Selective generation and display of data items associated with a spreadsheet

• US 9,069,748 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Folting, Allan, Handy, Stephen Van de Walker, Oppenheimer, Diego M., Grabar, Anatoly V., Velingkar, Amit A.
• Primary Examiner(s): RIES, LAURIE ANNE
• Application Number:
  US13/252,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20130086459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 715/212, 715/214
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

A system and method for creating a report in a spreadsheet is disclosed. The system and method identifies a source of data items associated with the spreadsheet. The data items that are associated with the report that is generated in the spreadsheet are identified. A display including a field pane with an active tab and an all tab. The active tab displaying those data items that are determined to be associated with the report that is being generated in the spreadsheet. The all tab displaying all of the data items associated with the spreadsheet.

Claims

1. A system for creating a report in a spreadsheet, the system comprising:

a central processing unit; and

a memory encoding instructions that, when executed by the central processing unit, cause the central processing unit to create;

a data source module programmed to identify sources of data items associated with the spreadsheet;

an active module programmed to generate the report including a portion of the data items associated with the spreadsheet, and identify which of the data items are associated with the report; and

a display module programmed to display a field pane to modify the report, the field pane including an active tab and an all tab, the active tab displaying those data items that are determined to be associated with the report, and the all tab displaying all of the data items associated with the spreadsheet.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data items include data fields associated with one or more data regions of the spreadsheet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data items include data fields associated with one or more external data stores incorporated into the spreadsheet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data items include one or more tables, and each of the one or more tables includes two or more dimensions.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more tables are shown by default in a collapsed format in the all tab.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more tables are shown by default in an expanded format in the active tab.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein related tables are clustered on the field pane.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a user can select the active tab and the all tab to switch between views provided by the display module.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a data item is added to the active tab when a field associated with the data item is added to the report.

10. A method for generating a user interface for a spreadsheet, the method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, a source for all data items associated with the spreadsheet;

generating a report including a portion of the data items associated with the spreadsheet;

identifying which of the data items are associated with the report; and

displaying a field pane to modify the report, the field pane including an active tab and an all tab, the active tab listing those data items that are determined to be associated with the report, and the all tab listing all of the data items associated with the spreadsheet.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the data items include data fields associated with one or more data regions of the spreadsheet.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the data items include data fields associated with one or more external stores incorporated into the spreadsheet.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the data items include one or more tables, and each of the one or more tables includes two or more dimensions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more tables are shown by default in a collapsed format in the all tab.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more tables are shown by default in an expanded format in the active tab.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising clustering related tables on the field pane.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising allowing a user to select the active tab and the all tab to switch between views.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

allowing a data item to be added to the report; and

adding the data item to the active tab.

19. A method for generating a field pane for use in creating a report in a spreadsheet, the method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, data regions and associated dimensions for data items associated with the spreadsheet, the data items including data from the spreadsheet and data from external data stores;

receiving a selection of associated dimensions to be included in a report;

generating the report including the associated dimensions;

identifying which of the associated dimensions are incorporated into the report;

displaying the field pane to modify the report, the field pane including an active tab and an all tab, the active tab listing all of the associated dimensions that are selected to be included in the report, the data regions being displayed in an expanded format to show at least a portion of the dimensions associated with each data region;

allowing a user to select the all tab; and

upon selection, displaying the all tab listing all of the data regions and the associated dimensions in the spreadsheet, the data regions being displayed in a collapsed format so that the dimensions are hidden.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

allowing the user to add a data item to the report; and

adding the associated dimensions of the data item to the active tab.