Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTERPRETING SALES DATA
THROUGH THE USE OF NATURAL LANGUAGE QUESTIONS
SPECIFICATION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention. The present invention relates to techniques for
interpreting sales information and more particularly, to such techniques which
employ
natural language questions.
Description of Related Art. Manufacturers and distributors of retail
products generally monitor product sales in order to maintain proper inventory
and to
be able to direct marketing efforts. Monitoring may be accomplished by
documenting
sales at retail outlets and transferring this sales data to a central point
for evaluation.
Sales data are valuable as a business intelligence tool to regularly inform
sales
professionals about the state of the marketplace.
Each day throughout the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries
millions of products are sold worldwide. Prescriptions are written by doctors
and
filled at pharmacies; medical devices are sold at doctors offices, , hospitals
and
pharmacies. Individual businesses participating in various aspects of the
pharmaceutical and healthcare industries create data pertaining to the goods
sold to
conform with governmental regulations and to aid in inventory tracking.
Utilizing highly advanced technologies, this raw, disparate data is
transformed from millions of pharmaceutical records collected from thousands
of
sources worldwide into a centralized data repository. The information
contained in
the centralized data repository is a powerful business intelligence tool that
can be used
to gain critical information about the state of the industry.
However, extracting crucial information from the raw information
contained in the centralized data repository and forming a coherent
understanding of
the impact of the raw information is difficult for individual sales personnel
to
accomplish.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, there exists a need for a business intelligence tool, which
allows a user or users to access available raw sales management data in a
meaningful
and time efficient manner.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of analyzing
sales management data. The method of analyzing sales management data includes
the
steps of: providing a plurality of natural language questions relating to said
sales
management data, wherein each of the natural language questions corresponds to
at
least one database query, receiving an indication of a selected one or more of
the
natural language questions from the plurality of natural language questions,
querying
at least one database in accordance with the selected one or more of the
natural
language questions, and creating a particular data set responsive to the
querying step,
wherein the particular data set is configured to be able to provide a
particular visual
interpretation thereof, wherein the particular visual interpretation is of a
particular
type.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of
analyzing sales management data. The method of analyzing sales management data
including the steps of providing a plurality of natural language questions,
wherein
each of the natural language questions correspond to at least one database
query,
selecting one or more of the natural language questions from the plurality of
natural
language questions, issuing an at least one query to at least one database in
accordance with the selected one or more of the plurality of natural language
questions, receiving a particular data set responsive to the issuing step, and
analyzing
the particular data set and providing a particular visual interpretation
thereof, wherein
the particular visual interpretation is of a particular type.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sales
management data analysis system. The sales management data analysis system
including a data storage unit including a mass storage device, the data
storage unit
including at least one database, a processor operatively connected to the data
storage
unit and configured to provide a plurality of natural language questions,
wherein each
of the natural language questions correspond to at least one database query,
to query
the at least one database in accordance with a selected one of the plurality
of natural
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language questions, to create a particular data set responsive to the querying
of the at
least one database in accordance with the one of the plurality of natural
language
questions from the at least one database, and a communication interface,
operatively
connected to the processor configured to send the particular data set to a
destination,
the particular data set configured to be able to provide a particular visual
interpretation thereof, wherein the particular visual interpretation is of a
particular
type.
brief description of the drawing
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying figures showing illustrative embodiments of the invention, in
which:
FIGURE 1 is a block diagram of a data analysis and presentation
system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 2 is a flow chart of the process through which a client data
presentation application processes data according to an exemplary embodiment
of the
present invention;
FIGURE 3 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 4 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 5 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 6 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 7 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE ~ is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 9 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 10 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
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FIGURE 11 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
FIGURE 12 is a desktop block diagram of the client data presentation
application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Throughout the figures, the same reference numerals and characters,
unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like features, elements,
components or
portions of the illustrated embodiments. Moreover, while the subject invention
will
now be described in detail with reference to the figures, it is done so in
connection
with the illustrative embodiments. It is intended that changes and
modifications can
be made to the described embodiments without departing from the true scope and
spirit of the subject invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 illustrates a database analysis system 100 according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The database analysis system
100
includes an application server 102, a communications network 108, a client
computer
110 and a client computer 112.
