Asynchronous dashboard query prompting

• US 9,842,099 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• 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:
  US13/689,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20140149839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

A client receives data from a server that includes a dashboard generated at the server by converting each of a spreadsheet file and a dashboard structure file into a text-based, language-independent data interchange format. In addition, the dashboard includes at least one component dependent on at least one prompt. Thereafter, the at least one prompt is asynchronously rendered in a graphical user interface at the client. Data is later received that includes answers to one or more prompts. At least one query is subsequently executed based on the received answers. After results of the executed at least one query is received, the component having a corresponding received answer is rendered in the dashboard. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a client from a server, data comprising a dashboard, the dashboard being generated at the server by converting each of a spreadsheet file and a dashboard structure file into a text-based, language-independent data interchange format, wherein the dashboard comprises a first component, a second component, and a third component, wherein a rendering of the first component and the second component is dependent on data from a data source, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component comprise a visual component adapted to provide a visual representation of the data from the data source, wherein the third component comprises a prompt, wherein the prompt is adapted to request, from a user, an input of one or more values, wherein one or more cells in the spreadsheet file are changed based on the one or more values input by the user in response to the prompt, and wherein the data source includes the one or more cells in the spreadsheet file;

asynchronously rendering the first component, the second component, and the third component in a graphical user interface at the client, the asynchronous rendering occurring via a plurality of operations comprising;

providing a first notification to a data source listener of the data source that data is required to render the first component;

providing a second notification to the data source listener that data is required to render the second component;

while the client renders the third component of the dashboard, allowing the data source to perform a single batch fetch operation to fetch both the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component; and

in response to the data source listener indicating that the data source has fetched the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component;

receiving, from the data source, the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component;

executing at least one query based on the data received from the data source; and

rendering the first component and the second component of the dashboard using a result of the at least one query.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

registering the data source listener to monitor for changes in the one or more cells in the spreadsheet file; and

executing the at least one query in response to the data source listener indicating a change in the one or more cells.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the input of one or more values comprises a user-generated input provided via the graphical user interface element of the third component as rendered in the graphical user interface.

4. A method as in claim 3, further comprising:

displaying the third component in the graphical user interface, the rendered third component comprising the graphical user interface element corresponding to the prompt; and

receiving the user-generated input via the graphical user interface element, the user-generated input comprising the one or more values.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one query includes a filter parameterized by the one or more values.

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

receiving, at a client from a server, data comprising a dashboard, the dashboard being generated at the server by converting each of a spreadsheet file and a dashboard structure file into a text-based, language-independent data interchange format, wherein the dashboard comprises a first component, a second component, and a third component, wherein a rendering of the first component and the second component is dependent on data from a data source, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component comprise a visual component adapted to provide a visual representation of the data from the data source, wherein the third component comprises a prompt, wherein the prompt is adapted to request, from a user, an input of one or more values, wherein one or more cells in the spreadsheet file are changed based on the one or more values input by the user in response to the prompt, and wherein the data source includes the one or more cells in the spreadsheet file;

asynchronously rendering the first component and the second component in a graphical user interface at the client, the asynchronously rendering occurring via a plurality of operations comprising;

providing a first notification to a data source listener of the data source that data is required to render the first component;

providing a second notification to the data source listener that data is required to render the second component;

while the client renders the third component of the dashboard, allowing the data source to perform a single batch fetch operation to fetch both the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component; and

in response to the data source listener indicating that the data source has fetched the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component;

receiving, from the data source, the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component;

executing at least one query based on the data received from the data source; and

rendering the first component and the second component of the dashboard using a result of the at least one query.

7. A computer program product as in claim 6, further comprising:

registering the data source listener to monitor for changes in the one or more cells in the spreadsheet file; and

executing the at least one query in response to the data source listener indicating a change in the one or more cells.

8. A computer program product as in claim 6, wherein the input of one or more values comprises a user-generated input provided via the graphical user interface element of the third component as rendered in the graphical user interface.

9. A computer program product as in claim 8, further comprising:

displaying the third component in the graphical user interface, the rendered third component comprising the graphical user interface element corresponding to the prompt; and

receiving the user-generated input via the graphical user interface element, the user-generated input comprising the one or more values.

10. A computer program product as in claim 6, wherein the at least one query includes a filter parameterized by the one or more values.

11. A system comprising:

at least one data processor forming part of at least one computing system; and

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

receiving, at a client from a server, data comprising a dashboard, the dashboard being generated at the server by converting each of a spreadsheet file and a dashboard structure file into a text-based, language-independent data interchange format, wherein the dashboard comprises a first component, a second component, and a third component, wherein a rendering of the first component and the second component is dependent on data from a data source, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component comprise a visual component adapted to provide a visual representation of the data from the data source, wherein the third component comprises a prompt, wherein the prompt is adapted to request, from a user, an input of one or more values, wherein one or more cells in the spreadsheet file are changed based on the one or more values input by the user in response to the prompt, and wherein the data source includes the one or more cells in the spreadsheet file;

asynchronously rendering the first component and the second component in a graphical user interface at the client, the asynchronously rendering occurring via a plurality of operations comprising;

providing a first notification to a data source listener of the data source that data is required to render the first component;

providing a second notification to the data source listener that data is required to render the second component;

while the client renders the third component of the dashboard, allowing the data source to perform a single batch fetch operation to fetch both the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component; and

in response to the data source listener indicating that the data source has fetched the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component;

receiving, from the data source, the data required to render the first component and the data required to render the second component;

executing at least one query based on the data received from the data source; and

rendering the first component and the second component of the dashboard using a result of the at least one query.

12. A system as in claim 11, further comprising:

registering the data source listener to monitor for changes in the one or more cells in the spreadsheet file; and

executing the at least one query when the data source listener indicates a change in the one or more cells.

13. A system as in claim 11, further comprising:

displaying the third component in the graphical user interface, the rendered third component comprising the graphical user interface element corresponding to the prompt; and

receiving the user-generated input via the graphical user interface element, the user-generated input comprising the one or more values.

14. A system as in claim 11, wherein the at least one query includes a filter parameterized by the one or more values.