US 6,604,108 B1 · Information mart system and information mart browser

Abstract

The invention pertains to an information mart system and information mart browser. The information mart provides an automated mechanism for gathering data that is dispersed among the electronic data storage facilities of an enterprise, and for synthesizing and structuring the gathered data in accordance with the needs of user who require information to analyze the operation of the enterprise. The information mart generates content files that are organized in accordance with a predefined hierarchy of subjects, and a predefined set of relational attributes that are applied to all subjects of the subject hierarchy. The user is thereby provided with both hierarchical and relational access to the data. The user is enabled to browse the data in an intuitive manner through browser navigation tools provided in a graphical user interface that allow the user to provide input specifying a subject of interest and a relational attribute that characterizes the information desired about the subject. The browser further provides multiple simultaneous displays of content files containing related information. Multiple display of files provides juxtaposition of information that is derived from multiple sources and conveyed in multiple formats, thereby enhancing the user's capacity for synthesizing and deriving further knowledge. The information mart system thus enables users to locate and browse the vast amount of disparate information that is used by an enterprise using an intuitive navigational metaphor that utilizes both a hierarchical and relational model.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A system for managing information in a pharmaceutical product testing enterprise, comprising:

a logical index associating system content file identifiers with predefined source data, with predefined source data processing rules, with subjects of a predefined subject hierarchy that includes a subject corresponding to each substance, product, protocol, and investigator of the pharmaceutical product testing enterprise, and with predefined relational attributes applied to all subjects of the hierarchy and selected from the group consisting of financial, project, and executive relational attributes;
a content file creation facility for generating system content files by obtaining source data associated with a content file identifier from remote electronic storage facilities and processing the source data in accordance with the predefined source data processing rules associated with the content file identifier to generate the content file;
a file server facility for providing content files in response to content file queries from a browser specifying a subject of the predefined subject hierarchy and relational attribute of the set of predefined relational attributes;
and
a browser comprising:
a relational attribute navigation tool for receiving user input specifying a relational attribute of the set of predefined relational attributes that characterizes desired information;
a subject hierarchy navigation tool for receiving user input specifying a subject of the predefined subject hierarchy that characterizes desired information;
and
multiple file display facilities for concurrently issuing content file queries to the server facility comprising a specified relational attribute and a specified subject, and for concurrently displaying content files provide by the server facility in a graphical user interface.

6 more elements

A computer readable medium storing control programming for controlling a general purpose computer to function as an information mart browser of an information mart system for a pharmaceutical product testing enterprise, the browser comprising:

a relational attribute navigation tool for receiving user input through a graphical user interface specifying a predefined relational attribute of a set of predefined relational attributes that characterizes desired information, the relational attributes including financial, project, and executive relational attributes;
a subject hierarchy navigation tool for determining subjects of a predefined subject hierarchy of the information mart system, and for receiving user input through a graphical user interface specifying a subject of the predefined subject hierarchy that characterizes desired information, the subjects of the predefined-subject-hierarchy including a subject corresponding to each substance, product, protocol, and investigator of the pharmaceutical product testing enterprise;
and
multiple file display facilities for concurrently issuing content file queries to an information mart server facility comprising a specified relational attribute and a specified subject, and for concurrently displaying content files provide by the server facility in a graphical user interface.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Information mart system and information mart browser

Life of this patent

Information mart system and information mart browser

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19