The application server 102 includes a processor 104, a data storage unit
103 and a network interface 105. The processor 104 runs a database application
and a
firewall. The firewall protects data stored in the data storage unit 103 from
unauthorized access by individuals and programs (sometimes called viruses).
The
database application allows client data presentation applications, executing
on the
client computers 110, 112, to query a user database and a sales management
information database through the firewall. Preferably, the database
application is a
Microsoft SQL server database which uses Online Analytical Processing Data
Cubes
for the organization of large data sources. The data storage unit 103 includes
volatile
and nonvolatile memory as well as mass storage devices.
The sales management information database is stored in the data
storage unit 103. The sales management information database acts as a central
repository for information pertaining to goods sold and prescriptions issued
throughout the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. The sales management
information database is populated using information gathered from individual
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businesses participating in various aspects of the pharmaceutical and
healthcare
industries. These individual businesses create data pertaining to goods sold
in order
to conform with governmental regulations and to aid in inventory tracking.
This
information typically includes sales data, physician names and corresponding
addresses, complete contact information by physician, complete contact
information
relating to a product for a geographical area, investment per physician,
investment per
product per geographical area, amount spent per physician, amount spent per
product
per geographical area, physician count per geographical area, physician
segment,
physician target status, sales targets by geographical area, sales targets by
territory,
quotas by geographical area, quotas by territory, sales territory information,
number
of prescriptions issued by a doctor, number of prescriptions issued for a
particular
product, the time a prescription is provided, the product prescribed, the
market in
which a prescription is issued, the geographic area in which the prescription
was
filled, the amount of prescriptions written by a group of doctors, the amount
of
prescriptions dispensed by a group of doctors, and the like. Preferably, the
information is then standardized, filtered to insure an acceptable quality
level, and
written into the sales management information database in the data storage
unit 103.
The data storage unit 103 also includes a user database. The user
database includes database records specifying user accounts. Associated with
each
user's account, and provided in the user's account record in the user
database, is a
username, password, default question, default query, default visual
interpretation type,
territory information, and sales campaign question information. The sales
campaign
question information includes a list of questions and associated parameters,
each
question of the list of questions is associated with a group of parameters.
In a preferred embodiment, the list of questions specified in a user's
account are developed on a case by case basis. The questions are usually sales
territory type questions or specialty type questions. Some examples of sales
territory
type questions follow:
- How am I doing against the competition?
- Where is my potential?
- How does my performance compare to the market?
- How am I doing against the target?
- How effective are my calls?
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Some examples of specialty type questions follow:
- How am I doing against the competition by specialty?
- Where is my potential by specialty?
- How does my performance compare to the market by
specialty?
- How effective are my calls by specialty?
- What is the contribution of each specialty?
As used herein, natural language questions are questions that are
written in language readily understandable to a user, so that a user need not
have a
working knowledge of a computer language, such as standard query language or a
general purpose programming language, in order to understand the natural
language
questions.
The processor 104 receives information to be written into the data
storage unit 103 from a multitude of sources through the communication network
108
and the network interface 105 and the processor 104 receives database queries
from
the client computers 110, 112 through the communication network 108 and the
network interface 105. The network interface 105 is in communication with the
communications network 108 and the processor 104. The network interface 105
receives queries from the communication network 108, which are in turn
supplied to
the processor 104 and supplies data, received from the data storage device 103
via the
processor 104, to the communications network 108 responsive to the database
queries.
The network interface 105 also receives information about goods sold and
prescriptions issued throughout the pharmaceutical and healthcaxe industry
from the
communication network 108. The network interface 105 is preferably an Ethernet
interface.
The communications network 108 allows the application server 106 to
communicate with the client computers 110, 112. Preferably, the communications
network 108 is the Internet.
The client computer 110 executes the client data presentation
application. The client data presentation application is a business
intelligence tool,
which allows a user or users to access the multitude of raw data stored on the
application server 102 in a meaningful and time efficient manner. The client
data
presentation application does not contain any data itself. All data upon which
the
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client data presentation application operates is stored in the sales
management
information database and the user database which are located on the data
storage unit
103 of the application server 102. Preferably, the client computer 110 is a
general
purpose personal computer.
