Techniques for filter sharing

• US 8,341,163 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Folting, Allan, Berry, Gabhan, Khen, Danny, Garbuzov, Andrew, Grabar, Anatoly
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAYE, CHELCIE L
• Application Number:
  US12/140,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/5, 707/201, 707/754, 705/7
• US Class Current: 707/754
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation

Abstract

Techniques for filter sharing are described. An apparatus may comprise a shared filter manager component for an application program. The shared filter manager component may be operative to manage shared filtering operations for the application program. The shared filter manager component may comprise a shared filter interface module operative to receive a selection for a shared filter component to filter multiple source data objects, and assign the shared filter component to the multiple source data objects. The shared filter manager component may further comprise a shared filter control module communicatively coupled to the shared filter interface module. The shared filter control module may be operative to filter data from the multiple source data objects using the shared filter component. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

opening a filter interface view from a first source data object;

displaying at least one of a shared and a local filter component, and at least one source data object in the filter interface view;

receiving a selection for a filter component from the filter interface view;

receiving a selection for a second source data object from the filter interface view, wherein the second source data object is not assigned to the selected filter component;

assigning the selected filter component to the first and second source data objects, wherein the selected filter component becomes a shared filter component;

assigning any shared filter components used by the first and second source data objects to a shared filter group of shared filter components, wherein the shared filter components of the shared filter group are usable by the first and second source data objects; and

filtering data from multiple source data objects using the shared filter component.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising selecting another shared filter component in a same hierarchy as the selected shared filter component.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising assigning the shared filter component to a spreadsheet formula.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising recalculating a calculation chain having a spreadsheet formula with the shared filter component.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising removing the selected shared filter component from the shared filter group of shared filter components when the selected shared filter component is no longer assigned to any of the multiple source data objects.

6. An article comprising a storage medium containing instructions that when executed enable a system to:

open a filter interface view from a first source data object;

display at least one of a shared and a local filter component, and at least one source data object in the filter interface view;

receive a selection for a first filter component for a source data object;

assign the first filter component to a second source data object, wherein the first filter component becomes a shared filter component and wherein the second source data object was not previously assigned to the selected filter component;

assign any shared filter components for the selected and second source data objects to a shared filter group of shared filter components, wherein the shared filter components of the shared filter group are usable by the selected and second source data objects; and

filter data from first and second source data objects using the first shared filter component.

7. The article of claim 6, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to select a third shared filter component in a same hierarchy as the selected shared filter component.

8. The article of claim 6, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to assign the shared filter component to a spreadsheet formula.

9. The article of claim 6, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to recalculate a calculation chain having a spreadsheet formula with the shared filter component.

10. The article of claim 6, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to assign the first shared filter component to the second source data object sharing a data connection with the first source data object.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a shared filter manager component for an application program, the shared filter manager component implemented by the processor and operative to manage shared filtering operations for the application program, the shared filter manager component comprising;

a shared filter interface module operative to;

open a filter interface view from a first one of multiple source data objects;

display at least one of a shared and a local filter component, and at least one source data object in the filter interface view;

receive a selection for a filter component from the filter interface view to filter multiple source data objects;

receive a selection of at least one additional source data object of the multiple source data objects from the filter interface view, wherein the at least one additional source data object is not assigned to the selected filter component;

assign the selected filter component to the multiple source data objects, wherein the selected filter component becomes a shared filter component; and

assign any shared filter components used by the multiple source data objects to a shared filter group of shared filter components, wherein the shared filter components of the shared filter group are usable by all of the multiple data source objects; and

a shared filter control module communicatively coupled to the shared filter interface module, the shared filter control module operative to filter data from the multiple source data objects using the selected shared filter component.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, the shared filter interface module operative to automatically select another shared filter component in a same hierarchy as the selected shared filter component.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, the shared filter interface module operative to assign the shared filter component to a spreadsheet formula.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, the shared filter control module operative to filter the multiple source data objects to obtain filter results when a calculation chain having the spreadsheet formula is recalculated, and cause the spreadsheet formula to be recalculated when the shared filter component produces different filter results.