Technology for generating a model in response to user selection of data

Abstract

Dynamically generating a model for a report includes presenting a user with source data in a unitary structure including rows and columns of data. Selections received from the user include first, second and third ones of the columns. A nesting structure of the second column data relative to the first column data indicates the second column data is of a dimension that is a level of the first column data. A lack of nesting structure of the third column data relative to the first column data indicates the third column data is of a dimension that is separate from a dimension of the first column data. In response to receiving the user selections, a computer system builder module generates a snowflake-schema-based, analytic processing model, wherein for the selected first, second and third columns the builder module automatically creates respective first, second and third tables and table mapping structures.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for dynamically generating a model for a report, the method comprising:
 presenting a user with source data by a source application module, the source data being available for producing a report and being presented to the user by the source application module in a unitary structure including rows and columns of data;   receiving selections from the user of first, second and third ones of the columns, where a nesting structure of the second column data relative to the first column data indicates the second column data is of a dimension that is a level of the first column data, and where a lack of nesting structure of the third column data relative to the first column data indicates the third column data is of a dimension that is separate from a dimension of the first column data; and   generating, by a computer system builder module in response to receiving the user selections, a snowflake-schema-based, analytic processing model, wherein for the selected first, second and third columns the builder module automatically creates respective first, second and third tables and table mapping structures, where the tables are created regardless of any nesting structure of the first, second and third column data, and where the mapping structure for the second table designates, in response to nesting structure of the second column data relative to the first column data, that the second table is for a dimension that is a level of a dimension of the first table, and where the mapping structure for the third table designates, in response to the lack of nesting structure of the third column data relative to the first column data, that the third table is for a dimension that is separate from the first table's dimension.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the analytic processing model for the user selected columns includes the computer system builder module creating the first dimension in the model responsive to the computer system builder module detecting that the user has selected the first column for potentially including in the report and that the model does not yet include any existing data for the report. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the computer system builder module selects to create, in the mapping structure for the second table, the dimension for the second table that is a level of a dimension of the first table responsive to the nesting structure of the second column data being a 1 to N or N to 1 mapping relative to the first column data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the computer system builder module selects to create, in the mapping structure for the third table, the separate dimension for the third table responsive to the nesting structure of the third column data being an N to N mapping relative to the first column data. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in addition to the computer system builder module creating the separate dimension in the mapping structure for the third table, the computer system builder module adds, in the mapping structure for the third table, a level for the third table's dimension responsive to the computer system builder module detecting a 1 to N or an N to 1 mapping of the third column data to source data that has not yet been user selected for potentially including in the report. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving a selection from the user of a fourth one of the columns, wherein generating the analytic processing model for the user selected columns includes the computer system builder module selecting between creating, for the fourth column, a new dimension in the model or else creating a new level in an existing dimension in the model responsive to the computer system builder module detecting whether data in the first three columns have only N to N mappings relative to data in the fourth column.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 generating the report by an analytic application module responsive to a user query of user selected columns, wherein the analytic application module uses the analytic processing model to extract data for including in the report from the user selected columns, wherein the extracted data satisfies the query.   
     
     
         8 . A computer program product for dynamically generating a model for a report, the computer program product including a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a computer system, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to implement a method comprising:
 presenting a user with source data by a source application module, the source data being available for producing a report and being presented to the user by the source application module in a unitary structure including rows and columns of data;   receiving selections from the user of first, second and third ones of the columns, where a nesting structure of the second column data relative to the first column data indicates the second column data is of a dimension that is a level of the first column data, and where a lack of nesting structure of the third column data relative to the first column data indicates the third column data is of a dimension that is separate from a dimension of the first column data; and   generating, by a computer system builder module in response to receiving the user selections, a snowflake-schema-based, analytic processing model, wherein for the selected first, second and third columns the builder module automatically creates respective first, second and third tables and table mapping structures, where the tables are created regardless of any nesting structure of the first, second and third column data, and where the mapping structure for the second table designates, in response to nesting structure of the second column data relative to the first column data, that the second table is for a dimension that is a level of a dimension of the first table, and where the mapping structure for the third table designates, in response to the lack of nesting structure of the third column data relative to the first column data, that the third table is for a dimension that is separate from the first table's dimension.   
     
