Method, system, and software for automated generation of graphs from report data

A computer implemented method of automatically generating, in an application, a graph from report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, the method comprising the steps of:

• identifying a report format as comprising at least one first group at a first level having at least one detail line with at least two data fields in each of the detail lines, wherein the first group further includes either a vertical total for each of a plurality of the respective data fields in the first group or a horizontal total for each of a plurality of the respective detail lines, with each particular vertical total totaling a corresponding data field for each detail line and with each particular horizontal total totaling each of the data fields for that particular detail line;
• receiving a user input indicative of one of the totals;
• and
• generating a graph using a predefined rule corresponding to the one of the totals indicated by the user input,
• wherein the predefined rule corresponding to a particular one of the vertical totals includes using each different value that formed that particular vertical total to form a different feature in said graph, and
• wherein each of a plurality of the different features in said graph is linked to the corresponding different value used to form that feature, and wherein clicking on a feature displays the linked corresponding different value, and
• wherein report data comprises data from previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein the predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.

The A computer implemented method of automatically generating, in an application, a graph from report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, the method comprising the steps of:

• identifying a report format as comprising at least one first group at a first level having at least one detail line with at least two data fields in each of the detail lines, wherein the first group further includes either a vertical total for each of a plurality of the respective data fields in the first group or a horizontal total for each of a plurality of the respective detail lines, with each particular vertical total totaling a corresponding data field for each detail line and with each particular horizontal total totaling each of the data fields for that particular detail line;
• receiving a user input indicative of one of the totals;
• and
• generating a graph using a predefined rule corresponding to the one of the totals indicated by the user input,
• wherein the predefined rule corresponding to particular one of the horizontal totals includes using each different value that formed that particular detail line total to form a different feature in said graph, and
• wherein each of a plurality of the different features in said graph is linked to the corresponding different value used to form that feature, and wherein clicking on a feature displays the linked corresponding different value, and
• wherein report data comprises data from the previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein the predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.

In a computer display system that displays a graph, in an application, corresponding to report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, a method of displaying graph components comprising the steps of:

• generating graph components corresponding to an identified report format comprising a first group at a first level having plural detail lines each having plural data fields and having either respective vertical total fields for each data field that totals that data field's values in each of the detail lines or respective horizontal total fields for each detail line that totals all the data fields in one detail line;
• highlighting either the vertical total fields or the horizontal total fields;
• accepting user input only in the highlighted vertical total fields or the horizontal total fields;
• and
• generating a graph based on user input in one of the highlighted vertical total fields or the horizontal total fields,
• wherein the report format is hierarchical and further comprises a second group at a second level, each second group comprising one or more first groups, the second group including second group vertical totals, each second group vertical total aggregating all vertical totals for that data field for each first group in the second group, and
• wherein report data comprises data from the previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein a predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.

A computer readable data storage medium having program code recorded thereon, that when executed, causes a computing system to automatically generate, in an application, a graph from report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, the program code comprising:

• a first program code that identifies a report format as comprising at least one first group at a first level having at least one detail line with at least two data fields in each of the detail lines, wherein the first group further includes either a vertical total line for each of a plurality of the respective data fields in the first group or a horizontal total for each of the plurality of the detail lines, with each particular horizontal total totaling each of the data fields for that particular detail line;
• a second program code that receives user input indicative of one of the totals;
• and
• a third program code that generates a graph using a predetermined rule corresponding to the one of the totals indicated by the user input,
• wherein the report format is hierarchical and further comprises a second group at a second level, each second group comprising one or more first groups, the second group including second group vertical totals, each second group vertical total aggregating all vertical totals for that data field for each first group in the second group, and
• wherein report data comprises data from the previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein the predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.

