Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02604729 2007-09-28
Method and System To Segment An OLAP Set
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method of and system to segment an
Online Analytic Processing (OLAP) set.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In the Business Intelligence (BI) computer applications domain,
business
decision makers use analytical software to pose operational performance
questions
as queries against multi-dimensionally modeled business databases and data
warehouses. These multi-dimensional models and analysis software tools are
based
on Online Analytic Processing (OLAP) concepts and technology. The analysis
activity typically involves the creation and manipulation of reports.
[0003] Large OLAP databases and multi-dimensionally modeled data warehouses
typically contain large numbers of dimensional members or flat/non-existent
dimensional hierarchies, or both. This is due to a variety of factors,
including the
volume of available and important data as a business operates and grows, the
time
constraints and computing resources required to stage and model the data
warehouse and make it available for business decision-making processes, the
need
for flexible, unconstrained models for key business dimensions such as
Customers
and Time, or non-hierarchical models for inherently parent-child-relationship
dimensions such as Invoices and Orders.
[0004] When a user is working with a large set of members from an OLAP
database,
the user can be overwhelmed by the details stored within the database. Thus,
it is
desirable for the user to be able to break the set up into discrete pieces and
then to
work with those pieces as conceptual objects.
[0005] There exists a technique that provides a simplistic split of a set of
members
into a subset of members about which the user cares (included) and a subset of
members about which the user does not care (excluded).
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[0006] Also, some data sources include corporate standard segmentations.
Corporate standard segmentations are segmentation concepts that are defined by
the business model of a company or subset of the company. These segments are
typically well-understood by all users. An example of corporate standard
segmentations is between legacy products and current products.
[0007] However, these existing segmentation mechanisms do not provide
sufficient
flexibilities in some situations.
[0008] It is therefore desirable to provide a mechanism for improved
segmentation
management.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method and
system to
segment an OLAP set.
[0010] The invention uses a mechanism to divide a base set of members into
separate identifiable non-overlapping segments.
[0011] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
segmentation management system for managing segmentation of a set of members
in a multi-dimensionally modeled data source. The segmentation management
system comprises a segment definition manager, a segmentation engine and a
segment application manager. The segment definition manager is provided for
managing definitions of identifiable non-overlapping segments for a given base
set of
members in a multi-dimensionally modeled data source. The segmentation engine
is
provided for dividing the base set of members into the segments based on the
definitions of the segments. The segment application manager is provided for
allowing the segments to be used as objects.
[0012] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided
a method of managing segmentation of a set of members in a multi-dimensionally
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modeled data source. The method comprises the steps of creating definitions of
identifiable non-overlapping segments for a given base set of members in a
multi-
dimensionally modeled data source, dividing the base set of members into the
segments based on the definitions of the segments; and using the segments as
objects.
[0013] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided
acomputer readable medium storing instructions or statements for use in the
execution in a computer of a method of managing segmentation of a set of
members
in a multi-dimensionally modeled data source. The method comprises the steps
of
creating definitions of identifiable non-overlapping segments for a given base
set of
members in a multi-dimensionally modeled data source, dividing the base set of
members into the segments based on the definitions of the segments; and using
the
segments as objects.
[0014] This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all
features of
the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] These and other features of the invention will become more apparent
from the
following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings
wherein:
Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a segmentation management system in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of segmentation of a base set of
members of an OLAP model;
Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the segmentation
management system;
Figure 4 is a diagram showing a example of a graphical representation of
segmentation;
Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a rule based segmentation
handier of the segmentation management system;
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Figure 6A is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a rule generation unit;
Figure 6B is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the rule generation
unit;
Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a segment definition
manager of the segmentation management system;
Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a segmentation engine of
the
segmentation management system;
Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a segment application
manager of the segmentation management system; and
Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the operation of the
segmentation management system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a segmentation management system 100 in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention is described.
