A computer-implemented method, a computer program product, and a physical computing system

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for generating a dedicated report based on data pre-collected on at least one computing platform, comprising the following steps: (i) generating a report template data set, defining a report format and including a location pointer for locating the display position of a result value in the report; (ii) providing a call set of predefined functions, each call including a function identifier, data parameters and a location pointer; (iii) the predefined function derives a corresponding result value and couples the result value to the location pointer of computer-recognizable functional data; (iv) automatically generating an interface data set, including multiple records, each record including at least a location pointer and an associated result value; (v) automatically retrieving the records of the interface data set and using the location pointer of the computer-recognizable functional data, feeding the result value into the dedicated report according to the report template data set.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a computer-implemented method, a corresponding physical computing system and a corresponding computer program product for generating a dedicated report of result values ​​derived from data previously collected on at least one computing platform. Background Art

[0002] In research, development, business or other fields, people often need to analyze the information (pre-processed or unprocessed) collected from experiments, tests or real-world events for specific business problems. After the analysis, people often need to present the derived results in a report for further purposes.

[0003] Today, the entire process from analysis to reporting is generally achieved through technical means, that is, through different digital computing platforms, which include network connections and the use of related data management software, analysis software and reporting software, which provide a coding or scripting environment, in which there are various computer functions that can be used to manage, analyze and report pre-collected data. This technical means usually requires programming activities as a major part of this means, and customizes computer programs according to the needs of different business problems in order to derive specific analysis results from various pre-collected data, and customizes purpose-built reports to present the results. Without these functional instructions that are customized in a case-by-case manner for the computing platform according to business problems, the computing platform and its software can neither generate specific analysis results nor generate special reports for specific business problems by themselves.

[0004] For example, in pharmaceutical or medical research and development, clinical trials or other clinical studies are usually involved at a certain stage. In such studies, a large amount of raw data may be collected, and the raw data is stored and maintained in digital form on a computing platform via a professional database management system.

[0005] To analyze and / or modify the raw data and / or output the analysis results in reports, the computing platform usually involves specific scripting software, i.e., statistical software for data analysis, such as the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) sold by SAS Institute, R, a free programming language dedicated to statistical purposes, Python, a high-level and general-purpose programming language, Structured Query Language (SQL), a standardized language designed for managing data stored in a relational database management system (RDBMS), Matlab, a language dedicated to mathematical and statistical analysis sold by MathWorks, or programming languages ​​such as Scala, STADA, Java, Visual Basic, C, etc. Analysis and specialized reports will be implemented programmatically based on specific clinical questions and pre-collected data, usually following existing routine practices or technical workflows.

[0006] Although the data analysis software mentioned above provides highly flexible and advanced data analysis and management, the functions usually used for reporting are quite limited or require special programming efforts. Therefore, in addition to providing manual editing on the general report output by the analysis software to achieve the desired quality, specific reporting software is usually used. Such reporting software can be executed in the same computing platform as the data analysis software or in any other platform or device. For example, the reporting software can be a word processor such as Microsoft Word, a presentation program such as Microsoft Power Point, or a software for a public desktop environment such as table calculations of Microsoft Excel.

[0007] However, even if both analysis software and reporting software are used, the full implementation of this technical means still requires a large amount of technical efforts to realize the expected analysis and special reports. In professional data analysis and reporting, for example, in clinical trials, this process may involve data cleaning, data preparation, custom analysis and custom reports that all have to be programmed. The result is filled in the reporting system, and then the exported report is subjected to quality control, troubleshooting, modification, etc. These can form feedback and must be realized by programming again. This cycle or iterative cycle usually causes considerable difficulties, and therefore high cost and very time-consuming. If it involves multiple data sources hosted by different computing platforms and each uses different data analysis software and reporting processes, the situation may become worse.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a system that allows for an improved technical workflow in generating reports or a more efficient reporting process, and if possible further allows for a more efficient result generation process. Summary of the invention

[0009] According to the present invention, this need is addressed by the computer implemented method, computer program product and physical computing system mentioned below.

[0010] In one aspect, the present invention is a computer-implemented method for generating a dedicated report of result values ​​derived from data pre-collected in at least one computing platform. The method comprises the following steps: (i) generating a report template data set defining a format of a dedicated report to be generated on a computing device, wherein the report template data set comprises computer-recognizable functional data of at least a location pointer for locating a location where the result value is to be depicted in the dedicated report; (ii) providing a call set for predefined functions accessible in the at least one computing platform, wherein each call in the call set comprises a function identifier associated with one of the predefined functions, pre-collected data parameters and one of the location pointers; (iii) the predefined function derives the result value and couples the result value to the location pointer of the computer-recognizable functional data; (iv) automatically generating an interface data set, The interface data set is a specific data structure comprising multiple records for each call in the call set, wherein at least one of the multiple records for each call in the call set includes the location pointer of the computer-recognizable functional data, and each of the multiple records of the same call includes one of the result values, which is coupled to the location pointer of the computer-recognizable functional data through an associated function; and (v) automatically retrieving the records of the interface data set and feeding the result values ​​into the dedicated report according to the report template data set using the location pointer of the computer-recognizable functional data.

[0011] The steps of the method according to the present invention may be performed in the order or sequence (i) to (v) listed above or in any other suitable order or sequence. Therefore, the numbering (i) to (v) should not be understood as the corresponding steps must be performed in this specific sequence, but can also be performed in other sequences. In addition, at least some of the listed steps can also be performed partially or completely in parallel or simultaneously.

[0012] The term "dedicated report" as used in conjunction with the present invention relates to a report that is specified or created for a specific set of result values ​​or for a specific situation, such as a specific clinical study, etc. Such a report may be precisely tailored or designed for pre-collected data for the study in question or the like.

