Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Patent
1997-03-12
1999-09-14
Maung, Zarni
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
707906, G06F 1200
Patent
active
059537302
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the computer-aided conversion of an assemblage of digital data in a first data format to an assemblage of digital data in a second data format, where the data in the second data format is collected in tabular format and is suitable for use in a spreadsheet program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Activity monitoring programs are known. With an activity monitoring program, for example, the performance of a computer system can be recorded and displayed to a user. Such programs work closely with the computer operating system and produce data, for example, reflecting the capacity utilization of the computer system, the access and response times of the computer system, and the like. These data are present in a first data format which is dependent upon the activity timer program. The data are collected by the activity timer program into a report which is given a tabular format through the introduction of spaces and line feeds. The report can be displayed to the user on a screen and/or saved in the memory of the computer system.
Spreadsheet programs are also known, with which any desired data can be processed. These data must exist in a second data format compatible with the spreadsheet program. The data in tabular form can be displayed to the user on the screen in a variety of graphical presentations. Certain lines (rows) or certain columns, or even certain values from the tables can be referred to by the user with the aid of symbolic names. It is likewise possible to carry out calculations or other combinations and to integrate the results again as data in the tables. Finally, the data from spreadsheet programs can frequently be transferred to other programs such as word processing programs.
In the past, if it was desirable or necessary to submit data from reports of activity monitoring programs to further processing using spreadsheet programs, the desired data had to be entered, for example, by a user into the spreadsheet program using the computer system keyboard in a manual fashion. The tabular format of the data had to be taken into account in doing this. The associated disadvantages are obvious.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main task of the invention is to automate the conversion of data from activity monitoring programs into data for spreadsheet programs.
This task is achieved in a process of the type described in the preamble: data in the second data format are produced from data in the first data format and a symbolic name is assigned to one or more of the data in the second data format. In this way the invention creates a link between the activity monitoring program and the spreadsheet program. The data in the first data format, namely those of the activity monitoring program, are converted into data in the second data format, namely into spreadsheet program data. The tabular nature of the data is maintained. Thus it is possible for data from the activity monitoring program to be further processed by the spreadsheet program.
In addition, certain of the spreadsheet program data produced in this way are given a symbolic name. This means, for example, that a column or row or even an individual data item from the table resulting from the assemblage of data can be referred to under a symbolic name. In this way, it is no longer necessary for a user to refer laboriously to one or more of the data in a table by their current position(s) in the table, but it is sufficient for the user to refer to the data by the symbolic name assigned. The invention thus achieves not merely the conversion of data from the activity monitoring program into data for the spreadsheet program but, in addition, by assigning a symbolic name, allows access to a simpler and more rapid processing of the data in the spreadsheet program.
It is possible, on the one hand, in converting the data from the first to the second data format on the basis of the foregoing criteria, for the computer system to assign a symbolic name to certain columns or certain rows.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4989141 (1991-01-01), Lyons et al.
patent: 5055998 (1991-10-01), Wright et al.
patent: 5119465 (1992-06-01), Jack et al.
patent: 5293615 (1994-03-01), Amada
patent: 5457792 (1995-10-01), Virgil et al.
patent: 5493671 (1996-02-01), Pitt et al.
patent: 5537591 (1996-07-01), Oka
MVS / ESA--Resource Measurement Facility--Version 4 General Information / GC28-1028-3 IBM Corporation, Mar. 1991.
International Business Machines - Corporation
Maung Zarni
Winder Patrice L.
LandOfFree
Computerized conversion of tables does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Computerized conversion of tables, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Computerized conversion of tables will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1520759