Visually representing queries of multi-source data

• US 9,128,994 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ebstyne, Michael, Smolinski, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamillapalli, Pavan
• Application Number:
  US13/802,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/722
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for visually representing queries of multi-source data. Embodiments of the invention can be used to visually represent queries of multi-source data. Visual cues can be used to help surface insights into data sets. For example, keywords can be assigned colors. Within a data set, the keywords can be presented as colored highlights (i.e., individual keywords can be displayed using different colors). Presentation of multiple colored highlighted keywords can be optimized for quick visual consumption. As such, a user can more easily determine the volume of keywords within a data set and can identify trends in keyword volume over time. A “mountaintop view” of an entire data set can be presented to show highlighted words within the data set as color blocks without having to scroll.

Claims

1. At a computer system, the computer system including a display device, a method for visually representing a query of multi-source data, the method comprising:

accessing a data set, the data set including data combined from a plurality of different sources;

supplementing presentation of data contained in a portion of the data set on the display device by using a visual cue to visually indicate any occurrences of a query term within the data contained in the portion of the data set on the display device, visually indicating occurrences of the query term highlighting the volume of the query term within the data contained in the portion of the data set;

receiving a command to query a larger portion of the data set for the query term, the larger portion of the data set including the portion of the data set;

determining that data contained in the data set is not to be displayed on the display device in response to the command; and

presenting the visual cue in an arrangement of locations on the display device to visually indicate occurrences of the query term in the data contained in the larger portion of the data set, each location in the arrangement of locations indicating where the query term would have be presented on the display device had the data contained in the larger portion of the data set been presented at the display device, presenting the arrangement of locations permitting insight into the volume of the query term in the data contained in the larger portion of the data set without consuming presentation space on the display device to present the data contained in the larger portion of the data set.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein receiving a command to query a larger portion of the dataset comprises receiving a command to zoom out to present the larger portion of the data set, the larger portion of the dataset including the portion of data set and additional data from the data set;

and further comprising;

removing presentation of data contained in the portion of the data set from the display device in response to determining that data contained in the data set is not to be displayed on the display device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a command to query a larger portion of the dataset for the query term comprises receiving a command to query the entire data set for the query term.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual cue is color.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second query term for searching the data set; and

assigning a second different visual cue to the second query term; and

wherein supplementing presentation of data contained in the portion of the data set comprises supplementing presentation of the data contained in the portion of the data set by using the visual cue and the second different visual cue to visually indicate any occurrences of the query term and the second query term respectively within the data contained in the portion of the data set, visually indicating occurrences of the query term and the second query term within the data contained in the portion of the data set indicating the relative differences in volume between the query term and the second query term within the data contained in the portion of the data set.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the visual cue is a color and the second different visual cue is a second different color.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising presenting a bar chart on the display device, the bar chart indicating one or more query terms having a higher volume in the data contained in the data set relative to at least one other query term, the second query term included in the one or more query terms;

and

wherein receiving a second query term for searching the data set comprises receiving a selection of the second query term from the bar chart.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data contained in the data set comprises real time messaging data from a plurality of messaging users;

and

further comprising deriving a possible trend for the query term within the real time messaging data based on the arrangement of locations of the visual cue.

9. A computer program product for use at computer system, the computer system including a display device, the computer program product for implementing a method for visually representing a query of multi-source data, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed a processor, cause the computer system to perform the method, including the following:

access a data set, the data set including data combined from a plurality of different sources;

supplement presentation of data contained in a portion of the data set on the display device by using a visual cue to visually indicate any occurrences of a query term within the data contained in the portion of the data set on the display device, visually indicating occurrences of the query term highlighting the volume of the query term within the data contained in the portion of the data set;

receive a command to query a larger portion of the data set for the query term, the larger portion of the data set including the portion of the data set;

determine that data contained in the data set is not to be displayed on the display device in response to the command; and

present the visual cue in an arrangement of locations on the display device to visually indicate occurrences of the query term in the data contained in the larger portion of the data set, each location in the arrangement of locations indicating where the query term would have be presented on the display device had the data contained in the larger portion of the data set been presented at the display device, presenting the arrangement of locations permitting insight into the volume of the query term in the data contained in the larger portion of the data set without consuming presentation space on the display device to present the data contained in the larger portion of the data set.

10. The computer program product of claim 9,

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive a command to query a larger portion of the dataset comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive a command to zoom out to present a larger portion of the data set, the larger portion of the dataset including the portion of data set and additional data from the data set;

and further comprising;

computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to remove presentation of the data contained in the portion of the data set from the display device, in response to determining that data contained in the data set is not to be displayed on the display device.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive a command to query a larger portion of the dataset for the query term comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to query the entire data set for the query term.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the visual cue is color.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to:

receive a second query term for searching the data set; and

assign a second different visual cue to the second query term; and

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to supplement presentation of the data contained in the portion of the data set comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to supplement presentation of the data contained in the portion of the data set by using the visual cue and the second different visual cue to visually indicate any occurrences of the query term and the second query term respectively within the data contained in the portion of the data set, visually indicating occurrences of the query term and the second query term within the data contained in the portion of the data set indicating the relative differences in volume between the query term and the second query term within the data contained in the portion of the data set.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the visual cue is a color and the second different visual cue is a second different color.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to presenting a bar chart on the display device, the bar chart indicating one or more query terms having a higher volume in the data contained in the data set relative to at least one other query term, the second query term included in the one or more query terms;

and

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive a second query term for searching the data set comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive a selection of the second query term from the bar chart.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the data contained in the data set comprises real time messaging data from a plurality of messaging users;

and

further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to derive a possible trend for the query term within the real time messaging data based on the arrangement of locations of the visual cue.

17. At a computer system, the computer system including a display device, a method for visually representing a query of multi-source unstructured data, the method comprising:

accessing a data set, the data set including unstructured data combined from a plurality of different sources;

supplementing presentation of unstructured data contained in a portion of the data set on the display device by using a visual cue to visually indicate any occurrence of a query term within the unstructured data contained in the portion of the data set on the display device, visually indicating occurrences of the query term highlighting the volume of the query term within the unstructured data contained in the portion of the data set;

receiving a command to query a larger portion of the data set for the query term, the larger portion of the data set including the portion of the data set;

determining that unstructured data contained in the data set is not to be displayed on the display device in response to the command; and

presenting the visual cue in an arrangement of locations on the display device to visually indicate occurrences of the query term in the unstructured data contained in the larger portion of the data set, each location in the arrangement of locations indicating where the query term would have be presented on the display device had the unstructured data contained in the larger portion of the data set been presented at the display device, presenting the arrangement of locations permitting insight into the volume of the query term in the unstructured data contained in the larger portion of the data set without consuming presentation space on the display device to present the unstructured data contained in the larger portion of the data set.

18. The method as recited in claim 17,

wherein receiving a command to query a larger portion of the data set comprises receiving a command to zoom out to a mountaintop view of the data set;

and further comprising;

removing presentation of unstructured data contained in the portion of the data set from the display device in response to determining that unstructured data contained in the data set is not to be displayed on the display device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second portion of the data set from within the mountaintop view; and

highlighting locations within unstructured data contained in the second portion of the data set where the query term occurs with the visual cue, the visual cue visually indicating the volume of the query term within the unstructured data contained in the second portion of the data set.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein accessing a data set comprises accessing a data set including one of:

stock ticker data, sensor data, text, tweets, resumes, Web pages, hand written comments on a survey, doctor'"'"'s notes, photos, movies, audio clips, and log data.