[0013] The term "pre-collected data" or its synonym "pre-collected data" relates to data that has been collected at least to a large extent prior to a particular report according to the method according to the invention. Thus, the pre-collected data may be raw data collected in any context such as a clinical study. Furthermore, the pre-collected data may be such raw data that has been conditioned, cleaned and / or pre-processed. For example, the pre-collected data may be data from a clinical study that has been pre-processed by reconstruction, removal of obviously erroneous items, etc.

[0014] As described in more detail below, the result value can be derived from pre-collected data accessible on at least one computing platform, either by simply collecting it or by further processing it. Further processing the pre-collected data can include applying an algorithm or calculating or generating a graphical representation, etc. For example, such further processing can be calculating an average value for a particular data set collected for a group of persons involved in a clinical study.

[0015] Therefore, this derivation of result values ​​by predefined functions may include simply forwarding the input value as the output value in the corresponding call. In such an embodiment, the input value may be a value parameter, an output value, and a result value, wherein the value parameter and the result value may be the same. Further, the derivation may include the calculation and / or transformation of the input value to generate an output value different from the input value. In such an embodiment, the input value may be the same as the value parameter, and the output value after calculation and / or transformation may be the result value. Further, the derivation may involve requesting or retrieving data items from a database or the like. The retrieved data items may then be calculated and / or transformed before being provided as output values, or the retrieved data items may be directly forwarded as output values. In such an embodiment, the value parameter may be or include a link to a specific data item in a database. The derivation may also involve any combination of the above.

[0016] The term "data" as used herein generally relates to digital information provided in a predetermined format. It may be a digital bit stream representing physical and / or logical conditions and changes, etc. In particular, it may be in a format that can be accessed and evaluated by a computing system (such as its computing platform). Thus, depending on a given context or need, data may be provided in the form of an electrical signal or a data signal that may be transmitted and interpreted according to a predetermined format. Alternatively, it may be provided as a structure in a suitable medium such as a hard disk.

[0017] The term "signal" herein may relate to a measurable or determinable physical quantity or unit, or a sequence of such physical quantities or units, which is configured to express information or data. In particular, a signal may be a voltage or potential, sound pressure, an electromagnetic wave, a field force, a sequence or any combination thereof, which may be physically transmitted over a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication channel. Such a channel may be a copper wire, an optical fiber, a wireless communication channel, a storage medium and a computer bus. In any case, a signal or data signal is recordable or decipherable and clearly determinable. A data signal may be a binary data signal, a digital electronic signal, an electromagnetic signal or a combination thereof. They may represent specific data specifically organized according to a specific protocol.

[0018] The term "expression" in relation to a signal or data signal may refer to the presence of a piece of information. Such information may be or include analog information, such as parameters that allow simulation. Thus, the term is not exclusive, and other information may be included in a signal or data signal in addition to the information explicitly mentioned. For example, a data signal may express information by being modulated in a particular manner so that the information may be recollected or determined from the data signal.

[0019] In the context of the present invention, the term "report template data set" refers to a set of data expressing the format or form of a report to be created. It can generally be any data structure suitable for use as a template for a special report to be created. For example, a report template data set can be a template file in which a report layout is defined. Thus, such a template file can include rich formatting design and / or some content that is pre-filled. For example, a report template data set can be any file of a standard reporting tool, such as a Microsoft Excel file, a Microsoft Power Point file, a Microsoft Word file, or a portable document format (PDF) file. Moreover, the report template data set can be implemented in a database, such as a database managed by a database management system (DBMS) software.

[0020] Likewise, the interface data set can be any data structure suitable for automatic processing. For example, the interface data set can be implemented as a table or record in a database or cache. As described in more detail below, in a preferred embodiment, the interface data set is an interface file.

[0021] The location pointer may indicate a common location of a template data set, or a label for a tag located in a template data set. Examples of common locations may be, for example, a binary location in a file such as Microsoft Word or a combination of rows and columns of a table. Examples of labels may be references to presets in a file. Preferably, the location pointer is human-readable. The same label may appear at multiple locations in a template data set and / or multiple template data sets, which allows the result value to be calculated only once, but the same result value to be described multiple times in different parts and contexts of the same report or different reports.

[0022] The format of a dedicated report can include the location of images, tables, text, numbers, etc., as well as colors, font definitions, etc. and file type.

[0023] As used herein, the term "interface" may be a shared boundary through which two or more separate components exchange data or information. The exchange may be between software, hardware, peripherals, humans, and combinations of these. Some interfaces may send and receive data, while other interfaces may only send data to a component. A user interface (UI) may be a space where interaction occurs between a human, such as a user or operator, and a machine, such as a computer, executing the method. Typically, a user interface may consist of

[0024] The system consists of one or more layers including a human-machine interface (HMI) interface machine with physical input hardware such as a keyboard, mouse and / or game pad and output hardware such as a monitor, speakers and / or printer.

[0025] The term "platform" as used herein refers to a computing platform or digital platform, which is an environment in which software or computer programs are executed. It refers to hardware components such as at least one computing device that is usually equipped with an operating system (OS), runtime libraries, etc. Thus, the platform provides the physical and logical components required to execute software. In a nutshell, the platform is the stage on which the program or software runs.

[0026] The at least one computing platform is arranged to analyze and evaluate the raw data. In particular, it usually involves special software such as SAS, R, Python, SQL, Matlab, Scala, STADA, Java, Visual Basic, C, etc. The software may provide predefined functions accessible for calling. It may also allow customized functions to be predefined by programming languages, macro languages ​​or other scripting equipment.

[0027] The pre-collected data parameters may include data source parameters, such as information about the database to collect the data and / or table name, etc. It may also include numbers or strings, etc.

[0028] The number of records can be one or more. Thus, the predefined function can provide a single record or multiple records. In the case of providing multiple records, at least one of these records must include a position pointer set in the corresponding call.

