Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Liviu Asnash

Eran Megiddo

Shahar Prish

Ira Levin

Dan Y Khen

Daniel C Battagin

Amir Netz

Cristian Petculescu

Charles David Ellis

Boaz Chen

Yariv Ben-Tovim

Simon Peyton-Jones

Scott Walter Bishel

Dany Hoter

Dan Battagin

Robert G Hawking

Johnny S Campbell

Brian L Welcker

Dan Parish

Alexander Martynov

Justin Frederick Rockwood

Juraj Slugen

Silvio Susskind

Amar Grewal

Amir Avraham

Anthony Valey

A workflow includes an activity that takes advantage of spreadsheet calculations. For a spreadsheet activity, calculation and extraction of values from a spreadsheet is performed. Thus, spreadsheet calculations are integrated into workflows without user intervention. After the workflow is complete, or after a spreadsheet activity is calculated, or upon a threshold or condition being met, a user or system may be notified (e.g., by email, instant message, etc.). Values from previous activities in the workflow may be obtained and provided to the spreadsheet (e.g., cell values are set, modified, or adjusted). The spreadsheet may then be recalculated using these obtained values. Moreover, values from the spreadsheet may be used in subsequent parts of the workflow. Also, any number of spreadsheet activities may be incorporated into a workflow, and one spreadsheet activity may provide values to a second spreadsheet activity in the workflow.

Spreadsheet cell-based notifications

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for exposing and calling workbook models via remote function calls. According to the system, a client computer executes a spreadsheet program for creating a workbook model. The workbook model may be published to a server computer along with data defining a function name and the cells that should be used as inputs and outputs to the model. The system also includes a server computer that receives and responds to remote function calls directed toward workbook functions. When a function call is received at the server computer for a workbook function, the server computer populates the cells in the workbook identified as inputs with input parameters received with the function call and recalculates the workbook. The data contained in the output cells is then returned as a reply to the remote function call.

Method, system, and apparatus for providing access to workbook models through remote function calls

Users are enabled to navigate a spreadsheet document presented by a web service in a similar fashion to a locally executed spreadsheet application by retrieving blocks of grid data asynchronously in order to display or refresh the area(s) of the spreadsheet currently being viewed by the user as the user navigates the spreadsheet grid or dynamic updates occur. The blocks are laid out in the browser's user interface to fill the user's viewport as well as a predefined buffer around the edge of the viewport. As such, when the user scrolls or updates occur, data associated with blocks are added, updated, or removed in the browser as required to fill the user's viewport.

Grid presentation in web-based spreadsheet services

Method, system, and apparatus for providing access to workbook models through remote function cells

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for exposing and utilizing workbooks as server data sources. The system includes a client computer capable of executing a spreadsheet application program for creating a workbook including one or more worksheets. The workbook may be published to a server computer where the contents of the workbook are exposed as a multi-dimensional data source. The server computer allows client applications to discover and connect to the workbook as a multi-dimensional, data source, such as a cube.

Method, system, and apparatus for exposing workbooks as data sources

A workflow includes an activity that takes advantage of spreadsheet calculations. For a spreadsheet activity, calculation and extraction of values from a spreadsheet is performed. Thus, spreadsheet calculations are integrated into workflows without user intervention. Values from previous activities in the workflow may be obtained and provided to the spreadsheet (e.g., cell values are set, modified, or adjusted). The spreadsheet may then be recalculated using these obtained values. Moreover, values from the spreadsheet may be used in subsequent parts of the workflow. Also, any number of spreadsheet activities may be incorporated into a workflow, and one spreadsheet activity may provide values to a second spreadsheet activity in the workflow.

Spreadsheet calculation as part of workflow

A server application discovers its relevant data objects and generates a report of the current states of such objects at a moment in time that is relevant to a detected failure. Responsive to a request for a server application state, the application can identify root objects; discover data types, values, and related objects through recursive traversal and analysis of the object hierarchies; and generate a state description of the application for review and analysis by others. The state discovery may be synchronized among multiple threads to ensure that the state description represents a snapshot of the server application state and a single point in its execution. The state description can be analyzed by validation tools to detect where the error might exist in the application and how the error might be corrected.

Server application state

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for exposing and utilizing workbook ranges as server data sources. The system includes a client computer capable of executing a spreadsheet application program for creating a workbook including a range that includes data objects. The workbook may be published to a server computer where the specified data objects are exposed as server data sources. The server computer allows client applications to discover and connect to the data objects contained within the workbook as server data sources.

Method, system, and apparatus for exposing workbook ranges as data sources

Described is a system and method for grouping elements whose data falls below a grouping threshold, and for displaying the grouped elements as a single portion of a graphical chart. Briefly stated, the system and method allow a user to dynamically increase a grouping threshold from a default value to an adjusted value. The data for each elements falling below the adjusted grouping threshold is aggregated. The grouped elements are then displayed as a single slice with a value of the aggregated data rather than being displayed as individual slices. In this way, the important information, which normally means the bigger and more significant slices, is more clearly visible. Further more, a single label may be associated with the group, thereby eliminating problems associated with the layout of multiple labels for each individual grouped element.

System and method for interactive grouping of pie chart slices

A method, system, and apparatus for discovering and connecting to data sources are provided. A system is provided that includes a server computer operative to maintain a centrally managed repository of data connection definitions. A client computer is also provided including an application program capable of consuming data from a data source. When a request is received by the application to connect to a data source, a list of available sources is retrieved from the server computer. If one of the data sources in the list is selected, a data connection file is retrieved and utilized to connect to the data source. If a report is opened by the application that includes a reference to a data source, the repository is utilized to confirm the connection to the data source.

Method, system, and apparatus for discovering and connecting to data sources

Items that are in use are maintained in a used item store. Items that are no longer in use are placed in an unused items store. When an item that is not currently in use is requested again, an attempt is made to retrieve the item from the unused item store. Retrieving the item from the unused items store can save a tremendous amount of time since the object does not need to be recalculated again when it is requested. Items may be evicted from the unused item store based on the system resources available. When it has been determined that an item(s) should be evicted, an eviction score is calculated for each unused item. Items are then evicted from the unused item store based on their eviction score. Generally items that are larger in size, took less time to calculate, have not been accessed as frequently, and have not been referenced recently, are the first ones to be evicted from unused items store.

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Liviu Asnash