It should be understood that the client computer 112 executes the client
data presentation application in a similar manner to the client computer 110.
For the
sake of simplicity, the function of the client data presentation application
will be
described in relation to the client computer 110 only, though it will be
understood that
the client data presentation application would act in the same manner if
executed on
the client computer 112.
Figure 2 illustrates a data presentation process 150 through which a
user can receive information from the client data presentation application.
The
process 150 begins at step 152. .
At step 152 the user provides a username and password to the client
data presentation application. In order to use the client data presentation
application a
user must login to the system. Once the user has provided a username and
password,
the process 150 advances to step 154.
At step 154 the process 150 issues a database query to the application
server 102. The application server 102 receives this query via the network
interface
105 and in turn queries the user database for a database record specifying a
user
account having the entered username and password combination. If such a record
exists, the application server 102 returns a login valid message to the
process 150
along with the default question, the default query, the default visual
interpretation
type, the territory information, and the sales campaign question information
supplied
in the user's account record. The process 150 records the received information
in a
local user account profile and advances to step 158. Otherwise, if no such
record
exists, the application server 102 returns a login invalid message to the
process 150
and the process 150 advances to step 156.
At step 156, the process 150 provides the user with a login invalid
message. The process 150 advances to step 152, and the user may again specify
a
username and password combination.
At step 158, the process 150 issues a query to the application server
102. The issued query is the default query stored in a local user account
profile. The
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application server 102 receives the issued query via the network interface 105
and in
turn queries the sales management information database for database records
which
satisfy the database query.
At step 160, the process 150 waits to receive the resultant data set from
the application server 102. Once the application server 102 has received the
resultant
data set from the sales management information database in response to the
initial
query, the application server sends the resultant data set to the client
computer 110.
The client computer 110 stores the resultant data set locally within the
client computer
110 for further interpretation by the client data presentation application.
At step 162, the client data presentation application formulates a visual
interpretation or multiple visual interpretations based on the resultant data
set stored
within the client computer 110, and populates various fields of the client
data
presentation application including any visual interpretation boxes, a
parameter
specification box, a sales territory indicator, and a question drop down menu
with
default values. The client data presentation application analyzes the
resultant data set
and provides a visual interpretation thereof in a style specified by the
default visual
interpretation type. The default visual interpretation type can be a chart,
color coded
line graph, color coded map, customer list or color coded bar chart.
Referring now to Figure 3, a desktop block diagram 200 of the client
data presentation application is provided with exemplary default data
specified. The
client data presentation application includes a desktop upon which different
data is
presented to the user. The desktop block diagram 200 includes a visual
interpretation
box 202, a parameter specification box 204, a sales terntory indicator 206 and
a
question drop down menu 208. The visual interpretation box 202 includes a
interpretation type (here a chart) and a visual interpretation of the
resultant data set of
the type indicated by the interpretation type. The question drop down menu 208
is
populated with the list of questions specified by the sales campaign question
information stored in the local user account profile, such that the default
question
stored in the local user account profile is visible if the drop down
functionality of the
drop down menu 208 is not activated. If the arrow next to the question drop
down
menu 208 is clicked, the drop down functionality of the question drop down
menu
208 is activated and the drop down menu displays the list of questions
supplied with
the sales campaign question information stored in the local user account
profile. The
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parameter specification box 204 includes multiple drop down boxes, each of
which
contain multiple parameters associated with the selected question of the list
of
questions specified by the sales campaign information stored in the local user
account
profile. The parameters shown in the parameter specification box 204 axe
default
values specified in the local user account profile. The sales territory
indicator 206
displays the territory information contained within the local user account
profile. The
sales terntory indicator 206 acts as a reminder to the user as to what
territory the
displayed information pertains.
Referring again to Figure 2, in a preferred embodiment, the default
visual interpretation type can specify multiple visual interpretation types.
By
specifying multiple visual interpretation types, the client data presentation
application
will provide a user with multiple visual interpretation boxes having different
interpretation types for the data, for example a user might be presented with
a chart
type visual interpretation and a color coded line graph type visual
interpretation of the
resultant data set, as shown by a desktop block diagram 230 of Figure 8. In
another
preferred embodiment, the default visual interpretation type can specify
multiple
visual interpretation types, placements for each of the specified visual
interpretation
types, and sizes for each of the specified visual interpretation types.