[0029] Automatically generating the interface data set may involve, for example, providing a predefined function of the interface data set in a target database or target file system, etc. The automatic feeding of records into a dedicated report may be triggered automatically or manually, for example, by a user simply clicking a button, etc. When or before the records are fed, the report template data set may be automatically or dynamically rewritten to comply with the interface data set. For example, before feeding the records, the number of records may be evaluated and the corresponding size of the location where the records are to be located may be rewritten so that the report template data set is suitable for the specific interface data set.

[0030] By providing this call set in the method according to the invention, the construction of a dedicated report can be particularly efficient and, compared to known reports, it allows to substantially reduce the complexity and difficulty of building a report. In more figurative terms, several calls of this call set can be referred to as blocks, Lego blocks or code blocks, which can be put together to build a dedicated report. With such a (code) block system, greater flexibility can be provided to modify the report layout and / or plan analysis, and the report can be tested, quality control and debugging performed more easily and quickly.

[0031] The method according to the invention allows a more efficient workflow for generating special reports. In particular, the analysis or programming logic can be separated from the report formatting. It can be avoided that a lot of coding cycles are involved when having to iteratively create special reports or their format / design in the analysis software. By providing predefined functions, it can be achieved that the data analysis is coupled to the layout position of the report only via the call set. Similarly, the complexity of programming and manual editing work can be reduced. This allows the user to better focus on the programming of complex analysis and spend less effort on the report.

[0032] Preferably, at least one computing platform comprises a platform computing device having a platform data processor, a platform data storage device and a platform user interface unit, wherein the platform computing device executes data analysis software for analyzing the pre-collected data and preferably executes database software for managing the pre-collected data.

[0033] The term "computing device" as used herein may refer to a computer, which is any suitable device such as a portable computer, a desktop computer, a server computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, an embedded computer system, etc. The term covers a single device as well as a combination of devices. For example, the computer may be a distributed system, such as a cloud solution that performs different tasks at different locations.

[0034] In general, a computer usually includes a processor or central processing unit (CPU), a permanent data storage with a recording medium such as a hard disk, flash memory, etc., a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a communication adapter such as a universal serial bus (USB) adapter, a local area network (LAN) adapter, a wireless LAN (WLAN) adapter, a Bluetooth adapter, etc., and a physical user interface such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a screen, a microphone, a speaker, etc. A computer can be embodied with a wide variety of components.

[0035] The platform computing device may be a computer configured to implement the platform. Thus, it specifically executes database software such as a database management system (DBMS) or a portion thereof, and data analysis software such as SAS, R, Python, SQL, Matlab, Scala, STADA, Java, Visual Basic, C, etc. Managing data may involve storing or saving data in the platform data storage device, searching the stored data, and accessing the stored data.

[0036] The predefined function accessible in the at least one computing platform may be or be included in a function implemented in the data analysis software or data evaluation software, and the software is run on the at least one computing platform. For example, the predefined function may include a standard function of the data analysis software executed on at least one computing platform for general data evaluation. However, preferably, the computer-implemented method includes the step of configuring the at least one computing platform so that the predefined function including the specific function can be accessed in the data analysis software. Such specific functions may be particularly suitable for providing an interface data set. Moreover, they allow the use of special calculations such as existing customized statistical methods and provide corresponding special results. Further, such predefined functions may involve a combination of multiple standard functions that can be used at once. Further, in the case of multiple computing platforms involving the execution of different analysis software, such specific functions allow a consistent syntax to be provided on different platforms for reporting. In this way, the complexity of the report can be substantially reduced, and it enables the user to easily switch between different computing platforms and / or programming languages.

[0037] Preferably, a call set for predefined functions is provided in the data analysis software. This implementation directly in the data analysis software allows the use of programming languages ​​and functions provided by the data analysis software. Similarly, an effective implementation method becomes possible.

[0038] Preferably, all steps of the method according to the present invention are implemented or executed in a physical computing system including a platform computing device, wherein the physical computing system has: a processor structure including a platform data processor of the platform computing device; a data storage structure including a platform data storage of the platform computing device; and a user interface structure including a platform user interface unit of the platform computing device. In addition to the platform computing device, the physical computing system may also involve additional computing devices, such as one or more other platform computing devices, a reporting computing device, etc. Thus, the processor structure, the data storage structure and the user interface structure may include a data processor, a data storage device and a user interface of the corresponding additional computing device.

[0039] More specifically, the physical computing system preferably includes a reporting computing device having a reporting data processor, a reporting data storage device and a reporting user interface unit, wherein the processor structure of the physical computing system includes the reporting data processor of the reporting computing device, the data storage structure of the physical computing system includes the reporting data storage device of the reporting computing device, the user interface structure of the physical computing arrangement includes the reporting user interface unit of the reporting computing device, and the reporting computing device executes reporting software.

[0040] The reporting software may be or include any standard computer program or software suitable for reporting. Thus, such reporting software may be a word processor such as Microsoft Word, a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel or a presentation program such as Microsoft Power Point, or a general purpose programming software such as R, Python, etc. that can process reports.

[0041] Thus, the report template data set is preferably generated in a reporting software executed by the reporting computing device via a user interface unit of the reporting computing device. The reporting software may provide a macro language or similar scripting structure by which the report can be automated or customized. For example, the reporting software may be or relate to Microsoft Word, which provides Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) as a macro language. The report template data set may also be processed dynamically, such as by evaluating the number of records before feeding them and changing the size of the corresponding position where the records will be placed, so that the report template data set is suitable for a specific interface data set.

[0042] The computer-implemented invention preferably includes the step of configuring the reporting software executed by the reporting computing device to automatically feed each record of the interface data set into the report. It also preferably includes the step of configuring the reporting software executed by the reporting computing device to evaluate the interface data set and rewrite the format of the dedicated report based on the evaluated interface data set. Such a configuration allows a particularly efficient implementation of the computer-implemented method.