[0017] The segmentation management system 100 manages segmentation of a set
of members of a multi-dimensionally modeled data source, e.g., an Online
Analytical
Processing (OLAP) model. A data analytical system 10 has an OLAP model 12 that
represents one or more data sources 30 storing data, e.g., for an
organization. Data
sources 30 may be one or more multi-dimensionally modeled databases and/or
data
warehouses. Users 20 query the data analytical system 10 for analysing data in
the
data sources 30. In response to the queries, a query component 14 of the data
analytical system 10 retrieves relevant data from the data sources 30 using
the
OLAP model 12, and generates views or reports to present the relevant data to
the
users 20. The reports are often presented in the form of trees, crosstabs or
graphical representations of relevant data.
[0018] The data analytical system 10 may be suitably implemented in various
types
of computer systems, including those in server-client environments. While
Figure 1
shows the segmentation management system 100 as an independent element from
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the data analytical system 10, in a different embodiment, the segmentation
management system 100 may be provided as part of a data analytical system 10.
[0019] The segmentation management system 100 manages segmentation and
analysis of a set of members in the OLAP model 12. The segmentation
management system 100 allows the user to split a set of members up into
multiple
identifiable segments, each with a meaningful label.
[0020] Figure 2 represents a pictorial representation of converting a set of
members
through the use of segmentation from a complete set of members of an arbitrary
base set 50 to a set 52 of members grouped by their function as determined by
the
user. In this example, the base set 50 of sales represents are separated into
a set
52 of grouped members "top performers", "bottom performers", "growth
candidates"
and "remainder".
[0021] Such segmentation is not available within the data source 30. By using
such
segmentation, the segmentation management system 100 allows the user to
designate areas of interest, i.e., members to be included or excluded in data
analysis, based on segment selection, rather than expression definition of
each
member. Also, the segmentation management system 100 allows the user to use
segments as an object for further analysis, such as looking at how an
individual
member has moved across segments over time.
[0022] Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the segmentation management system
100, which comprises a segment definition manager 120, a segmentation engine
140, a segment application manager 160 and a segment store 180.
[0023] The segment definition manager 120 manages definition of segments. For
a
given base set of members, the segment definition manager 120 defines separate
non-overlapping segments, each having an identification or label. The segments
are
defined using several techniques including:
Sets split into segments by computational calculations, such as percent, rank,
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or standard deviation
Sets split into segments by filters
Members assigned to segments by explicit member reference
[0024] The segment definition manger 120 has a rule based segmentation handier
122. The segment definition manager 120 interacts with a user interface 190.
In this
embodiment, the segmentation management system 100 uses the user interface 190
which is provided outside the segmentation management system 100. The user
interface 190 may be provided within the data analytical system 10. In a
different
embodiment, the segmentation management system 100 may have a user interface
therein.
[0025] The rule based segmentation 122 handles rule based segmentation. Figure
5
shows an embodiment of the rule based segmentation handler 122. The rule based
segmentation handler 122 has a segment labelling unit 200 and a rule
generation
unit 202.
[0026] Rule based segmentation occurs in two forms. The first form is a style
where
the conceptual segmentation occurs ahead of the rule construction. The second
form is a style where the rule is constructed in parallel or ahead of the
conceptual
segmentation.
[0027] The segment labelling unit 200 assists the user to handle labelling of
segments through the segmentation user interface 190. If the user first
determines
the conceptual segmentation and segment labels, then the user provides a name
for
a segment that matches the conceptual model that the user is trying to create.
For
example, in the example shown in Figure 2, the user decides ahead of time that
she
wants to have a "top performers" segment, but she does not know how to define
it
nor what it contains. In this example, the user simply needs to enter the
label of the
segment. If the user determines the rule first, the segment definition manager
120
generates a name based on the modeling behaviour algorithms or rules that are
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embedded in the system 100. The name reflects that model and the parameters it
is
applying.
[0028] The rule generation unit 202 assists the user to handle segmentation
rule
generation through the segmentation user interface 190. For segmentation by
computational calculations, the rule generation unit 202 generates rules for
calculating each segment based on the segment criteria, e.g., percent, rank,
and
standard deviation. For segmentation by filters, the rule generation unit 202
generates rules that define the filters. For segmentation by assigning members
to
segments using explicit member reference, the rule generation unit 202
generates
rules of member assignment. The generated rules are a series of ordered
filters,
each filter defining a subset of members, i.e., a segment, and then allowing
the
remainder of members to flow through to the next filter defining the next
segment.
