| 主权项 |
1. A method:
providing a database defined by a data model, a metadata model comprising descriptive information, the descriptive information defining transformations and rules to convert raw data in the database to selected output, and a query engine to construct, based on user input and the descriptive information, one or more of: appropriate queries and commands to the database, wherein the data model and the metadata model collectively define a hierarchical dependency structure representable as a directed acyclical graph; to assist a user in interacting with a query model and determine one or more of dependencies of items in a report and dependencies of items in a database, displaying a plurality of images to the user, the plurality of images being linked together and providing a usage mode that comprises displaying a first display, the first display comprising, for a selected first item, an indicator of a degree to which the selected first item is used in at least one of preparation of and incorporated in a report; forward tracing from the selected first item in a first level of the directed acyclical graph to a second item in a second level of the directed acyclical graph, the second item depending upon the first item, by selecting a second link in a first image, the second link being associated with the second item and, in response, providing the user with a second image containing, in turn, one or more of a definition and dependency information respecting the second item; and back tracing from a selected third item in a second level of the directed acyclical graph to a fourth item in a first level of the directed acyclical graph, the selected third item being dependent upon the fourth item, by selecting a third link in a second image, the third link being associated with the fourth item and, in response, providing the user with a third image containing, in turn, the definition and or dependency information respecting the fourth item, and wherein at least one of the following substeps is performed: providing a plurality of the following operating modes: in a users mode, providing a second display to the user, the second display comprising, for the selected first item, a listing of items using the selected first item; in a location mode, providing a third display to the user, the third display including, for the selected first item and or any other items shown, the complete location of said item(s) within the hierarchical tree structure in the layers of the reporting system; in an expression mode, displaying, to the user, a mathematical algorithm used to determine the selected first item, the mathematical algorithm referencing links to other items in the directed acyclical graph; in a description mode, displaying, to the user, a textual definition of the selected first item, the textual definition being importable and exportable into a markup language specification of a reporting model; and in other modes, providing the user with a plurality of: spreadsheets listing pairings of database columns with dependent items, single-page displays of chained items involved in a definition of a single report data item, and tagging of items in a reporting model; providing the user with a series of displays, the displays permitting the user to move directly from a first item in a first dependency chain to a second item in a second, different dependency chain; selecting a fifth link leading to the relations of a fifth item in a fifth image to obtain a sixth image comprising a plurality of items related through foreign key(s) to the fifth item and comprising a seventh link to a seventh image, the seventh image containing, in turn, the definition and or dependency information representing an item related to the fifth item through a foreign key relation; selecting an eighth link leading to the filters for an eighth item in an eighth image to obtain a ninth image comprising a plurality of filter identifiers associated with the eighth item, which is expanded to reveal a ninth item in the definition of that filter and comprising a ninth link to a tenth image, the tenth image containing, in turn, the definition and or dependency information for the ninth item; and providing an eleventh image listing a plurality of output reports, each output report identifier corresponding to a respective image comprising a set of items in the corresponding report, each item in turn having a respective link to a respective image, the respective image comprising at least one of a definition of the corresponding identified item and a set of database columns on which the corresponding identified item depends. |
