Relational rendering of multi-faceted data

• US 8,872,849 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhao, Jian, Drucker, Steven M., Brinkman, Donald, Fisher, Danyel Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): GILLESPIE, NICOLE K
• Application Number:
  US13/359,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20130194294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 707/3, 707/102, 715/841
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation

Abstract

Technology for rendering representations of multi-faceted data are disclosed. As one example, the technology includes organizing and rendering multiple subsets of a dataset according to temporal or other linear attributes, e.g., for visual comparison and/or other visualization. A collection of subsets may be determined in response to a selection of a facet having multiple facet attributes. Each subset may include the entries of the dataset that have the facet attribute corresponding to that subset. Optionally, the multiple subsets may be rendered in alignment with corresponding portions of a hierarchical depiction, e.g., to visually represent the parameters of the subsets.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process of rendering representations of dataset entries, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, an indication that a first facet was selected from a plurality of facets associated with a multi-faceted temporal dataset, wherein the multi-faceted temporal dataset includes a plurality of entries having one or more temporal attributes, wherein the entries are associable to a plurality of facets, and wherein each of the facets has multiple facet attributes associated therewith;

in response to receipt of the indication, determining entries of a first subset such that the first subset includes all the entries of the dataset that are associated with a first facet attribute, wherein the first facet attribute is associated with the first facet;

in response to receipt of the indication, determining entries of a second subset such that the second subset includes all the entries of the dataset that are associated with a second facet attribute, wherein the second facet attribute is associated with the first facet;

rendering, with a display component, a first visual representation of the entries of the first subset, wherein the first visual representation is organized according to the temporal attributes of the entries of the first subset; and

rendering, with the display component, a second visual representation of the entries of the second subset, wherein the second visual representation is organized according to the one or more temporal attributes of the entries of the second subset and is rendered for concurrent display with the first visual representation, wherein the entries of the first subset and the entries of the second subset are further organized according to a common temporal reference, and wherein the entries of the first subset and the entries of the second subset are individually aligned to points of the common temporal reference representing the temporal attributes of the individual entries.

2. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, wherein rendering the first visual representation includes:

rendering, with the display component, the first visual representation in alignment with a timeline.

3. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, wherein first and second visual representations are configured to enable visual comparison of the first subset to the second subset.

4. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, wherein rendering the second visual representation includes:

overlaying the second visual representation over the first visual representation.

5. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, wherein the first and second visual representations each includes at least one of a histogram, a bar chart, a line chart, a heat map, an indication of a quantity of entries in a respective subset or portion thereof, and discrete representations of the entries of the respective subset.

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

receiving, by the processor, an indication that a second facet was selected from the plurality of facets;

receiving, by the processor, an indication of a relationship between the first and second facets; and

rendering, with the display component, a hierarchical depiction of the first and second facets, the facet attributes associated with the first and second facets, and the indicated relationship between the first and second facets.

7. The computer-implemented process of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a set of facet attribute combinations, wherein the set of facet attribute combinations includes one facet attribute combination for each facet attribute of the second facet, and wherein the facet attributes of each facet attribute combination include the first facet attribute and the facet attribute of the second facet corresponding to that facet attribute combination;

for each determined facet attribute combination, determining the entries of a combined subset that includes the entries of the dataset that are associated with all of the facet attributes of that facet attribute combination; and

rendering, with the display component, additional visual representations of each of the combined subsets.

8. The computer-implemented process of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an indication that an operation is to be performed on the hierarchical depiction;

performing the indicated operation on the hierarchical depiction; and

modifying the rendered visual representations in correspondence to the performance of the indicated operation.

9. The computer-implemented process of claim 7, wherein rendering the additional visual representations includes:

aligning each visual representation with a portion of the hierarchal depiction that corresponds to all of the facet attributes of that visual representation.

10. The computer-implemented process of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an indication that an operation is to be performed on the hierarchical depiction, wherein the operation is a reordering or a resizing of any of the first facet, the facet attributes associated with the first facet, the second facet, and the facet attributes associated with the second facet;

performing the indicated operation on the hierarchical depiction; and

modifying the visual representations of the combined subsets such that the visual representations remain aligned to the respective portions of the hierarchal depiction corresponding to the facet attributes of the respective subset.

11. The computer-implemented process of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an indication that a depiction of a particular facet attribute is to be contracted, wherein the depiction corresponds to one or more of the rendered additional visual representations;

contracting, within the hierarchical depiction, the selected depiction of the particular facet attribute; and

contracting the one or more corresponding visual representations.

12. The computer-implemented process of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an indication that two or more of the facet attributes associated with the first facet are to be grouped together;

grouping the two or more facet attributes together in the hierarchical depiction;

for each facet attribute associated with the second facet, determining the entries of a grouped subset that includes the entries of the dataset that are associated with both (1) the particular facet attribute associated with the second facet and (2) any of the two or more facet attributes associated with the first facet.