[0029] As shown in Figure 6A, the rule generation unit 202 may have a basic
user
interface controller 222, a wizard based user interface controller 224, a
higher level
user interface controller 226, a result access user interface controller 228
and a rule
generator 230. These controllers provide users information and allow the users
to
interact with the given information through the user interface 190 or other
appropriate
user interface.
[0030] The basic user interface controller 222 provides a basic user interface
to
permit entering any of the types of rules. The basic user interface controller
222
expresses segments in terms of filters. Using a basic user interface, the
basic user
interface controller 222 allows the user to define a filter expression to
define each
segment. The basic user interface also allows the user to define the order of
the
processing of the filters to define the segments.
[0031 ] The wizard based user interface controller 224 provides a wizard based
user
interface that assists the user in construction of the rules by posing a
series of
predefined questions. A wizard in this case may simply guide the user through
the
construction of the filters described for the basic user interface controller
222. In a
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different embodiment, a wizard may be intended to segment the data based on
ranges. An example of this may be segmentation based on standard deviation.
For
example, the user inputs the range, e.g., (0 to 2), (2 to 3) and (3 or more),
as the
segments. In addition, the user may input the measure for the basis of the
standard
deviation. The wizard based user interface controller 224 may provide a number
of
wizards.
[0032] The higher level user interface controller 226 provides a higher level
user
interface that provides higher level conceptual metaphors that allow the user
to
generate rules without the level of detailed knowledge required in using the
basic
user interface. The higher level user interface controller 226 may provide a
domain
specific higher level user interface. For example, the higher level user
interface
controller 226 may provide a higher level user interface that utilizes an
interactive
graphical representation of the data, such as a graphical representation of
the data
shown in Figure 4. Using the interactive representation of the data, the user
may
slide the horizontal and vertical split bars left/right/up/down, until the
segments are
visually correct. The higher level user interface controller 226 may provide a
number
of user interfaces.
[0033] The higher level user interface controller 226 may provide embedded
high
level user interface based wizard for common user segmentations. An example of
such a wizard may (a) allow the user to select a set and invoke the wizard,
(b)
provide the wizard prompts for additional context, (c) provide a graphical
representation of a set, (d) provide visual tools to segment the set, and (e)
allow the
user to indicate completion so that the set is broken in the segments defined
in the
previous step (d). In the example used in Figure 4, in step (b), the high
level user
interface prompts for two measures and the user may supply "value" and
"maintenance". In step (c), the high level user interface provides a two-
measure
scatter chart as shown in Figure 4. In step (d), the high level user interface
provides
two sliders which divide the chart into four areas as visual tools to segment
the set.
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[0034] The rule generator 228 generates rules based on the user's inputs and
selections through these user interfaces. For example, the rule generator 228
may
determine criteria based on the locations of the horizontal and vertical split
bars in a
graph representing the data segmentations, and generate rules using the
criteria.
[0035] The result access user interface controller 228 provides users with
access to
the result that the rule generator 230 produces. Users can view and manipulate
the
resultant set of rules.
[0036] For the second form of rule based segmentation, as shown in Figure 6B,
the
rule generation unit 202 may have a segmentation model store 232, a
segmentation
model user interface controller 234, the rule generator 230 and the rule
access user
interface control 228.
[0037] The segmentation model store 232 stores available segmentation models.
Each model has parameters to define segmentations. The segmentation model user
interface controller 234 provides through the user interface 190 a list of
available
segmentation models, and receives user's selection of a model and values of
parameters for the model. The segmentation model user interface controller 234
provides an intuitive way of supplying parameters to the model. For example,
consider a simple model called "top and bottom W. Such a model needs only one
parameter (the percentage) with a valid range from 0 to 50 and the
segmentation
splits as top n%, bottom n% and remainder. In such a case, the segmentation
model
user interface controller 234 may provide a simple UI to allow the user to
enter a
value. In a different embodiment, alternative user interfaces, such as a
slider
control, may be used. Such a model in the model store 232 may define not only
the
rule construction, but also the default label construction.