[0043] Feeding each record of the interface data set preferably includes identifying the location of each of the plurality of records, e.g., by means of a corresponding location pointer, identifying the corresponding location pointer for each of the plurality of records, and placing the result value associated with each of the plurality of records into the report. Automation of steps (iii) to (v) for reporting can prevent human-introduced errors that occur during at least partially manual processing.

[0044] The physical computing system is preferably configured to establish a predefined function accessible in the at least one computing platform through the user interface structure, and to store the established predefined function in the data storage structure.

[0045] Preferably, the physical computing system is configured to provide the call set by inputting each call of the call set via the user interface structure, and storing the call set in the data storage structure. Thus, the physical computing system is preferably configured to provide a graphical user interface of the user interface structure, to display graphical items representing each call of the call set in the graphical user interface, and to input each call in the call set by dragging and dropping the graphical items displayed in the graphical user interface. In addition to the drag and drop action, the user interface can also receive other information related to the corresponding call, such as a string manually input by the user. This drag and drop of items representing calls allows the method of the present invention to be implemented in a particularly convenient manner. In addition, it can achieve relatively low knowledge and training required for establishing calls.

[0046] Thus, the graphical user interface is preferably configured to display the dedicated report, to receive an update command, to rewrite the report template data set according to the update command, and to perform steps (ii) to (v) of the above-described computer-implemented method using the rewritten report template data set. This configuration allows efficient and convenient rewriting and customization of dedicated reports. Moreover, it allows replacement of data displayed in the dedicated report. In both cases, no coding is required, as all necessary actions are provided on a graphical basis in the graphical user interface.

[0047] Preferably, the physical computing system is configured so that generating the interface data set includes saving the interface file, for example, as a plain text file, in the data storage structure. The interface file may be saved in the platform data storage device of the platform computing device or in any other data storage device of the data storage structure. For example, the interface file may be stored in a network attached storage (NAS) of a network to which the platform computing device is connected. Alternatively, the interface file may be stored on a server data storage device accessible via the Internet. The text file may be arranged to allow the stored records to be efficiently exported. For example, the text file may be specifically represented as a character separated value (CSV) file. In addition, the text file may be stored in a file system of the data storage structure. In addition, almost any analysis software can write the result value directly into such a text file, and the same result value in such a text file can be retrieved by any reporting software and fed into different report file types with different layouts, thereby allowing multiple different analysis software, reporting software, computing platforms, existing team workflows and / or report file types to be compatible with each other within the framework proposed by the present invention. This can allow for increased productivity and collaboration, such as joint clinical research.

[0048] Furthermore, using interfaced datasets allows reporting activities to be spatially decoupled from analysis activities, such as using a dedicated grid computing SAS server for analysis and user laptops at different locations for reporting, and temporally generating reports immediately after analysis by multiple teams or after joint results collection for later final report generation, as in near real time. It also allows collaboration between computing devices over slow and high latency network connections.

[0049] Alternatively or additionally, the physical computing system executes database software and is configured such that the process of generating the interface data set includes the database software storing and managing the interface data set. For example, the interface data set may be stored in a specific table or set of tables predefined in a database. Such a database implementation of the interface data set may allow for fast and complex processing or retrieval of result values ​​and location pointers of the interface data set.

[0050] Preferably, the physical computing system is configured such that generating the interface data set includes generating at least one delimited string or an image per record. It may also include generating a row per record in the interface data set. This structure of the interface data set allows for efficient processing of the interface data set, in particular its content.

[0051] Preferably, the physical computing system is configured so that the functions called by each call of the call set and in particular the predefined functions called by each call of the call set generate the interface data set. Similarly, the predefined functions can directly generate and / or enhance the interface data set to allow an efficient generation.

[0052] Preferably, at least one call in the call set includes a calculation command. For example, the calculation command can be provided by the analysis software. In this way, the result value can be effectively calculated or created, that is, the result value can be derived.

[0053] Preferably, the result value of at least one of the plurality of records of at least one call in the call set provided by the associated function comprises a graphical representation. Such a graphical representation may be an image created by the analysis software or another program executed by the computing platform. Alternatively, it may be an image selected based on pre-collected data. For example, such an image may be a symbolic image for indicating the state or condition of pre-collected data or result values.

[0054] Thus, the interface data set preferably comprises an image file depicting the graphical representation, wherein the associated position pointer is integrated in the name of the image file. The image file may in particular be an image file that can be integrated by the reporting software. For example, the image file may be a file of a predefined format, such as a Tagged Image File (TIF) or a Joint Photographic Experts Group File (JPEG).

[0055] By integrating the location pointer into the name of the image file, the location of the image in the dedicated report can be effectively provided to the reporting software. Similarly, the image file can be fed into the dedicated report at its foreseen location.

[0056] Preferably, the physical computing system is configured to provide the call set by automatically importing each call in the call set together with information from the report template data set and storing the call set in the data storage structure.

[0057] In another aspect, the present invention is a computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed in a computing system, cause the computing system to perform any of the methods described above.

[0058] The computer program product may be a computer program product comprising computer code means, which is configured to control a processor of a computer to implement the computer-implemented method or the above or below or any preferred embodiment thereof when executed on the computer. In addition, a computer-readable medium comprising instructions may be provided, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method or any of its preferred embodiments described above or below. The medium may be a storage medium and a mobile or portable storage medium to allow convenient distribution. Alternatively, in order to allow transfer via the Internet or the like, or for other purposes, a data carrier signal may be provided, which carries the computer program described herein. A computer program may also be referred to as software or consist of software.

