Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Jason David Carlson

Christopher Alan Hays

Fang Wang

Robert Alan Meyers

Brian L Welcker

P J Hough

Thomas F Begstraesser

Robert M Bruckner

Aaron Stephen Meyers

David Earl Heckerman

George G Robertson

Daniel Cory

Brian Scott Ruble

Christian Bernd Schormann

Lisa Renee Mueller

Carolyn Khanh Chau

Jakob Peter Nielsen

Sean Boon

Joshua W Lee

Tudor M Trufinescu

Barry James Givens

Alexandre Igorevich Mineev

Mohammad A Rashid

Nicoleta Cristache

Christopher A Hayes

Yee Man Bergstrom

A method of automatically re-organizing structured data in a reporting system based on screen size calculated an initial layout for data containers in a report, checks to see if any of the data containers are obscured by the right display edge, and re-arranges the data containers so that no containers are obscured. A similar process is performed on any data grids with obscured columns. Columns are removed according to importance to maintain context. Elements in a removed column are added below respective associated rows.

Method of automatically re-organizing structured data in a reporting system based on screen size by executing computer-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium

Various technologies for processing a selection on an item on a report. In one implementation, a request to perform an action on the item may be received. Whether one or more actions corresponding to the item exist based on one or more parameters and one or more values of the parameters associated with the item may be dynamically determined. A list of one or more actions may be displayed if the one or more actions exist.

Dynamic determination of actions on selected items on a report

A rendering system is provided. The rendering system includes a rendering component that receives a request to view a data set and provide output to drive a display application. A processing engine generates output data for the rendering component, where the output data is suitable to satisfy a present demand to render a subset of the data set.

Request-driven on-demand processing

A visualization input system is provided. The system includes a visualization component that receives input gestures from a user (or users) and translates the gestures into one or more data manipulation commands. A distribution component receives the data manipulation commands and propagates data modifications across one or more databases in view of the commands. This includes a rights component that enables the data modifications to be implemented across the one or more databases.

Visualization as input mechanism

Indexing and storage of context of a plurality of interactive points within an interactive document is provided. The context of the interactive points within the document is stored in a server such that it can be located by the server via the index. Furthermore, information may be received at the server identifying context data for an interactive point stored in the server upon a user activating the interactive point within the document. The server may then transmit to a client the context data stored by the server identified by the information received.

Interactive document information storage and delivery

Mechanisms are provided for drilling on data elements in arbitrary ad-hoc reports. Data elements in one ad-hoc report can be examined and then drilled on, in order to obtain other related data elements in other ad-hoc reports. Thus, in one exemplary aspect of the disclosure, when a user selects a data element in an ad-hoc report, another ad-hoc report is generated containing data elements that are obtained as a result of taking into account 1) the original query associated with data element in the ad-hoc report; 2) the context of the selection in the ad-hoc report, and 3) the granularity of the resulting query associated with the resulting ad-hoc report.

Drilling on elements in arbitrary ad-hoc reports

Querying a compound XML document having a primary XML document and multiple nested documents may be performed in a single query. The single query comprises an expression of at least one attribute and the encoding type of the nested documents. Execution of the query involves decoding each nested document according to its encoding type and searching for the attribute specified in the query. The results returned from each of the nested documents may be combined with the results returned from the primary document before returning the results to the user.

Querying nested documents embedded in compound XML documents

Columns and/or rows of a report can be declaratively defined as either dynamic or static. The declarative definition can be represented by any marking. If a column or row is declaratively designated as dynamic, it can be expanded into a plurality of columns or rows. If a column or row is designated as static, it remains as a single column or row to represent only the specified column or row data. Subgroups of columns and rows can also be declaratively defined as dynamic or static. A static column or row may contain no sub-columns/rows, or it may contain a plurality of static columns/rows, a plurality of dynamic columns/rows, or any combination of both. Similarly, a dynamic column or row may also contain the above combinations.

Systems and methods for flexible report designs including table, matrix and hybrid designs

A graphical user interface and method of use thereof that allows users to interact with an entity relationship model. The user interface includes zones that allow users to navigate among the entities, roles and fields to create queries that are run against the model. Clicking on an entity in the shows the available fields for the entity. Users can drag and drop entities and fields onto a design surface to quickly and easily build queries. Rules are applied when either an entity or a field is dropped onto the design surface based upon the item being dropped (either an entity or a field), the position of the drop and also the properties that are associated with the item. Entities may be grouped and filtered to sort and limit the results of the query. After query is run, the results may be displayed in a separate area to the user.

User interface mechanism to formulate complex query against an entity relationship model

An object data manipulation system is provided. The system includes a definition object model that includes a set of dynamic group definitions over a data hierarchy. A cursor component points to a subset of the data hierarchy, where the subset is loaded into memory for further processing.

Hierarchical cursor-based object model

Systems and methods for supporting custom report layouts allow features that may be available to supported report layouts to also be made available to custom layouts. A custom layout definition may first meet a set of report definition criteria so that it is recognizable to report processing software. A design tool is provided that may be used to create such a custom layout definition. The custom layout may then be passed to report processing software. The report processing software can initially process the custom layout, and provide it with any features available in the initial processing stage. The reporting software may provide an interface for custom processing of the custom layout. The interface may be accessible to custom layout builder objects. Custom layout builder objects can be designed to use the report building components provided through the interface to build a custom report layout.

Systems and methods for supporting custom graphical representations in reporting software

On-line or computer based document generation and consumption has become as common, or more so, than paper based document generation and consumption. With the move away from paper there is no longer the physical restriction of the paper on which a document may be printed. It is still desirable, however, to break documents into readable pages. We allow a selection of logical page breaks at locations that are deemed convenient, also allow for selection of approximate page dimensions for pages within each logical section. Because these pages are approximate, pagination is less computationally expensive than fixed pagination. Moreover, many of the appearance problems that plague fixed pagination dissolve.

Systems and methods for pagination using variable page dimensions

Systems and methods for declaratively controlling the visual state of items in a report allow the visual state of any report item to be toggled from any other item. A set of declarative metadata may be associated with a report item. The declarative metadata may identify an initial visual state of the item, whether the item is a control item, and if so which other items are controlled from the item. The declarative metadata may further identify an initial visual state of a control image associated with a control item. Report processing software can initially display a report in accordance with the initial visual state specified in the declarative metadata. When a control item is activated, the software can change the visual state of identified items, as well as the visual state of the corresponding control image.

Systems and methods for declaratively controlling the visual state of items in a report

A preferred path between two selected entities is determined. Initially, there is provided a representation of the data structure in the form of a plurality of entities having relations between them indicative of roles and the relations reflecting a cardinality of one of a one-to-one, one-to-many and a many-to-one relationship between the entities. A query is entered that provides an indication of a first selected entity and a second selected entity. A preferred path is selected through the entities and relations that couples the first selected entity to the second selected entity. The preferred path is selected from a plurality of paths as a function of the number of changes in cardinality along the plurality of paths and a indicator indicative of a preferred role relating two entities.

Traversing a relational model with preferred paths

A system and methods providing a rendering independent persistence of information is provided. In an illustrative implementation, data is provided having some predefined structure. In operation, the data is processed such that the data and it's associated structure are represented in a data format that is persistent. In operation, the data is parsed according to one or more constraints and translated into the persistent data format.

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Jason David Carlson