[0038] The rule generator 230 generates rules based on the selected model and
given parameter values. The rule access user interface control 228 makes the
generated rules available to the user for manipulation.
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[0039] The rule generation unit 202 may have the components shown in both
Figures
6A and 6B.
[0040] The two forms of rule based segmentation are now described further
using
examples.
[0041] The first form of rule based segmentation occurs when the user
determines
first what the labels are for desired segments and then creates rules that
break the
base set up into the correct conceptual segments as labelled. For example, the
user may define the resulting segmentation to group a set of customers into
four
segments "high value, high maintenance (HV, HM)", "low value, high maintenance
(LV, HM)", "low value, low maintenance (LV, LM)", and "high value, low
maintenance
(HV, LM)". The user may think of these customers visually as belonging to a
quadrant shown in Figure 4. For the user, the most valuable customers are the
high
value, low maintenance customer, such as Cust Y in Figure 4. The least
valuable
customers are those of low value and high maintenance, such as Cust Z in
Figure 4.
The segment labelling unit 200 allows the user to define these segment labels.
[0042] In this form of segmentation, the user has predetermined the
segmentation
before looking at the data. This segmentation can be considered as a form of
modeling of the data. The user may further extend the definition of the
segments to
give them specific labels, such as "best customers".
[0043] Having defined the desired results of segmentation, the user then
creates
rules that match the defined results using the rule generation unit 202. In
the above
example, the user may create filters to allocate customers to segments. For
example, the user may create the following filters (1):
HV,HM => topPercent(topPercent([customers], 50, tuple(maintenance)), 50,
tuple(revenue))
LV,HM => topPercent([remainder of HVHM], 50, tuple(maintenance))
HV,LM => topPercent([remainder of LVHM], 50, tuple(revenue))
LV,LM => [remainder of HVLM] ...(1)
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[0044] The rule generation unit 202 may allow the user to slide the horizontal
and
vertical split bars of the graph shown in Figure 4 left/right/up/down to
determine the
segments. Based on the location of the horizontal and vertical split bars on
the
graph, the rule generation unit 202 determines criteria of the segmentation
split, and
creates or modifies filters using the criteria.
[0045] The second form of rule based segmentation occurs when the user
determines first what rule is to be applied to segment a base set. The rule
generation unit 202 assists the user to define the segmentation rules. For
example,
the user segments customers as follows:
(a) top 10% of customers by revenue
(b) bottom 10% of customers by revenue
(c) remaining customers
[0046] At the same time or later, the user defines the labels of the segments
using
the segment labelling unit 200. The rules in this form of segmentation tend to
be
mathematical and the conceptual identification of the segments is similarly
mathematical.
[0047] As shown in Figure 7, the segment definition manger 120 may also have a
discover based segmentation handler 126.
[0048] The discovery based segmentation 126 handles discovery based
segmentation. In discovery based segmentation, the user has no preconceived
segmentation of the data when initiating the segmentation process. The
discovery
based segmentation 126 includes the ability to link to or integrate with a
discovery
based engine, such as a data mining engine, to allow the segmentation
management
system 100 to be augmented with externally created parameterizable models. By
using such a discovery based engine, the discovery based segmentation 126 can
assist the user to find meaningful correlations in the data and offer
suggestions of
possible segmentation rules.
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[0049] The segmentation engine 140 divides a base set of members of the OLAP
model 12 into separate non-overlapping segments based on the segment
definitions
defined by the segment definition manager 120. Each segment has a label or
name
and can be used as a consumable piece for query use.
[0050] The segmentation engine 140 executes the series of ordered filters as
defined
for a given base set. The segmentation engine 140 executes each filter in the
order
to obtain a subset of members forming each segment, while allowing the
remainder
of members to flow through to the subsequent filters.