[0059] The computer program according to the present invention allows to effectively implement the above-described computer-implemented method, thereby achieving the effects and benefits described above in conjunction with the computer-implemented invention according to the present invention and its preferred embodiments.

[0060] On the other hand, the present invention is a physical computing system for reporting analysis result values ​​derived from at least one computing platform, comprising a processor structure, a data storage structure and a user interface structure, wherein the physical computing system is configured to generate a report template data set defining the format of a report to be generated, wherein the report template data set includes a location pointer to locate the location where the analysis result value is to be displayed in the report; provide a call set for predefined functions accessible in the at least one computing platform, wherein each call in the call set includes a function identifier associated with one of the predefined functions, pre-collected data parameters and one of the location pointers; automatically generate an interface data set including multiple records for each call in the call set, wherein at least one of the multiple records for each call in the call set includes a location pointer, and each of the multiple records for the same call includes a value provided by the associated function; and use the location pointer to automatically feed the records of the interface data set into a dedicated report according to the report template data set.

[0061] By means of the physical computing system according to the present invention and its preferred embodiments described below, the effects and benefits of the above-mentioned computer-implemented invention and its preferred embodiments can be efficiently achieved.

[0062] Preferably, the physical computing system includes a platform computing device, wherein the processor structure has a platform data processor embodied in the platform computing device, the data storage structure has a platform data storage device embodied in the platform computing device, and the user interface structure has a platform user interface unit embodied in the platform computing device, and the platform computing device executes database software for managing data and data analysis software for analyzing data managed by the database software.

[0063] Thus, the platform computing device is configured such that the predefined functions comprise specific functions accessible in the data analysis software.The platform computing device is preferably configured such that a call set for the predefined functions is provided in the data analysis software.

[0064] Preferably, the physical computing system is configured to generate a report template dataset by receiving input data via the user interface structure, determine a format of data to be reported based on the input data, and save the report template dataset including the determined format to the data storage structure.

[0065] The physical computing system preferably includes a reporting computing device having a reporting data processor, a reporting data storage device and a reporting user interface unit, wherein the processor structure of the physical computing system includes the reporting data processor of the reporting computing device, the data storage structure of the physical computing system includes the reporting data storage device of the reporting computing device, the user interface structure of the physical computing device includes the reporting user interface unit of the reporting computing device, and the reporting computing device executes reporting software.

[0066] Thereby, the reporting computing device is preferably configured to generate a report template data set in reporting software executed by the reporting computing device via a user interface unit of the reporting computing device.

[0067] The report computing device is preferably configured to automatically feed each record of the interface data set into a dedicated report in a reporting software executed by the report computing device. Thus, the report computing device is preferably configured to feed each record of the interface data set by reading the interface data set, identifying a location pointer for each record of a plurality of records, identifying a corresponding location pointer for each record of the plurality of records, and placing a value associated with each of the plurality of records into the report.

[0068] Preferably, the physical computing system is configured to establish the predefined function via the user interface structure, and save the established predefined function in the data storage structure.

[0069] Preferably, the physical computing system is configured to provide the call set by inputting each call of the call set via the user interface structure, and to store the call set in the data storage structure. Thus, the physical computing system is preferably configured to provide a graphical user interface of the user interface structure, to display graphical items representing the calls of the call set in the graphical user interface, and to input each call of the call set by dragging and dropping the graphical items displayed in the graphical user interface.

[0070] The physical computing system is preferably configured to generate the interface data set by saving the interface file as a text file in a data storage structure.

[0071] The physical computing system is preferably configured to generate the interface data set by generating one row per record in the interface data set.

[0072] The physical computing system is preferably configured to generate the interface data set by the functions called by the calls of the call set.

[0073] Preferably, at least one call in the set of calls comprises a compute command.

[0074] Preferably, the value of at least one of the plurality of records of at least one call in the call set provided by the associated function comprises a graphical representation. Thus, the interface data set preferably comprises an image file depicting the graphical representation, wherein the associated position pointer is integrated in the name of the image file. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0075] The computer-implemented method according to the invention, the physical computing system according to the invention and the computer program product according to the invention are described in more detail below by means of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0076] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing a reporting process of the prior art; and

[0077] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a physical computing system according to the present invention, which executes a computer program according to the present invention to implement a computer-implemented method according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] In the following description, some terms are used for convenience and are not intended to limit the present invention. The terms "right", "left", "up", "down", "below" and "above" refer to the directions in the accompanying drawings. The terminology includes the terms and their derivatives explicitly mentioned and terms with similar meanings. Moreover, spatial relative terms such as "below", "below", "lower", "above", "upper", "near side", "distal side", etc. can be used to describe the relative relationship between an element or feature and another element or feature as shown in the figure. In addition to the position and orientation shown in the figure, these spatial relative terms are intended to include different positions and orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is turned over, the element described as "below" or "below" other elements or features will be "above" or "above" other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary term "below" can cover the position and orientation of the top and bottom. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Likewise, descriptions of movement along and about various axes include various positions and orientations of the specific device.

[0079] In order to avoid repetition in the drawings and the description of various aspects and illustrative embodiments, it should be understood that many features are common to many aspects and embodiments. Omitting an aspect from the description or figure does not imply that the aspect is missing from the embodiment containing the aspect. On the contrary, the aspect may have been omitted for clarity and to avoid lengthy description. In this context, the following description applies to the rest of this specification: If, in order to clarify the drawings, a certain figure contains a reference numeral that is not explained in the directly associated part of the specification, it is referred to as the previous or following description part. In addition, for reasons of clarity, if not all features of a certain component are marked with a reference numeral in the drawings, other drawings showing the same component can be referenced. The same numbers in two or more figures represent the same or similar elements.