     
         9 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein generating the analytic processing model for the user selected columns includes the computer system builder module creating the first dimension in the model responsive to the computer system builder module detecting that the user has selected the first column for potentially including in the report and that the model does not yet include any existing data for the report. 
     
     
         10 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein the builder module instructions are configured to select to create, in the mapping structure for the second table, the dimension for the second table that is a level of a dimension of the first table responsive to the nesting structure of the second column data being a 1 to N or N to 1 mapping relative to the first column data. 
     
     
         11 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein the builder module instructions are configured to select to create, in the mapping structure for the third table, the separate dimension for the third table responsive to the nesting structure of the third column data being an N to N mapping relative to the first column data. 
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein in addition to the computer system builder module creating the separate dimension in the mapping structure for the third table, the computer system builder module adds, in the mapping structure for the third table, a level for the third table's dimension responsive to the computer system builder module detecting a 1 to N or an N to 1 mapping of the third column data to source data that has not yet been user selected for potentially including in the report. 
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer system, cause the computer to implement a method comprising:
 receiving a selection from the user of a fourth one of the columns, wherein generating the analytic processing model for the user selected columns includes the computer system builder module selecting between creating, for the fourth column, a new dimension in the model or else creating a new level in an existing dimension in the model responsive to the computer system builder module detecting whether data in the first three columns have only N to N mappings relative to data in the fourth column.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to implement a method comprising:
 generating the report responsive to a user query of user selected columns and responsive to analytic application module instructions, wherein the analytic application module instructions are configured to use the analytic processing model to extract data for including in the report from the user selected columns, wherein the extracted data satisfies the query.   
     
     
         15 . A system for dynamically generating a model for a report, the system comprising:
 a processor; and   a computer readable storage medium connected to the processor, wherein the computer readable storage medium has stored thereon a program for controlling the processor, and wherein the processor is operative with the program to execute the program for:
 presenting a user with source data by a source application module, the source data being available for producing a report and being presented to the user by the source application module in a unitary structure including rows and columns of data; 
 receiving selections from the user of first, second and third ones of the columns, where a nesting structure of the second column data relative to the first column data indicates the second column data is of a dimension that is a level of the first column data, and where a lack of nesting structure of the third column data relative to the first column data indicates the third column data is of a dimension that is separate from a dimension of the first column data; and 
 generating, by a computer system builder module in response to receiving the user selections, a snowflake-schema-based, analytic processing model, wherein for the selected first, second and third columns the builder module automatically creates respective first, second and third tables and table mapping structures, where the tables are created regardless of any nesting structure of the first, second and third column data, and where the mapping structure for the second table designates, in response to nesting structure of the second column data relative to the first column data, that the second table is for a dimension that is a level of a dimension of the first table, and where the mapping structure for the third table designates, in response to the lack of nesting structure of the third column data relative to the first column data, that the third table is for a dimension that is separate from the first table's dimension. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein generating the analytic processing model for the user selected columns includes the computer system builder module creating the first dimension in the model responsive to the computer system builder module detecting that the user has selected the first column for potentially including in the report and that the model does not yet include any existing data for the report. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the builder module instructions are configured to select to create, in the mapping structure for the second table, the dimension for the second table that is a level of a dimension of the first table responsive to the nesting structure of the second column data being a 1 to N or N to 1 mapping relative to the first column data. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computer system builder module selects to create, in the mapping structure for the third table, the separate dimension for the third table responsive to the nesting structure of the third column data being an N to N mapping relative to the first column data 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is operative with the program to execute the program for:
 adding, in the mapping structure for the third table, a level for the third table's dimension responsive to the computer system builder module detecting a 1 to N or an N to 1 mapping of the third column data to source data that has not yet been user selected for potentially including in the report.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is operative with the program to execute the program for:
 generating the report by an analytic application module responsive to user query of user selected columns, wherein the analytic application module uses the analytic processing model to extract data for including in the report from the user selected columns, wherein the extracted data satisfies the query.