At step 164, if the process 150 determines whether the visual
interpretations need to be updated. If the user has indicated that the visual
interpretations need to be updated, if the user has selected an additional
visual
interpretation to be displayed, or if the user has selected a different visual
interpretation to be displayed, the process 150 advances to step 166.
Otherwise, the
process 150 remains at step 164.
At step 166, the process 150 determines whether the user indicated that
the visual interpretations need to be updated. If the user selected a new
question to be
answered or altered a parameter of the current question and indicated that the
visual
interpretations need to be updated by clicking on the update button, the
client data
presentation application must issue a new query to the application server 102.
The
user may select a new question to be answered by activating the drop down
functionality of the question drop down menu 208 and selecting another of the
listed
questions. The user may also select a new parameter to be explored using the
question specified in the question drop down menu 208 by selecting a new
parameter
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in the parameter specification box 204. Once the appropriate question and
parameters
have been selected, the user may click on the update button. If the user
clicked on the
update button, the process 150 advances to step 172. If the user has not
clicked on the
update button, the process 150 advances to step 168.
At step 168, the process 150 determines whether the user selected an
additional visual interpretation to be displayed or selected a different
visual
interpretation to be displayed. If the user selected an additional visual
interpretation
to be displayed or if the user selected a different visual interpretation to
be displayed,
the client data presentation application should formulate an additional visual
interpretation based on the resultant data set currently stored by the client
data
presentation application, therefore the process 150 advances to step 174. If
the user
did not select an additional visual interpretation to be displayed or select a
different
visual interpretation to be displayed, the process 150 advances to step 170.
At step 170, the process 150 reports an error condition. If the user did
not indicate that the visual interpretations need to be updated, select an
additional
visual interpretation to be displayed, or select a different visual
interpretation to be
displayed, an error must be reported. Once the error is reported, the process
150 exits.
At step 172, the process 150 issues a query to the application server
102. The issued query is the query specified by the selection of a specific
question
through the question drop down menu 208 and specific parameters through the
parameter specification box 204. The application server 102 receives the
issued query
via the network interface 105 and in turn queries the sales management
information
database for database records which satisfy the database query.
At step 174, the process 150 waits to receive the resultant data set from
the application server 102. Once the application server 102 has received the
resultant
data set from the sales management information database in response to the
issued
query, the application server sends the resultant data set to the client
computer 110.
The client computer 110 stores the resultant data set locally within the
client computer
110 for further interpretation by the client data presentation application.
At step 176, the client data presentation application formulates a visual
interpretation or multiple visual interpretations based on the resultant data
set stored
within the client computer 110. The client data presentation application
analyzes the
resultant data set and provides a visual interpretation thereof in a type
specified by the
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interpretation type of each of the visual interpretation boxes present on the
desktop of
the client data presentation application. The visual interpretation type can
be a chart,
color coded line graph, color coded map, customer list or color coded bar
chart. Once
the visual interpretations are supplied to the various visual interpretation
boxes
provided on the desktop of the client data presentation application, the
process 150
advances to step 164.
In an alternate embodiment, the database application running on the
application server 102 would run on the client computers 110, 112 and the
sales
management information database and the user database stored in the data
storage unit
103 would be stored on the client computers 110, 112, such that the client
computers
110, 112 would issue queries to the database application and databases located
on the
client computers 110, 112, not over the communications network 108. This would
allow the client data presentation application to be reliant only upon data
stored
within the client computers 110, 112. No other hardware would be involved.
Referring now to Figure 4, a desktop block diagram 222 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 222 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 200, except that the visual
interpretation box
202 is not provided and a visual interpretation box 210 is provided. The
visual
interpretation box 210 includes a interpretation type (here a color coded line
graph)
and a visual interpretation of the resultant data set of the type indicated by
the
interpretation type.
Refernng now to Figure 5, a desktop block diagram 224 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 224 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 200, except that the visual
interpretation box
202 is not provided and a visual interpretation box 212 is provided. The
visual
interpretation box 212 includes an interpretation type (here a color coded
map) and a
visual interpretation of the resultant data set of the type indicated by the
interpretation
type.