[0080] Fig. 1 shows a reporting process known in the art, which is implemented in the context of clinical research or clinical database research. In step 91, various needs of a certain client are collected and defined, and the client wishes to have one or more reports related to the data collected in one or more clinical studies. Starting from these client needs, an analysis plan is developed in step 92. In the analysis plan, it is defined how the collected data or raw data are analyzed and reported. In step 93, a programming expert programs the computing system to realize the analysis plan. Programming is usually completed in the analysis software running in the computing system. In particular, for this purpose, the analysis software provides programming or scripting languages ​​such as SAS, R, Python, SQL, etc. Thus, multiple tables and graphs are created, the collected data are cleaned and prepared, custom functions are executed to analyze the collected data, and the layout and format of a special report are established.

[0081] After programming, the created program is executed in step 95. When the program is executed, the collected data that has been stored in the database in step 94 is retrieved, analyzed and formatted according to the analysis plan. Then, in step 96, the analyzed data is populated in a preliminary report. For example, the preliminary report can be a Microsoft Excel file, a Microsoft Power Point file, a Microsoft Word file, etc. Then, in step 97, the preliminary file is verified, modified and debugged by a dedicated quality control. The results from step 97 are provided back to the above-mentioned programming process.

[0082] Steps 93, 95, 96 and 97 are performed iteratively until the created preliminary report can be accepted as a final report. In particular, the iterative process involves reprogramming and re-evaluating the preliminary report, both of which may involve more effort and specific knowledge. Finally, a final report is generated as a result of the reporting process in step 98.

[0083] FIG2 shows an embodiment of a physical computing system 1 according to the present invention, which executes an embodiment of a computer program according to the present invention to implement an embodiment of a method according to the present invention. The physical computing system 1 includes: a computing system 2, a reporting computing device 3 and a control computing device 4. The computing system 2 has a first platform computing device 21, a second platform computing device 22, a third platform computing device 23, a fourth platform computing device 24 and a fifth platform computing device 25. The first platform computing device 21 runs SAS as a first data analysis software, and the first database management system provides a first database 212, in which the raw data collected in the clinical study are stored. The second platform computing device 22 runs R as a second data analysis software, and the second database management system provides a second database 222, in which the raw data collected in the clinical study are stored. The third platform computing device 23 runs Python as a third data analysis software, and the third database management system provides a third database 232, in which the raw data collected in the clinical study are stored. The fourth platform computing device 24 runs SQL as a fourth data analysis software, and the fourth database management system provides a fourth database 242, in which the raw data collected in the clinical study are stored. The fifth platform computing device 25 runs Matlab as fifth data analysis software, and the fifth database management system provides a fifth database 252 in which raw data collected in the clinical research are stored.

[0084] In an initial preparation or preprocessing step, a specific evaluation function is programmed as a predefined function in SAS in the first platform computing device 21. The evaluation function provides customized analysis and evaluation of raw data for reporting purposes. For example, a specific evaluation function may include collecting data items associated with a female participant study stored in the first database 212 and calculating the average of the collected items. The corresponding evaluation function is programmed in R in the second platform computing device 22, in Python in the third platform computing device 23, in SQL in the fourth platform computing device 24, and in Matlab in the fifth platform computing device. The result of applying the specific evaluation function is the data pre-collected in the first platform computing device 21.

[0085] The report computing device 3 runs Microsoft Word 33. In a further preparation step, a template file 34 or Microsoft Word file (DOC file) is created as a report template data set in Microsoft Word 33. The template file 34 defines the format of the dedicated report to be generated, wherein it includes a position pointer to locate the position where the analysis result value will be displayed in the dedicated report. The template file 34 is further provided by a feed process programmed in VBA. The feed process can be triggered via a specific button included in the template file 34. The template file 34 is stored in the file system of the report computing device 3.

[0086] Control software is run on the control computing device 4. The control software package includes a graphical user interface 41, which allows the definition of calls to evaluation functions accessible on the first platform computing device to the fifth platform computing device 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. More specifically, the graphical user interface 41 allows calls to be written by dragging and dropping graphical elements in the graphical user interface. In addition, the graphical user interface allows text user input to be collected. Similarly, multiple calls can be written into a call set (call set), where each call can be regarded as a small block or Lego block in the call set. In the following, a single call is also referred to as a code block.

[0087] Each code block includes: a function identifier associated with a specific evaluation function, pre-collected data parameters and a location pointer of the template file 34. The control software applies multiple first code blocks 211 to the first platform computing device 21. The first code block 211 executes the associated evaluation function together with the corresponding pre-collected data parameters and location pointer. The evaluation function executed by the corresponding first code block 211 on the first platform computing device 21 collects the required raw data from the first database 212, and writes at least one record in the interface file 31 as an interface data set on the reporting computing device 3. The at least one record includes the location pointer of the corresponding code block and the result value calculated, collected, or collected and calculated by the executed specific evaluation function. Similarly, multiple second code blocks 221 are applied to the second platform computing device 22, multiple third code blocks 231 are applied to the third platform computing device 23, multiple fourth code blocks 241 are applied to the fourth platform computing device 24, and multiple fifth code blocks 251 are applied to the fifth platform computing device 25.

[0088] Finally, the interface file 31 includes records provided by specific evaluation functions executed by the first to fifth code blocks 211, 221, 231, 241, 251. The template file is organized as a character separated value (CSV) file, where each record is written in a new line of the file.

[0089] In addition to the interface file 31, some specific evaluation functions can provide graphic images 32 such as charts, etc. The corresponding evaluation function stores the created graphic image in the file system of the report computing device 3 and provides a location pointer of the corresponding code block in the name of the graphic image (ie, the image file name).

