Dashboard builder with live data updating without exiting an edit mode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10101889-B2
Application number	US-201414512267-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2014
Priority date	Oct 10, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

The technology disclosed relates to a platform for ultra-fast, ad-hoc data exploration and faceted navigation on integrated, heterogeneous data sets. The disclosed method of declarative specification of visualization queries, display formats and bindings represents queries, widgets and bindings combined on a dashboard in real time, with flexible display options for analyzing data and conveying analysis results.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of creating and editing of a dashboard using a computer system, comprising:
transforming data extracted from a data repository to generate read-only pre-packaged data sets for querying;
storing the read-only pre-packaged data sets in a general-purpose distributed memory caching system associated with the computer system;
receiving, in a dashboard editing mode, a selection of a second panel to add to the dashboard, wherein:
the second panel provides a visual representation of data, from the data repository, in a graph;
the dashboard includes (i) faceted first panels including filtering controls and (ii) selection controls;
the faceted first panels provide a visual representation of data, from the data repository, in a chart, such that each faceted first panel, of the faceted first panels, (i) presents one or more segments of a category from data in the data repository and (ii) associates at least one of the one or more segments with a filtering control that can be linked to a facet property; and
an activated facet property of a faceted first panel, of the faceted first panels, causes one or more other faceted first panels to share and be responsive to signals from both (i) the filtering control included in the faceted first panel and (ii) the selection controls;

activating a facet property of the second panel to link a selection of data visually displayed in the second panel to the signals from both (i) the filtering control included in the faceted first panel and (ii) the selection controls;
identifying a user selection of the filtering control included in the faceted first panel;
executing a query on the read-only pre-packaged data sets stored in the general-purpose distributed memory caching system based at least in part on the user selection; and
populating the second panel using results of the executed query without requiring a user to exit the dashboard editing mode,
wherein the selection controls, the filtering control included in the faceted first panel and a filtering control displayed by the one or more other faceted first panels are simultaneously presented for interaction by user selection, and
wherein the filtering control included in the faceted first panel applies a filter to adjust (i) the filtering control of the one or more other faceted first panels to provide interactive visual representations of the one or more segments displayed by at least one chart of the one or more other faceted first panels, and (ii) a visual representation of the graph displayed by the second panel.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a specification of a visualization widget to incorporate in the second panel, wherein the visualization widget, when invoked,
accepts as input at least one dimension and at least one measure in the data visually displayed in the second panel, wherein:
the at least one dimension is supplied to the visualization widget as an independent variable; and
a function of the at least one measure is supplied to the visualization widget as a dependent variable; and

generates a specified graph from the at least one dimension and the at least one measure.

3. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein the visualization widget of the second panel comprises faceted filter controls that, when selected, apply a selected filter to the second panel and to at least one of the faceted first panels, the method further comprising:
receiving a selection signal from the faceted filter controls in the second panel indicating a faceted filter selection; and
updating at least one of the faceted first panels using results of the faceted filter selection without requiring the user to exit the dashboard editing mode.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a signal that indicates completion of a dashboard editing action;
responsively re-executing one or more queries on the read-only pre-packaged data sets stored in the general-purpose distributed memory caching system underlying the faceted first panels and the second panel; and
updating charts or graphs in the faceted first panels and the second panel based at least in part on the re-executed one or more queries.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the signal that indicates completion of the dashboard editing action comprises a mouse click on a grouping selection control.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the signal that indicates completion of the dashboard editing action comprises a release of a rubber banding action that visually selects a data subset in a chart or a graph of one of the faceted first panels or the second panel.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
recording the executed query in memory, wherein the one or more queries are re-executed based at least in part on the recording.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filtering control of the one or more other faceted first panels applies a filter to adjust (i) a filtering control of an additional faceted first panel, of the faceted first panels, to provide interactive visual representations of one or more segments displayed by at least one chart of the faceted first panels, and (ii) the visual representation of the graph displayed by the second panel.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein transforming the data extracted from the data repository comprises:
performing an extract, load, transform (ELT) process to generate the read-only pre-packaged data sets based at least in part on data served by one or more backend system servers of the data repository.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein populating the second panel using results of the executed query further comprises:
determining an animation sequence based at least in part on the results of the executed query; and
transforming the visual representation of data of the second panel from a first visualization option to a second visualization option using the determined animation sequence.

11. A dashboard creation and editing apparatus operating on a dashboard, the apparatus comprising:
a computer including a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory includes computer program instructions causing the computer to implement a process comprising:
transforming data extracted from a data repository to generate read-only pre-packaged data sets for querying;
storing the read-only pre-packaged data sets in a general-purpose distributed memory caching system associated with the computer system;
receiving, in a dashboard editing mode, a selection of a second panel to add to the dashboard, wherein
the second panel provides a visual representation of data, from the data repository, in a graph;
the dashboard includes (i) faceted first panels including filtering controls and (ii) selection controls;
the faceted first panels provide a visual representation of data, from the data repository, in a chart, such that each faceted first panel, of the faceted first panels, (i) presents one or more segments of a category from data in the data repository and (ii) associates at least one of the one or more segments with a filtering control that can be linked to a facet property; and
an activated facet property of a faceted first panel, of the faceted first panels, causes one or more other faceted first panels to share and be responsive to signals from both (i) the filtering control included in the faceted first panel and (ii) selection controls;

activating a facet property of the second panel to link a selection of data visually displayed in the second panel to the signals from both (i) the filtering control included in the faceted first panel and (ii) the selection controls;
identifying a user selection of the filterin

Assignees

• Salesforce Com Inc

Inventors

• Prophete Didier
• Im Fred
• Chakravarthy Vijayasarathy

Classifications

• G06Q10/10 Primary

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06Q40/02

  Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance (credit or loans G06Q40/03) · CPC title

• G06Q40/12

  Accounting · CPC title

• G06F3/04845 Primary

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title