Referring now to Figure 6, a desktop block diagram 226 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 226 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 200, except that the visual
interpretation box
202 is not provided and a visual interpretation box 214 is provided. The
visual
interpretation box 214 includes an interpretation type (here a customer list)
and a
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visual interpretation of the resultant data set of the type indicated by the
interpretation
type.
Referring now to Figure 7, a desktop block diagram 228 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 228 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 200, except that the visual
interpretation box
202 is not provided and a visual interpretation box 216 is provided. The
visual
interpretation box 216 includes an interpretation type (here a color coded bar
graph)
and a visual interpretation of the resultant data set of the type indicated by
the
interpretation type.
Referring now to Figure 8, a desktop block diagram 230 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 228 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 200, except that an additional visual
interpretation box, the visual interpretation box 210, is provided. The visual
interpretation box 202 includes a visual interpretation of the resultant data
set of the
chart type and the visual interpretation box 210 includes a visual
interpretation of the
resultant data set of the color coded line graph type.
Referring now to Figure 9, a desktop block diagram 232 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 228 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 230, except that an additional visual
interpretation box, the visual interpretation box 212, is provided. The visual
interpretation box 202 includes a visual interpretation of the resultant data
set of the
chart type, the visual interpretation box 210 includes a visual interpretation
of the
resultant data set of the color coded line graph type, and the visual
interpretation box
212 includes a visual interpretation of the resultant data set of the color
coded map
type.
Referring now to Figure 10, a desktop block diagram 234 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 234 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 232, except that the visual
interpretation box
212 is provided having a different size. The visual interpretation box 202
includes a
visual interpretation of the resultant data set of the chart type, the visual
interpretation
box 210 includes a visual interpretation of the resultant data set of the
color coded line
graph type, and the visual interpretation box 212 includes a visual
interpretation of the
resultant data set of the color coded map type. The visual interpretation box
212 has
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been resized such that the horizontal size of the visual interpretation box
212 is
smaller. The size of any of the visual interpretation boxes 202, 210, 212,
214, 216
can be changed in the vertical or horizontal directions.
Referring now to Figure 11, a desktop block diagram 236 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 236 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 234, except that the visual
interpretation box
210 has been removed from the desktop of the client data presentation
application.
Referring now to Figure 12, a desktop block diagram 238 of the client
data presentation application is provided. The desktop block diagram 238 is
largely
the same as the desktop block diagram 236, except that the question specified
in the
question drop down menu 208 is different, one of the parameters specified in
the
parameter specification box 204 has been changed, the visual interpretation
bax 202
has been moved, and the visual interpretation boxes 204, 208 reflect a
different data
set. The question specified in the question drop down menu 208 has been
changed
from "How am I doing against by completion?" to "How' am I doing against my
targets?". Related to this change, one of the parameters specified in the
parameter
specification box 204 has also been changed. The parameter "Market Share" has
been
changed to "% Target Achieved". The visual interpretation provided in the
visual
interpretation boxes 202, 212 reflects these changes, such that the visual
interpretation
provided in the visual interpretation boxes 202, 212 is based on data
collected by a
query or queries associated with the newly selected question and parameters,
therefore
a user must have clicked on the update button.
Once the question and parameters change, a user may click on the
update button. Clicking on the update button causes the client data
presentation
application to issue a new query or queries to the application server 102 as
described
in association with steps 164 through 176 of the process 150 of Figure 2. New
visual
interpretations of the newly acquired resultant data are provided to the
visual
interpretation boxes 202, 212 shortly thereafter. The visual interpretation
box 202 is
also moved. Each of the visual interpretation boxes 202, 204, 206, 208, 210,
212 can
be moved throughout the desktop of the client data presentation application.
The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention.
Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be
apparent
to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. For example,
sales
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management data pertaining to industries other than the pharmaceutical or
healthcare
industries may be used. Likewise, other visual interpretations, for example,
pie
charts, may be used to present the data to users. It will thus be appreciated
that those
skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous techniques which, although
not
explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are
thus within
the spirit and scope of the invention.
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