Data processing system with data recovery

#This invention relates to the operation of office software applications, which in various environments may include various combinations and embodiments of spreadsheet, word processor, desktop publisher, business graphics, presentation graphics, web page composition and publishing, database, electronic mail, personal information management, task scheduling, form and report writer, application generator, online transaction processing (OLTP), multi-dimension decision support system (DSS) and on line analytic processing (OLAP) applications.

#It is well known that information processing using even very limited combinations of software gives rise to problems that are not resolved satisfactorily by application software of the prior art. These problems include integration among office applications, integration between database applications and office applications, integration between office applications and massive information existing as web pages on the Internet, integration between database applications and Internet applications, and multi-level and multi-dimensional consolidation and its seamless integration with office applications.

#One aspect of these problems relates to the organization of data in spreadsheet applications. In a conventional spreadsheet, there exist four types of data objects, namely, numbers, dates, texts, and formulae. While some spreadsheets contain additional types of data objects, such as graphs and pictures, they are treated in an “ad hoc” way, each such type requiring special treatment by the spreadsheet program. As a result, the potential for integration of spreadsheet applications with other applications is severely limited.

#These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:

#FIG. 1 is a pictorial diagram of a computer processing environment incorporating an integrated data processing system according to the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram showing a functional relationship between a program framework, plural application programs, and data files of a data object oriented repository of the system of FIG. 1;

#The present invention is directed to a system and a set of tools for facilitating integrated data processing among various combinations and embodiments of office application computer programs. With reference to FIG. 1, an integrated data processing system 10 is operative in a computer processing environment 12, the system 10 including a processor 14 having working memory 16 and non-volatile memory 18 associated therewith, a user interface 20 having a display 22, a keyboard 24, and a pointing device 26, and a network interface 28 for communication over a communication network 30. The communication network 30 can include a local portion 31 for connection to local devices, and/or a remote portion 32 for communicating remotely such as over the Internet. It will be understood that the non-volatile memory 18 can include conventional floppy and hard disk drives, mass-storage devices, as well as non-volatile semiconductor memory, and the system 10 can also include other components (not shown) such as printers, scanners, and audio speakers. Moreover, the system 10 can include plural counterparts of the processor 14, memory 16 and 18, user interface 20, and network interface 28, located locally and/or remotely thereto. It will be understood that the term “user interface”, in addition to applying collectively to the display 22, keyboard 24, pointing device 26, (and any other physical device with which a user would interact in operating the system 10), may also refer to characteristics of such interaction as defined by a particular application program being operated, sometimes characterized as the “look and feel” of a computer program.

#A Data Repository for Integrated Applications

#With further reference to FIG. 2, the present invention uses a generalized spreadsheet as a data repository, designated Data Object Oriented Repository (DOOR) 34, including one or more data files 35, each data file having a header 36, and which typically includes plural data cells 37 that can each have stored therein one and only one data object 38, and wherein the data objects are no longer restricted to the four types identified above, namely, numbers, dates, texts, and formulae. Accordingly, the present invention contemplates graphics, audio, web pages, computer programs, etc., as data objects. Since all types of data objects are treated uniformly, new types and even new applications can be readily added to extend the capabilities of the invention. Further, the present invention provides a universal platform both to integrate a great variety of desktop applications and to integrate both database data and Internet data.