Dashboard formula execution

• US 9,367,535 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Bedard, Jason, Kumar, Viren
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): McVicker, Matthew G
• Application Number:
  US13/689,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20140149838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Formulas in dashboards can be executed at a client executing web technologies such as HTML5 and JavaScript. The formulas specified by a spreadsheet file are transformed into a pre-defined notation format and then recursively evaluated. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a client from a server, a dashboard container comprising a spreadsheet file and a dashboard structure file both in a text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the dashboard container having resulted from conversion by the server of the spreadsheet file and the dashboard structure file into the text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the spreadsheet file comprising cells including a first cell that includes a first formula and one or more referenced cells upon which evaluation of the first formula depends, the first formula being expressed as an object in the text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the dashboard structure file comprising metadata for use in rendering a dashboard comprising a plurality of components, at least one of the plurality of components comprising a visual component;

rendering, at the client, the dashboard to include the spreadsheet and the plurality of components of the dashboard based at least on the received dashboard container;

registering a first listener for the first formula on each of the one or more referenced cells;

upon the first listener being notified of a change in any of the one or more referenced cells, notifying, by the first listener, a second listener for a second formula registered on the first cell by a second cell of the spreadsheet that comprises the second formula, the notifying occurring without evaluating the first formula based on the change;

recursively evaluating the second cell and the first cell according to the first listener and at least the second listener to enable updating the visual component, which relies upon the second cell; and

initiating, using a second rendering of the dashboard using the spreadsheet file, the dashboard structure file and results of the recursively evaluating.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the dashboard is rendered in a browser.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the browser is an ECMAScript-enabled browser.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the text-based, language-independent data interchange format comprises an object notation format derived from a programming language that implements the ECMAScript Programming Language Standard.

5. A method as in claim 1, further comprising transforming a representation of each cell having at least one formula into a pre-defined notation format prior to the recursive evaluation.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein the pre-defined notation is a postfix notation.

7. A method as in claim 5, wherein each formula in the transformed notation comprises one or more tokens, and wherein the recursively evaluating comprises:

creating a result stack;

for each token in the transformed representation;

if the token corresponds to a value, pushing the token onto the result stack;

if the token corresponds to a function;

popping required arguments off the result stack;

evaluating the function;

pushing the result of the function onto the result stack;

if the token corresponds to at least one cell reference;

recursively fetching the value of the at least one referenced cell.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein tokens corresponding to a value correspond to a literal or constant value.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein the value of the at least one reference cell is recursively fetched if the cell comprises at least one formula.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the received data is received from at least one server, and wherein the accepting, evaluating and initiation of the rendering are executed by at least one client remote from the at least one server.

11. A non-transitory computer program product storing instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor forming part of at least one computing system, result in operations comprising:

receiving, at a client from a server, a dashboard container comprising a spreadsheet file and a dashboard structure file both in a text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the dashboard container having resulted from conversion by the server of the spreadsheet file and the dashboard structure file into the text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the spreadsheet file comprising cells including a first cell that includes a first formula and one or more referenced cells upon which evaluation of the first formula depends, the first formula being expressed as an object in the text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the dashboard structure file comprising metadata for use in rendering a dashboard comprising a plurality of components, at least one of the plurality of components comprising a visual component;

rendering, at the client, the dashboard to include the spreadsheet and the plurality of components of the dashboard based at least on the received dashboard container;

registering a first listener for the first formula on each of the one or more referenced cells;

upon the first listener being notified of a change in any of the one or more referenced cells, notifying, by the first listener, a second listener for a second formula registered on the first cell by a second cell of the spreadsheet that comprises the second formula, the notifying occurring without evaluating the first formula based on the change;

recursively evaluating the second cell and the first cell according to the first listener and at least the second listener to enable updating the visual component, which relies upon the second cell; and

initiating, using a second rendering of the dashboard using the spreadsheet file, the dashboard structure file and results of the recursively evaluating.

12. A computer program product as in claim 11, wherein the dashboard is rendered in a browser.

13. A computer program product as in claim 12, wherein the browser is an ECMAScript-enabled browser.

14. A computer program product as in claim 11, wherein the text-based, language-independent data interchange format comprises an object notation format derived from a programming language that implements the ECMAScript Programming Language Standard.

15. A computer program product as in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

transforming a representation of each cell having at least one formula into a pre-defined notation format prior to the recursive evaluation.

16. A computer program product as in claim 15, wherein each formula in the transformed notation comprises one or more tokens, and wherein the recursively evaluating comprises:

creating a result stack;

for each token in the transformed representation;

if the token corresponds to a value, pushing the token onto the result stack;

if the token corresponds to a function;

popping required arguments off the result stack;

evaluating the function;

pushing the result of the function onto the result stack;

if the token corresponds to at least one cell reference;

recursively fetching the value of the at least one referenced cell.

18. A system as in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

transforming a representation of each cell having at least one formula into a pre-defined notation format prior to the recursive evaluation;

wherein each formula in the transformed notation comprises one or more tokens, and wherein the recursively evaluating comprises;

creating a result stack;

for each token in the transformed representation;

if the token corresponds to a value, pushing the token onto the result stack;

if the token corresponds to a function;

popping required arguments off the result stack;

evaluating the function;

pushing the result of the function onto the result stack;

if the token corresponds to at least one cell reference;

recursively fetching the value of the at least one referenced cell.

17. A system comprising:

at least one data processor; and

memory storing instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, result in operations comprising;

receiving, at a client from a server, a dashboard container comprising a spreadsheet file and a dashboard structure file both in a text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the dashboard container having resulted from conversion by the server of the spreadsheet file and the dashboard structure file into the text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the spreadsheet file comprising cells including a first cell that includes a first formula and one or more referenced cells upon which evaluation of the first formula depends, the first formula being expressed as an object in the text-based, language-independent data interchange format, the dashboard structure file comprising metadata for use in rendering a dashboard comprising a plurality of components, at least one of the plurality of components comprising a visual component;

rendering, at the client, the dashboard to include the spreadsheet and the plurality of components of the dashboard based at least on the received dashboard container;

registering a first listener for the first formula on each of the one or more referenced cells;

upon the first listener being notified of a change in any of the one or more referenced cells, notifying, by the first listener, a second listener for a second formula registered on the first cell by a second cell of the spreadsheet that comprises the second formula, the notifying occurring without evaluating the first formula based on the change;

recursively evaluating the second cell and the first cell according to the first listener and at least the second listener to enable updating the visual component, which relies upon the second cell; and

initiating, using a second rendering of the dashboard using the spreadsheet file, the dashboard structure file and results of the recursively evaluating.