponding to values of at least one other of the selected at least two dimensions, and cells associated with each combination of the rows and columns, each cell including one of the calculated time-sensitive objects associated with respective row and column values, each one of the calculated time-sensitive objects provided as a two-dimensional graph indicating a historical trend configured for comparison with other ones of the calculated time-sensitive objects associated with other combinations of row and column values, wherein a first dimension of each of the two-dimensional graphs is a time dimension having a common scale and a common interval among the two-dimensional graphs, and a second dimension of each of the two-dimensional graphs has another common scale and another common interval among the two-dimensional graphs.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the software modules are further executable by the one or more hardware processors in order to cause the computer system to:

output, on an electronic display, the user interface.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the measures is time-sensitive.

10. The computer system of claim 7, wherein each dimension includes one or more characteristics.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the one or more characteristics are structured hierarchically.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the one or more OLAP operations further includes a selection of at least one of the one or more characteristics.

13. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the software modules are further executable by the one or more hardware processors in order to cause the computer system to:

provide a computer interface configured to allow a user to manipulate the time-sensitive OLAP cube and provide OLAP operations.

14. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the software modules are further executable by the one or more hardware processors in order to cause the computer system to:

apply one or more mathematical expressions to the calculated time-sensitive objects.

15. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the one or more OLAP operations include at least one of drill up, drill down, roll up, pivot, slice, or dice.

16. A computer system comprising:

an electronic database configured to store a plurality of time-series objects and a time-series OLAP cube based at least in part on one or more of the plurality of time-series objects, each of the plurality of time-series objects including a plurality of values associated with corresponding times; and

one or more hardware processors in communication with the electronic database and a computer readable medium storing software modules including instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors in order to cause the computer system to;

access the stored time-series OLAP cube;

present, on an electronic display, the time-series OLAP cube;

receive user-provided indications of operations to be applied to the presented time-series OLAP cube, the indication of operations including a selection of at least two dimensions of the time-sensitive OLAP cube;

apply operations corresponding to the user-provided indications to the time-series OLAP cube so as to determine at least a plurality of relevant time-series objects; and

present to a user, on the electronic display, determined time-series objects based at least in part on the applied operations, a table comprising a plurality of rows corresponding to values of at least one of the selected at least two dimensions, a plurality of columns corresponding values of at least one other of the selected at least two dimensions, and cells associated with each combination of the rows and columns, each cell including one of the plurality of relevant time-series objects associated with respective row and column values, each one of the plurality of relevant time-series objects provided as a two-dimensional graph indicating a historical trend configured for comparison with other ones of the plurality of relevant time-series objects associated with other combinations of row and column values, wherein a first dimension of each of the two-dimensional graphs is a time dimension having a common scale and a common interval among the two-dimensional graphs, and a second dimension of each of the two-dimensional graphs has another common scale and another common interval among the two-dimensional graphs.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the operations include at least one of drill up, drill down, roll up, pivot, slice, or dice.