[0051 ] As shown in Figure 8, the segmentation engine 140 may have a member
calculating unit 142, a member filtering unit 144 and a member assigning unit
146.
[0052] The member calculating unit 142 handles segmentation by computational
calculations. The member calculating unit 142 calculates for each member of a
given set a value relating to the defined criteria, e.g., percent, rank, or
standard
deviation.
[0053] The member filtering unit 144 handles segmentation by filters. The
member
filtering unit 144 executes a filter defined for a segment to obtain members
in a given
set that passes the filter.
[0054] The member assigning unit 146 handles segmentation by assigning
members to segments. The member assigning unit 146 determines a member in a
given set that is explicitly referenced to be assigned for a given segment.
[0055] The segment store 180 stores segment definitions defined by the segment
definition manager 120, including the rules and the labels. The segment store
180
may also store the base sets of members. In Figure 3, the segment store 180 is
illustrated as part of the segmentation management system 100. In different
embodiments, the segment store 180 may be provided as a separate component
from the segmentation management system 100. It may be part of the OLAP model
12.
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[0056] The segment application manager 160 allows the created segments to be
used as consumable objects. A created segment may be used as an attribute or a
measure, as a grouping or member organization technique, and to define
included/excluded members. The segment application manager 160 does not
introduce new concepts to OLAP, but rather maps the segmentation feature into
existing OLAP concepts. The segmentation results, i.e. the actual lists of
OLAP
members and their captions or labels, generally appear within a report or
within an
editing environment. Such a report may be saved.
[0057] Figure 9 shows an embodiment of the segment application manager 160
which includes an attribute segment handler 162, a measure segment handler
164, a
segment grouping handler 166, a segment inclusion handler 168 and a segment
application user interface 170. In a different embodiment, the segment
application
manager 160 may have more or fewer of the above or different components.
[0058] The attribute segment handler 162 allows created segments to be used as
an
attribute. The attribute segment handler 162 dynamically generates an
attribute
value for a member of segments divided from a given base set based on a
relevant
segmentation rule. The attribute segment handler 162 provides a single value
to
each member in a segment for the segmentation. For example, as shown in Figure
4, if each member of the customers dimension is segmented between one of four
segments (HVHM, HVLM, LVHM, LVLM) using a "customer value" segmentation
rule, then each member may be perceived as having an attribute of "customer
value"
with one of four possible attribute values. Thus, the segment application
manager
160 can make normal operations available for attributes (such as filtering and
sorting) available to the user.
[0059] The measure segment handler 164 allows created segments to be used as a
measure. This allows filtering based on a segment where the segment results
are
defined based on a tuple in an OLAP cube. Also, using created segments as a
measure allows the user to view how a member changes segments across another
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dimension, such as time. Compared to using created segments as an attribute,
using them as a measure allows the value of a segment to take advantage of the
richness of multi-dimensional data points.
[0060] The measure segment handler 164 computes or determines a segment for
each tuple in a cube. The result of the computation is a value that represents
the
segment. This value may be the segment name or it may be a code for the
segment. The measure segment handler 164 can use at least two mechanisms to
determine the segment for a tuple. One mechanism is to use the value that
corresponds to the tuple. An example of this (using Figure 4) is to take the
two
measure values for the members of the tuple (revenue and maintenance) and
following the filter rules (1) as described above determine which segment
filter
matches the values. The other is to look at the constituent members of the
tuple
and assign a segment based on the members. An example of this (using Figure 4)
would extract the member belonging to the dimension "customer" from the tuple
and
determine which segment contains that member. The measure segment handler 164
allows the user to filter and sort based on these segments. It also permits
the ability
to look at the segment of a member (or set of members) across another
dimension
such as time or to seek out factors in the data that correlate to the segment.
[0061 ] The segment grouping handler 166 handles use of created segments for
grouping. The segment grouping handler 166 allows the user to define other
groupings through the segment application user interface 170. A grouping is
equivalent to a segment. The segment is used for purposes of grouping.