[0090] In order to create a dedicated report, a template file 34 is opened in Microsoft Word 33 on the report computing device 3, and the report computing device 3 creates an instance of a report Microsoft Word document file (DOC file). By clicking a specific button, i.e., a VBA macro button, of the DOC file, a feeding procedure is performed. Thus, the records of the interface file 31 are collected, and the result value of each record is filled into the dedicated report at a position associated with a corresponding position pointer. Accordingly, the graphic image 32 is imported and placed according to their position pointers stored in the file name. Therefore, by clicking a specific button, the dedicated report is automatically fed and created. The dedicated report or a copy thereof can then be transmitted to the control computing device 4. There it can be displayed on the graphical user interface 41, and it can be rewritten when necessary. In particular, after rewriting in the graphical user interface 41, the process can be repeated to generate a new dedicated report.

[0091] These descriptions and drawings used to illustrate various aspects and embodiments of the present invention should not be considered as limitations on the claims defining the protected invention. In other words, although the present invention has been shown and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, these illustrations and descriptions should be considered illustrative or exemplary rather than restrictive. Various mechanical, compositional, structural, electrical and operational changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this specification and claims. In some cases, well-known circuits, structures and techniques are not shown in detail to avoid confusing the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that within the scope and spirit of the appended claims, changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art. In particular, the present invention covers other embodiments of any combination of features from the different embodiments described above and below.

[0092] The present disclosure also covers all other features shown in the figures, even though they may not be described in the preceding or following description. Moreover, individual substitutions of the embodiments in the figures and descriptions and individual substitutions of their features may be excluded from the subject matter of the present invention or the disclosed subject matter. The present disclosure includes subject matter consisting of the features defined in the claims or exemplary embodiments as well as subject matter including said features.

[0093] Furthermore, in the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single unit or step may fulfill the functions of several features recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain means are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these means cannot be used to advantage. Components described as coupled or connected may be directly connected electrically or mechanically, or they may be indirectly connected via one or more intermediate components. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

[0094] The computer program may be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or solid state medium provided together with other hardware or as part of other hardware, but may also be published in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless communication systems. In particular, for example, the computer program may be a computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium, which may have a computer executable program code suitable for being executed to implement a specific method such as the method according to the present invention. In addition, the computer program may also be a data structure product or signal for embodying a specific method such as the method according to the present invention.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a dedicated report of result values ​​derived from data previously collected in at least one computing platform, the method comprising the following steps: (i) generating a report template data set defining a format of a dedicated report to be generated on a computing device, wherein the report template data set comprises computer-recognizable functional data of at least a location pointer to locate a location in the dedicated report where the result value is to be presented; (ii) providing a call set for predefined functions accessible in said at least one computing platform, wherein each call in said call set comprises a function identifier associated with one of said predefined functions, pre-collected data parameters, and one of said location pointers; (iii) the predefined function derives a corresponding result value and couples the result value to a location pointer of the computer-recognizable functional data; (iv) automatically generating an interface data set, the interface data set being a specific data structure including a plurality of records for each call in the call set, wherein at least one of the plurality of records for each call in the call set includes a location pointer to the computer-identifiable functional data, and each of the plurality of records for the same call includes one of the result values ​​coupled to the location pointer to the computer-identifiable functional data through an associated function; as well as (v) automatically retrieving records of the interface data set and feeding said result values ​​into a dedicated report according to a report template data set using location pointers of said computer-recognizable functional data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: The at least one computing platform includes a platform computing device having a platform data processor, a platform data storage device, and a platform user interface unit, wherein the platform computing device executes data analysis software for analyzing pre-collected data and executes database software for managing pre-collected data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, comprising the step of configuring the at least one computing platform so that the predefined functions comprise specific functions accessible in the data analysis software.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 or 3, wherein: The call set for the predefined function is provided in the data analysis software.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein: All steps are performed in a physical computing system including the platform computing device, wherein the physical computing system has a processor structure, a data storage structure and a user interface structure, the processor structure includes a platform data processor of the platform computing device, the data storage structure includes a platform data storage device of the platform computing device, and the user interface structure includes a platform user interface unit of the platform computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein: The physical computing system is configured to generating the report template data set by receiving input data via the user interface structure, and determining the format of the data to be reported according to the input data; A report template data set including the determined format is saved in the data storage structure.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein: The physical computing system comprises a report computing device having a report data processor, a report data storage device and a report user interface unit, wherein: The processor structure of the physical computing system includes a report data processor of the report computing device, The data storage structure of the physical computing system includes a reporting data storage device of the reporting computing device, the user interface structure of the physical computing arrangement includes a reporting user interface unit of the reporting computing device, and the reporting computing device executes reporting software.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein: The report template data set is generated in the reporting software executed by the reporting computing device through the user interface unit of the reporting computing device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, comprising configuring the reporting software executed by the reporting computing device to automatically feed records of the interface data set into the dedicated report.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, comprising configuring the reporting software executed by the reporting computing device to evaluate the interface data set and adapt the format of the specialized report based on the evaluated interface data set.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein feeding records of the interface data set comprises identifying the location pointer for each of the plurality of records, identifying a corresponding location pointer for each of the plurality of records, and placing a result value associated with each of the plurality of records into the dedicated report.

12. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: The physical computing system is configured to establishing, via the user interface structure, a predefined function accessible in the at least one computing platform; And storing the established predefined function in the data storage structure.

13. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: The physical computing system is configured to The call set is provided by inputting each call of the call set via the user interface structure and storing the call set in the data storage structure.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein: The physical computing system is configured to providing a graphical user interface of said user interface structure, displaying in the graphical user interface graphical items representing each call of the call set; as well as Each call in the call set is entered by dragging and dropping the graphical items displayed in the graphical user interface.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein: The graphical user interface is configured to The dedicated report is displayed, an update command is received, the report template dataset is rewritten according to the update command, and steps (ii) to (v) are performed using the rewritten report template dataset.

16. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: The physical computing system Configured as Generating the interface data set includes storing an interface file as a text file in the data storage structure.

17. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein the physical computing system executes database software and is configured such that generating the interface data set comprises the database software storing and managing the interface data set.

18. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: The physical computing system Database software is executed, and the report template data set is stored and managed by the database software.

19. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: The physical computing system is configured such that generating the interface data set includes generating at least one delimited string or an image per record.

20. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: The physical computing system is configured such that a predefined function called by each call of the call set generates the interface data set.

21. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: At least one call in the set of calls includes a compute command.

22. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: The value of at least one of the plurality of records of at least one call in the call set provided by the association function comprises a graphical representation.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein: The interface data set comprises an image file depicting the avatar, wherein the associated location pointer is integrated in the name of the image file.

24. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein: The physical computing system is configured to provide the call set by automatically inputting each call in the call set with information from the report template data set and automatically saving the call set in the data storage structure.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location pointer is used to indicate a label or reference marked in a template data set.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location pointer is used to indicate a common location of a template data set, comprising a combination of at least two parts, a first part is used to identify a specific structure in a dedicated report, and a second part is used to identify another specific structure in a professional report.

27. A computer program product stored on a computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed in a computing system, cause the computing system to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A physical computing system for generating a dedicated report of result values ​​derived from data previously collected in at least one computing platform, the physical computing system comprising a processor structure, a data storage structure and a user interface structure, wherein the physical computing system is configured to generating a report template data set defining a format of a dedicated report to be generated on a computing device, wherein the report template data set includes a location pointer to locate a location in the dedicated report where the result value is to be depicted; providing a call set for predefined functions accessible in the at least one computing platform, wherein each call in the call set includes one of a function identifier associated with one of the predefined functions, pre-collected data parameters, and a location pointer; deriving the result value by means of the predefined function and coupling the result value to the location pointer of computer-recognizable functional data; automatically generating an interface data set, the interface data set being a specific data structure including a plurality of records for each call in the call set, wherein at least one of the plurality of records for each call in the call set includes a location pointer of computer-identifiable functional data, and each of the plurality of records for the same call includes one of the result values ​​coupled to the location pointer of the computer-identifiable functional data by an associated function; as well as Records of the interface data set are automatically retrieved and resulting values ​​are fed into a dedicated report according to the report template data set using location pointers of the computer-recognizable functional data.

29. The physical computing system of claim 28, comprising a platform computing device, wherein the processor structure has a platform data processor embodied in the platform computing device, the data storage structure has a platform data storage device embodied in the platform computing device, and the user interface structure has a platform user interface unit embodied in the platform computing device, and The platform computing device executes data analysis software for analyzing the pre-collected data, and executes database software for managing the pre-collected data.

30. The physical computing system of claim 29, wherein: The platform computing device is configured such that the predefined functions include specific functions accessible in the data analysis software.

31. The physical computing system of claim 29, wherein: The platform computing device is configured to cause the call set for the predefined function to be provided in the data analysis software.

32. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, configured to generate the report template data set by receiving input data via the user interface structure, and determining the format of the data to be reported according to the input data; The report template data set including the determined format is saved to the data storage structure.

33. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, comprising a report computing device having a report data processor, a report data storage device and a report user interface unit, wherein: The processor structure of the physical computing system includes a report data processor of the report computing device, The data storage structure of the physical computing system includes a reporting data storage device of the reporting computing device, the user interface structure of the physical computing arrangement includes a reporting user interface unit of the reporting computing device, and the reporting computing device executes reporting software.

34. The physical computing system of claim 33, wherein: The reporting computing device is configured to generate the report template data set in reporting software executed in the reporting computing device and via the user interface unit of the reporting computing device.

35. The physical computing system of claim 33, wherein: The reporting computing device is configured to automatically feed each record of the interface data set into the dedicated report in the reporting software executed by the reporting computing device.

36. The physical computing system of claim 35, wherein: The reporting computing device is configured to feed each record of the interface data set by identifying the location pointer of each record in the multiple records, identifying the corresponding location pointer of each record in the multiple records, and placing the result value associated with each of the multiple records into the dedicated report.

37. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, configured to Establishing a predefined function accessible in the at least one computing platform through the user interface structure; and storing the established predefined function in the data storage structure.

38. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, configured to: The call set is provided by inputting each call of the call set via the user interface structure and storing the call set in the data storage structure.

39. A physical computing system according to claim 38, configured to provide a graphical user interface of the user interface structure, displaying in the graphical user interface graphical items representing each call of the call set; and Each call in the call set is entered by dragging and dropping a graphical item displayed in the graphical user interface.

40. A physical computing system according to claim 39, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display the dedicated report, receive an update command, rewrite the report template data set according to the update command, and execute to provide the call set, derive the result value, generate the interface data set, retrieve records of the interface data set, and feed records of the interface data set.

41. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, configured to generate the interface data set by saving an interface file as a text file in the data storage structure.

42. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, executing database software and configured to generate an interface data set by the database software, the database software storing and managing the interface data set.

43. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, executing database software and configured to generate the interface data set by means of the database software, the database software storing and managing the report template data set.

44. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, configured to generate the interface data set by generating at least one delimited string or one image per record.

45. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, configured to generate the interface data set by the predefined function called by each call of the call set.

46. ​​A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein: At least one call in the set of calls includes a compute command.

47. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein: The value of at least one of the plurality of records of at least one call in the call set provided by the association function comprises a graphical representation.

48. The physical computing system of claim 47, wherein the interface data set comprises an image file depicting the avatar, wherein the associated location pointer is integrated into the name of the image file.

49. A physical computing system according to any one of claims 28 to 31, configured to provide the call set by automatically inputting each call in the call set together with information from the report template data set and automatically saving the call set in the data storage structure.

Images