13. The computer-implemented process of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically selecting one or more representation types for the visual representations based upon the dataset and/or the first facet, wherein each selected representation types is at least one of a histogram, a bar chart, a line chart, a heat map, an indication of a quantity of entries in a respective subset or portion thereof, and discrete representations of the entries of the respective subset.

14. A computer readable memory storing processor-readable instructions for causing a computing device to perform operations, the operations, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, an indication that a first facet was selected from a plurality of facets associated with a multi-faceted dataset, wherein the multi-faceted dataset includes a plurality of entries each associated with at least one linear attribute, wherein the entries are also associable to facets of the plurality of facets, and wherein the facets have multiple facet attributes associated therewith;

in response to receipt of the indication, determining entries of a first subset such that the first subset includes the entries of the dataset that are associated with a first facet attribute, wherein the first facet attribute is associated with the first facet;

in response to receipt of the indication, determining entries of a second subset such that the second subset includes the entries of the dataset that are associated with a second facet attribute, wherein the second facet attribute is associated with the first facet; and

rendering, with the display component, a visual representation of the first subset and a visual representation of the second subset, wherein the visual representation of the first subset depicts the entries of the first subset in positions that are individually based on the at least one linear attribute associated with that entry relative to a common reference, and wherein the visual representation of the second subset depicts the entries of the second subset in positions that are individually based on the at least one linear attribute associated with that entry relative to the common reference.

15. The computer readable memory of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the processor, an indication that a second facet was selected from the plurality of facets;

determining the entries of combination subsets for each combination of the first facet attribute with facet attributes associated with the second facet, wherein each combination subset includes the entries of the dataset that are associated with both of the facet attributes of that combination; and

rendering, with the display component, visual representations of each of the combination subsets.

16. The computer readable memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further include comprise:

rendering, with the display component, a hierarchical depiction of the first and second facets and of the facet attributes associated with the first and second facets; and

wherein rendering the visual representations includes;

rendering, with the display component, the visual representations of each of the combination subsets in alignment with portions of the hierarchal depiction corresponding to both of the facet attributes of that combination subset.

17. The computer readable memory of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the processor, an indication that an operation is to be performed on the hierarchical depiction, wherein the operation is a reordering or a resizing of any of the first facet, the facet attributes associated with the first facet, the second facet, and the facet attributes associated with the second facet;

performing the indicated operation on the hierarchical depiction; and

modifying the visual representations of the combination subsets such that the visual representations remain aligned to the respective portions of the hierarchal depiction that correspond to both of the facet attributes of that combination subset.

18. The computer readable memory of claim 14, wherein the at least one linear attributes are temporal attributes, geographical attributes, sequence numbers, or prices.

19. A system for rendering representations of dataset entries, comprising:

a computing device having a memory, a processor coupled to the memory, and a display component coupled to the processor, wherein the computing device is configured to;

open a multi-faceted temporal dataset that includes a plurality of entries having at least one temporal attribute, wherein the entries are associable to a plurality of facets, and wherein each of the facets has multiple facet attributes associated therewith;

render selectable icons of the facets of the plurality of facets;

receive indications that at least two facets were selected from the plurality of facets and an indication of a relationship between a first facet attribute of a first facet from the at least two facets and a second facet from the at least two facets;

render a hierarchical depiction of the selected facets and of the facet attributes associated with the selected facets;

determine a set of facet attribute combinations, wherein the set of facet attribute combinations includes one facet attribute combination for each facet attribute of the second facet, and wherein the facet attributes of each facet attribute combination include the first facet attribute and the facet attribute of the second facet corresponding to that facet attribute combination;

for each determined facet attribute combination, determine the entries of a subset that includes the entries of the dataset that are associated with all of the facet attributes of that facet attribute combination; and

for each subset, render a visual representation of the entries of the subset, wherein the visual representation is;

aligned, in a first dimension, to a portion of the hierarchal depiction that corresponds to all of the facet attributes of that subset;

wherein the entries of each subset are depicted in the respective visual representations at positions of a second dimension determined based on the temporal attribute of that entry relative to a shared reference.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

render a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface includes;

a facet selection area configured to display the selectable icons of the facets and to enable selection of the facets;

a hierarchical display area configured to display the hierarchical depiction and to enable operations to be performed upon the hierarchical depiction, wherein the enabled operations include;

a reordering of representations of the selected facets,

a reordering of representations of the facet attributes associated with the selected facets,

a resizing of representations of the facet attributes associated with the selected facets,

a linking of another facet attribute of the first facet to the second facet; and

a grouping of representations of the facet attributes associated with the selected facets; and

a dataset display area configured to display the visual representations of the subsets.