Grouping
is typically used as an existing UI representation of a set of members. For
example,
the user may group members about which the user cares (included) and members
about which the user does not care (excluded). Such groups are useful for
multi-
dimensional filtering. Another example of groupings is hierarchical
organization of
segments, such as tree views and nested cross tab views.
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[0062] The segment grouping handler 166 treats the segment values as members
where the child members are the members belonging to the segment. That is, the
segment grouping handler 166 treats the individual segments as calcuiated
members, where the members of the segment are equivalent to children of that
calculated member. For example, the segment "bottom 10%" may contain Ml, M2,
M5. The user can therefore use "bottom 10%" as an equivalent to set(M1, M2,
M5).
For example, if a set is segmented, the segmentation appears in a tree as an
alternate hierarchy, or other UI representation. In the case of a tree, a node
appears
in the tree with the label "bottom 10%" and expanding this node lists Ml, M2
and M5
as member nodes below that node. This use of segments permits the visual
representation of a segment in a tree and on a crosstab.
[0063] The segment inclusion handler 168 handles an include/exclude feature
with
created segments. The include/exclude feature provides mechanisms for
describing
the parts of a set that are of interest and those that are not so that only
the parts of
the set that are of interest are presented in a report, e.g., a crosstab.
[0064] The segment inclusion handler 168 allows the user, through the segment
application user interface 170, to define inclusion rules to include or
exclude specific
segments created by the user through the segment definition manager 120. The
segment inclusion handler 168 then allows the inclusion rules to be used to
drive
complex behaviour for slicers and other features, such as ranking and
suppression.
[0065] The segment inclusion handler 168 may also handle the include/exclude
feature for individual items through a filter, e.g., to divide individual
items into three
segments: "visible", "remainder" and "excluded", as described in United States
patent application serial No. 11/473,913 filed on June 23, 2006, which is
hereby
incorporated by reference.
[0066] Figure 10 shows a flowchart exemplifying the operation of the
segmentation
management system 100. Using the segment definition manager 120, the user
creates definitions of identifiable non-overlapping segments for a given base
set of
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members in a multi-dimensionally modeled data source (300) by receiving user
input
relating to segmentation rules (302). To define segmentation, the system 100
allows
the user to label segments (304), and generate the segmentation rules (306).
The
order of the steps 304 and 306 may be arbitrary. The rule generating step 306
may
include calculating each segment based on segment criteria set by the user,
defining
the filters, and/or assigning members to the segments using explicit member
reference. Also, the rule generating step 306 may include determining data
correlation based on a data model representing the data source, and generating
possible segmentation rules based on the data correlation for selection by the
user.
[0067] The segmentation engine 140 divides the base set of members into the
segments based on the definitions of the segments (320) by calculating for
each
member of the base set a value relating to the defined criteria (322),
executing a filter
defined for a segment to obtain members in the base set that passes the filter
(324),
and/or determining a member in the base set that is explicitly referenced to
be
assigned for a given segment (326).
[0068] The created segment definitions and the generated segments are stored
in a
segment store 180 (340).
[0069] The segment application manager 160 allows the use of the segments as
objects (360). The manager 160 may dynamically generate an attribute value for
a
member of segments divided from the base set based on a relevant segmentation
rule (362), allowing the segments to be used as a measure (364), allowing the
user
to define groupings based on the segments (366), and/or defining inclusion or
exclusion of the segments (368).
[0070] The segmentation management system of the present invention may be
implemented by any hardware, software or a combination of hardware and
software
having the above described functions. The software code, instructions and/or
statements, either in its entirety or a part thereof, may be stored in a
computer
readable memory. Further, a computer data signal representing the software
code,
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instructions and/or statements may be embedded in a carrier wave and may be
transmitted via a communication network. Such a computer readable memory and a
computer data signal and/or its carrier are also within the scope of the
present
invention, as well as the hardware, software and the combination thereof.
[0071] While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown
and
described, changes and modifications may be made to such embodiments without
departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the elements of the
segmentation management system are described separately, however, two or more
elements may be provided as a single element, or one or more elements may be
shared with other components in one or more computer systems.
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