Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Lakshmi Narayanan Thanu

Peter Eberhardy

Xiaohong Mark Yang

Dylan Hai Huang

Vijay Govind Baliga

Hai Huang

Data cells in a spreadsheet report are collapsed and expanded without disrupting other spreadsheet data. A user may want to drill down on data corresponding to a parent member of the report to display more detailed information about the parent member. Likewise, a user may want to drill up the displayed information corresponding to the parent member to hide detailed information associated with the parent member. Before expanding or collapsing a report, the spreadsheet is scanned for information to determine whether the display of other data in the spreadsheet would be disrupted by the expansion/collapse. The information may include cross join information associated with the parent member, the number of child members associated with the parent member, the dimension of the report created by the parent member and the associated child members, and other reports that may be linked to the report that includes the parent member.

Collapsing data cells in one or more reports in a spreadsheet

Data cells in a spreadsheet report are collapsed and expanded without disrupting other spreadsheet data. A user may want to drill down on data corresponding to a parent member of the report to display more detailed information about the parent member. Likewise, a user may want to drill up the displayed information corresponding to the parent member to hide detailed information associated with the parent member. Before expanding or collapsing a report, the spreadsheet is scanned for information to determine whether the display of other data in the spreadsheet would be disrupted by the expansion/collapse. The information may include cross-join information associated with the parent member, the number of child members associated with the parent member, the dimension of the report created by the parent member and the associated child members, and other reports that may be linked to the report that includes the parent member.

Method for expanding and collapsing data cells in a spreadsheet report

Queries to obtain data from an OLAP cube for a structured report are consolidated. Queries to retrieve data from an OLAP cube for a structured report are consolidated into a single query. Using the consolidated query reduces the number of database hits; avoids reconstruction of the report from the results of the individual queries; and eases the exporting of the report to other applications. Instead of querying the OLAP cube multiple times, a single query is used to obtain the desired information from the cube. Each access definition within the structured report is examined to determine all of the data to be retrieved from the OLAP cube.

Query consolidation for structured reports

Free form reports may be generated within a data array system such as a spreadsheet computer application. A user may select dimension members of a data source, such as an online analytical processing (OLAP) data cube. The user may position the dimension members as headers on the data array where multiple dimensions may be represented in one or both axes. Member formulas are generated that are representative of the headers and include identifiers that point to the dimension member location of the data source. Value formulas are generated within the report grid defined by the location of the headers where the value formulas are representative of the actual data values of the report and include identifiers that point to the data value locations of the dimension member locations within the data source.

Generating free form reports within a data array

Indirect persistent storage of data in a file that is associated with an application program and is capable of having an embedded OLEObject includes creating the OLEObject by way of a Component Object Model add-in that supplements the application program, and using the OLEObject to store the data in the file. The OLEObject is marked so that it is hidden from a user of the application program. After loading a file that was previously saved and closed, the OLEObject is initialized, and the stored data is retrieved. The add-in may be a reporting add-in that queries a database, such as an OLAP database.

Indirect persistent storage for plugin in container

A method and system provides reversibility of an operation performed by a user of an application program and associated with a modification to an object model of the application program, such as a spreadsheet program or other office productivity application program. The top item of a first undo stack associated with the application program is determined, saved, and copied to a second stack functioning as a replicated undo stack. According to one aspect of the invention, such steps are performed prior to calling an object model method that clears the first undo stack. The top item of the second replicated undo stack is placed back onto the first undo stack.

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Sammamish, WA, United States of America

Lakshmi Narayanan Thanu