Spreadsheet Data Usage Monitoring System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data usage monitoring techniques are inefficient and burdensome, requiring complex data preparation by IT staff and involving multiple iterations to make transactional data available to business users, especially when data is spread across an organization.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system that allows business users to directly access and manipulate transactional data without IT expertise, translating user actions into backend processes to generate data transformations and track usage, enabling seamless data retrieval, transformation, and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is moved from transactional databases to analytic databases using traditional data warehousing techniques, then data becomes available for analysis, but the process becomes time-consuming and requires multiple iterations involving IT staff and complex extraction, transformation, and loading tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service data access by enabling business users to directly query and access transactional databases without requiring IT staff intervention. The system provides users with the ability to perform their own data extractions, transformations, and analyses using standardized tools and interfaces, eliminating the need for manual IT support and significantly reducing data preparation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes pre-configured data marts and standardized extraction templates that are prepared in advance. These pre-built structures contain commonly requested data views and transformations, allowing users to quickly access and analyze data without requiring time-consuming custom extraction and transformation processes for each analytical request.
2Manufacturing precision
If IT staff use complex extraction, transformation, and loading tools to obtain data meeting business analyst needs, then accurate data is provided, but the process becomes burdensome and requires special software training
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer consisting of standardized data marts and abstraction interfaces between the complex transactional databases and end users. These intermediaries present simplified, user-friendly views of the data while maintaining accurate connections to the source systems, allowing users to access precise data without needing to understand or use complex extraction and transformation tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates simplified copies or representations of complex data structures through standardized data marts and view definitions. These copies maintain the accuracy and integrity of the source data while presenting it in accessible formats that do not require special training to use, effectively decoupling data accuracy from operational complexity.
3Ease of operation
If data is stored in spreadsheets across an enterprise, then data can be easily manipulated by users, but tracking, accessing, and loading the data becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the benefits of spreadsheet-based data manipulation with centralized database management by implementing a system where users can work with data in familiar spreadsheet-like interfaces while the underlying architecture maintains centralized tracking and control. The system combines distributed user access with centralized data governance, allowing easy manipulation at the user level while maintaining automated tracking and coordination at the system level.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure includes techniques pertaining to computer implemented systems and methods for data usage monitoring. In one embodiment, user manipulations of spreadsheets are translated into backend actions and executed against spreadsheet data. The actions of users on different spreadsheets automatically generate data records to track each action. The data records are stored in a data structure and portions of the records may be accessed to generate usage information.