A computer readable data storage medium having program code recorded thereon for automatically generating, in an application, a graph from report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, the program code comprising:

• a first program code that identifies a report format as comprising at least one first group at a first level having at least one detail line with at least two data fields in each of the detail lines, wherein the first group further includes either a vertical total line for each of a plurality of the respective data fields in the first group or a horizontal total for each of the plurality of the detail lines, with each particular horizontal total totaling each of the data fields for that particular detail line;
• a second program code that receives user input indicative of one of the totals;
• and
• a third program code that generates a graph using a predefined rule corresponding to the one of the totals indicated by the user input,
• wherein the predefined rule corresponding to a particular one of the vertical totals includes using each different value that formed that particular vertical total to form a different feature in said graph,
• wherein each of a plurality of the different features in said graph is linked to the corresponding different value used to form that feature, and wherein clicking on a feature displays the linked corresponding different value, and
• wherein report data comprises data from the previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein the predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.

A computer readable data storage medium having program code recorded thereon for automatically generating, in an application, a graph from report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, the program code comprising:

• a first program code that identifies a report format as comprising at least one first group at a first level having at least one detail line with at least two data fields in each of the detail lines, wherein the first group further includes either a vertical total line for each of a plurality of the respective data fields in the first group or a horizontal total for each of the plurality of the detail lines, with each particular horizontal total totaling each of the data fields for that particular detail line;
• a second program code that receives user input indicative of one of the totals;
• and
• a third program code that generates a graph using a predefined rule corresponding to the one of the totals indicated by the user input,
• wherein the predefined rule corresponding to a particular one of the horizontal totals includes using each different value that formed that particular detail line total to form a different feature in said graph,
• wherein each of a plurality of the different features in said graph is linked to the corresponding different value used to form that feature, and wherein clicking on a feature displays the linked corresponding different value, and
• wherein report data comprises data from the previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein the predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.

A system for automatically generating, in an application, a graph from report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, the system comprising:

• means for identifying and normalizing a report format as comprising at least one first group at a first level having at least one detail line with at least two data fields in each of the detail lines, wherein the first group further includes either a vertical total line for each of a plurality of the respective data fields in the first group or a horizontal total for each of the plurality of the detail lines, with each particular horizontal total totaling each of the data fields for that particular detail line;
• user interaction means for receives a user input indicative of one of the total;
• and
• a graph generator means for generating a graph by using a predefined rule corresponding to one of the totals indicated by the user input,
• wherein the report format is hierarchical and further comprises a second group at a second level, each second group comprising one or more first groups, the second group including second group vertical totals, each second group vertical total aggregating all vertical totals for that data field for each first group in the second group, and
• wherein report data comprises data from the previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein the predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.

A system for automatically generating a graph, in an application, from report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, the system comprising:

• a report unit that identifies a report format as comprising at least one first group at a first level having at least one detail line with at least two data fields in each of the detail lines, wherein the first group further includes either a vertical total line for each of a plurality of the respective data fields in the first group or a horizontal total for each of the plurality of the detail lines, with each particular horizontal total totaling each of the data fields for that particular detail line;
• a user interaction unit that receives a user input indicative of one of the total;
• and
• a graph generator that generates a graph by using a predefined rule corresponding to one of the totals indicated by the user input,
• wherein the report format is hierarchical and further comprises a second group at a second level, each second group comprising one or more first groups, the second group including second group vertical totals, each second group vertical total aggregating all vertical totals for that data field for each first group in the second group,
• wherein report data comprises data from the previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein the predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.

The computer implemented method of automatically generating, in an application, a graph from report data derived from a previous report created by a different application, the method comprising the steps of:

• identifying a report format as comprising at least one first group at a first level having at least one detail line with at least two data fields in each of the detail lines, wherein the first group further includes either a vertical total for each of a plurality of the respective data fields in the first group or a horizontal total for each of a plurality of the respective detail lines, with each particular vertical total totaling a corresponding data field for each detail line and with each particular horizontal total totaling each of the data fields for that particular detail line;
• receiving a user input indicative of one of the totals;
• and
• generating a graph using a predefined rule corresponding to the one of the totals indicated by the user input,
• wherein the step of generating a graph comprises:
• extracting corresponding data for the one of the totals from a series of reports;
• and
• generating a graph displaying a different feature for each of the extracted corresponding data, and
• wherein report data comprises data from the previous report created by the different application and the report data does not include any previous data used to create the previous report, and wherein the predefined rule for generating a graph is derived from the identified report format of the previous report created by the different application.