Systems, devices, and methods for generation of contextual objects mapped by dimensional data to data measures

• US 9,830,402 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Decisyon, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Decisyon, Inc.
• Inventors: Vivalda, Antonio, Del Franco, Fabrizio, Costantini, Simone, Pratico, Alessandro, Petrucci, Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): Obisesan, Augustine K
• Application Number:
  US14/738,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20150278392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion

Abstract

This disclosure in part describes systems, devices, and methods for implementing a unification mechanism that enables the unification of various data sets, which can permit greater collaboration between users of a data management platform. For example, a system can be configured to enable a user to add or associate a contextual object with a data measure. In associating the contextual object with the data measure, the system can store the contextual object with the unique dimension coordinates that are associated with data measure. Other users of the system may, in turn, access the data measure and be shown the contextual object associated with the data measure.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed system to process by one or more computer processors computer-program code by performing a method when the computer-program code is executed on the suitably programmed system, the method facilitating collaboration, the method comprising:

processing, by the suitably programmed system, a first request from a first user terminal of a plurality of user terminals to associate a first contextual object with a data measure mapped to a multi-dimensional data model, the first contextual object comprising information received by the first user terminal from a first user of the first user terminal, the multi-dimensional data model configured for access by online analytical processing (OLAP) applications;

determining, by the suitably programmed system, coordinates of a plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model that uniquely identify the data measure;

storing, by the suitably programmed system, in an electronic data storage the first contextual object in association with the coordinates of the plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model that uniquely identify the data measure;

receiving, by the suitably programmed system, a second request from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, the second request dynamically generated based on a value of the data measure being displayed by the second user terminal to a second user of the second user terminal, the second request indicating the coordinates of the plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model that uniquely identify the data measure, the second request configured to identify contextual objects associated with the coordinates;

determining, by the suitably programmed system, an existence of contextual objects that are associated with the coordinates indicated in the second request;

retrieving, by the suitably programmed system, the first contextual object from the electronic data storage using the coordinates of the plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model;

transmitting, by the suitably programmed system, to the second user terminal an indication of the first contextual object for display by the second user terminal in juxtaposition with the value of the data measure; and

transmitting, by the suitably programmed system, to the second user terminal the first contextual object.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein said transmitting the first contextual object is based on determining that the second user is permitted to view the first contextual object, wherein permission to view the first contextual object is based on determining that the second user is permitted to view a source application that generated the data measure.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein said transmitting to the second user terminal the first contextual object further comprises transmitting an indication of a third contextual object embedded in the first contextual object, the indication of the third contextual object configured for display by the second user terminal, the third contextual object associated with the coordinates of the plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model that uniquely identify the data measure.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the method performed when the computer-program code is executed on the suitably programmed system further comprises:

transmitting, by the suitably programmed system, to the first user terminal a first indication of the first contextual object for display by the first user terminal in association with the value of the data measure; and

transmitting, by the suitably programmed system, to the first user terminal a second indication of the first contextual object for display by the first user terminal in place of the first indication, the second indication denoting that contents of the first contextual object have changed relative to the contents of the first contextual object when the first indication is displayed.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the value of the data measure is configured to vary over time based on a measured value indicative of performance of an entity, and wherein the method performed when the computer-program code is executed on the suitably programmed system further comprises:

transmitting, by the suitably programmed system, the value of the data measure to the second terminal at a first time; and

transmitting, by the suitably programmed system, the value of the data measure to the second terminal at a second time subsequent to the first time when the value of the data measure has changed.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the information received by the first user terminal from the first user comprises text input by the first user.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein in response to determining that the first contextual object comprises a link to a third contextual object, transmitting, by the suitably programmed system, to the second user terminal a list of contextual objects linked to the first contextual object to cause the second user terminal to display the list on a user interface displayed on a display, the list including the third contextual object.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the link comprises a navigable link that when selected, as a result of an input by the second user, causes the display to display contents of the third contextual object.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first contextual object comprises at least two of text input by the first user, a link to a task object, a link to a report, and a link to a user social space.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein said transmitting to the second user terminal the indication of the first contextual object comprises transmitting to the second user terminal the indication of the first contextual object to cause the second user terminal to display, in a report on a user interface displayed on a display, the indication of the first contextual object within the same cell of the report as the value of the data measure.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein said retrieving the first contextual object and said transmitting to the second user terminal the indication of the first contextual object are performed in response to determining that the second user is permitted to view the value of the data measure.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the method performed when the computer-program code is executed on the suitably programmed system further comprises retrieving, by the suitably programmed system, the data measure from the electronic data storage based on the second request from the second user terminal for a plurality of data measures, the data measure stored in a relational database structure.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein said processing is performed substantially in real-time with said transmitting the indication of the first contextual object.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the multi-dimensional data model comprises at least three dimensions.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein said transmitting to the second user terminal the first contextual object is performed in response to a third request for the first contextual object from the second user terminal.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the method performed when the computer-program code is executed on the suitably programmed system further comprises:

retrieving, by the suitably programmed system, a second contextual object from the electronic data storage using the coordinates of the plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model; and

transmitting, by the suitably programmed system, to the second user terminal an indication of the second contextual object for display by the second user terminal in juxtaposition with the value of the data measure and the indication of the first contextual object.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the indication of the first contextual object comprises a parameter calculated based on the value of the data measure.

18. A computer-implemented method for facilitating collaboration, the computer-implemented method comprising:

processing, by a computer system, a first request from a first user terminal of a plurality of user terminals to associate a first contextual object with a data measure mapped to a multi-dimensional data model, the first contextual object comprising information received by the first user terminal from a first user of the first user terminal, the multi-dimensional data model configured for access by online analytical processing (OLAP) applications;

determining, by the computer system, coordinates of a plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model that uniquely identify the data measure;

storing, by the computer system, in an electronic data storage the first contextual object in association with the coordinates of the plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model that uniquely identify the data measure;

receiving, by the computer system, a second request from a second user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, the second request dynamically generated based on a value of the data measure being displayed by the second user terminal to a second user of the second user terminal, the second request indicating the coordinates of the plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model that uniquely identify the data measure, the second request configured to identify contextual objects associated with the coordinates;

determining, by the computer system, an existence of contextual objects that are associated with the coordinates indicated in the second request;

retrieving, by the computer system, the first contextual object from the electronic data storage using the coordinates of the plurality of data dimensions of the multi-dimensional data model;

transmitting, by the computer system, to the second user terminal an indication of the first contextual object for display by the second user terminal in juxtaposition with the value of the data measure; and

transmitting, by the computer system, to the second user terminal the first contextual object,

wherein the computer system comprises a computer processor and electronic memory.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the value of the data measure is configured to vary over time based on a measured value indicative of performance of an entity, and further comprising:

transmitting, by the computer system, the value of the data measure to the second terminal at a first time; and

transmitting, by the computer system, the value of the data measure to the second terminal at a second time subsequent to the first time when the value of the data measure has changed.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein said transmitting to the second user terminal the indication of the first contextual object comprises transmitting to the second user terminal the indication of the first contextual object to cause the second user terminal to display, on a user interface displayed on a display, the indication of the first contextual object at a position within a maximum distance from the value of the data measure.