Systems and methods for generating models of a dataset for a data visualization

• US 9,292,628 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tableau Software Incorporated (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tableau Software Incorporated (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beers, Andrew C., Eldridge, Matthew W., Hanrahan, Patrick M., Taylor, Jonathan E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US14/514,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20150032429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 707/899, 707/798, 703/2, 345/440
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 40/00 ICT specially adapted for biostatistics; ICT specially adapted for bioinformatics-related machine learning or data mining, e.g. knowledge discovery or pattern finding

Abstract

A method of generating a statistical model for a dataset operates at a computer system having one or more processors and memory. The memory stores one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors. The process receives a visual specification. The visual specification defines a graphical representation of a portion of the dataset. The visual specification includes a first field and a second field of the dataset. The method determines a set of data properties for each of the first and second fields. The process then generates a statistical model of a mathematical relationship between the first and second fields based on the data properties of the first and second fields and data values associated with the first and second fields in the dataset. The process displays the graphical representation and the statistical model superimposed on the graphical representation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a computer system having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors;

providing a graphical user interface for a user to specify characteristics of a data visualization;

receiving, through the provided user interface, user selection of a plurality of fields from a dataset and user association of each field in the plurality of fields with a respective field container in the user interface, wherein the plurality of fields includes a first field and a second field of the dataset, and each field container corresponds to a data visualization characteristic;

determining a set of data properties for each of the first and second fields;

generating a statistical model of a mathematical relationship between the first and second fields based on the data properties of the first and second fields and data values associated with the first and second fields in the dataset, wherein the mathematical relationship expresses one of the first and second fields as a response variable that is a function of the other of the first and second fields based on the determined set of data properties for the first and second fields; and

displaying the data visualization in the user interface according to the user associations of the plurality of fields with the field containers and displaying a graphical representation of the statistical model superimposed on the data visualization.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined set of data properties of each of the first and second fields includes a field type selected from the group consisting of categorical and quantitative.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined set of data properties of each of the first and second fields includes a field class selected from the group consisting of dimension and measure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first field is associated with a field container that specifies row position in the data visualization and the second field is associated with a field container that specifies column position in the data visualization.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user designates one or more fields, including the first field, to specify row position in the data visualization, and the user designates one or more fields, including the second field, to specify column position in the data visualization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined set of data properties of each of the first and second fields includes a field type selected from the group consisting of categorical and quantitative.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first field is selected as the response variable when the first field is the only quantitative field in the plurality of fields associated with a field container that specifies row position or column position in the data visualization.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the determined set of data properties of each of the first and second fields includes a field class selected from the group consisting of dimension and measure, and wherein the first field is selected as the response variable when the first and second fields are both quantitative fields associated with field containers that specify row position or column position in the data visualization and the field class data property of the second field is dimension.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the determined set of data properties of each of the first and second fields includes a field class selected from the group consisting of dimension and measure, and wherein the first field is selected as the response variable when the first and second fields are both quantitative fields associated with field containers that specify row position or column position in the data visualization and the field class data property of the first field is the same as the field class property of the second field.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of fields includes a third field associated with a field container that specifies row position or column position in the data visualization, the method further comprising generating one or more additional statistical models based on the third field.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the third field has a categorical field type, and wherein the generated one or more additional statistical models include a respective model corresponding to each respective distinct data value of the third field.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of fields includes a fourth field associated with a field container that specifies a data mark encoding for the data visualization, and wherein the fourth field has a categorical field type, the method further comprising generating one or more additional statistical models based on the fourth field when retrieved data tuples from the dataset include two or more tuples with a same data value for the fourth field.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user associates each of the first and second fields with a respective field container by dragging and dropping each of the first and second fields into respective row position and column position field containers in the graphical user interface.

14. A computer system for generating a statistical model, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for;

providing a graphical user interface for a user to specify characteristics of a data visualization;

receiving, through the provided user interface, user selection of a plurality of fields from a dataset and user association of each field in the plurality of fields with a respective field container in the user interface, wherein the plurality of fields includes a first field and a second field of the dataset, and each field container corresponds to a data visualization characteristic;

determining a set of data properties for each of the first and second fields;

generating a statistical model of a mathematical relationship between the first and second fields based on the data properties of the first and second fields and data values associated with the first and second fields in the dataset, wherein the mathematical relationship expresses one of the first and second fields as a response variable that is a function of the other of the first and second fields based on the determined set of data properties for the first and second fields; and

displaying the data visualization in the user interface according to the user associations of the plurality of fields with the field containers and displaying a graphical representation of the statistical model superimposed on the data visualization.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first field is associated with a field container that specifies row position in the data visualization and the second field is associated with a field container that specifies column position in the data visualization.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the determined set of data properties of each of the first and second fields includes a field type selected from the group consisting of categorical and quantitative.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for selecting the first field as the response variable when the first field is the only quantitative field in the plurality of fields associated with a field container that specifies row position or column position in the data visualization.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of fields includes a third field associated with a field container that specifies row position or column position in the data visualization, the method further comprising generating one or more additional statistical models based on the third field.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by a computer system that includes one or more processors and memory, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

providing a graphical user interface for a user to specify characteristics of a data visualization;

receiving, through the provided user interface, user selection of a plurality of fields from a dataset and user association of each field in the plurality of fields with a respective field container in the user interface, wherein the plurality of fields includes a first field and a second field of the dataset, and each field container corresponds to a data visualization characteristic;

determining a set of data properties for each of the first and second fields;

generating a statistical model of a mathematical relationship between the first and second fields based on the data properties of the first and second fields and data values associated with the first and second fields in the dataset, wherein the mathematical relationship expresses one of the first and second fields as a response variable that is a function of the other of the first and second fields based on the determined set of data properties for the first and second fields; and

displaying the data visualization in the user interface according to the user associations of the plurality of fields with the field containers and displaying a graphical representation of the statistical model superimposed on the data visualization.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the first field is associated with a field container that specifies row position in the data visualization and the second field is associated with a field container that specifies column position in the data visualization.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the determined set of data properties of each of the first and second fields includes a field type selected from the group consisting of categorical and quantitative.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for selecting the first field as the response variable when the first field is the only quantitative field in the plurality of fields associated with a field container that specifies row position or column position in the data visualization.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the plurality of fields includes a third field associated with a field container that specifies row position or column position in the data visualization, the method further comprising generating one or more additional statistical models based on the third field.