Unified Time Reference for Multi-Source Data Integration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Corporate employees face challenges in consolidating information from disparate data sources to assess corporate health, as existing methods are resource-intensive and complex, especially when generating key performance indicators for scorecards and dashboards that require alignment of data from various business groups.

Innovation Solution

The architecture enables simultaneous data slicing across tabular and OLAP data sources using a simple time period specification language, mapping time dimensions to a common calendar, allowing for intuitive time intelligence filtering and alignment of data sources for unified reporting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If data from multiple disparate data sources are integrated to provide comprehensive corporate health metrics, then the completeness and reliability of information is improved, but the complexity of data integration and processing increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of corporate health informationVSAvoidcomplexity of data integration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a common reference dimension (time dimension with unified calendar) as an intermediary that mediates between multiple disparate data sources. This intermediary enables seamless integration of data from different sources without requiring complex point-to-point integration logic, thereby improving information completeness while managing integration complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified time dimension serves as a universal framework that can accommodate multiple data sources with different time structures. By mapping various time dimensions to a common reference, the system achieves multi-functionality in handling diverse data types (OLAP cubes, tabular data, text data) through a single integration mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If time dimensions from multiple data sources are aligned to a common reference, then the ease of operation for time-based filtering is improved, but the complexity of mapping and synchronizing time dimensions increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of time-based filteringVSAvoidcomplexity of time dimension mapping

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of requiring users to manually map each time dimension to every other time dimension (complex forward mapping), the patent inverts the approach by having all time dimensions map to a common reference dimension. This inversion simplifies the operation for users while consolidating the mapping complexity into a standardized backend process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter representation of time dimensions by introducing a unified time calendar as a standard reference frame. By transforming various time parameters (fiscal years, custom calendars, OLAP time dimensions) into the common reference framework, the system enables consistent time-based operations without exposing users to underlying mapping complexities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Stability of the object's composition

If a unified time reference framework is implemented across all data sources, then the consistency of time intelligence filtering is improved, but the resources and costs for implementing and maintaining the framework increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconsistency of time filteringVSAvoidresources for framework implementation

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the time intelligence functionality across multiple data sources by implementing a single unified time reference framework. Instead of maintaining separate time handling mechanisms for each data source, the system combines them into one standardized framework, which improves filtering consistency while consolidating maintenance resources into a single system component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS8880459B2Navigation across datasets from multiple data sources based on a common reference dimension

Publication Date: 2014.11.04 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Architecture for slicing data defined on both tabular data sources and in OLAP (online analytical processing) multidimensional data sources by time relative to the current date simultaneously with the same time intelligence (TI) filter on a dashboard page. The architecture employs a simple time period specification (STPS) language used to specify time periods in monitoring server TI filters, and key performance indicator (KPI) filters. The architecture maps all time dimensions to a common set of time aggregations (hierarchy) and to a common calendar.