Apparatus and method for augmenting a report with parameter binding metadata

1 . A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

create a report;

augment the report with metadata including information specifying a parameter within the report; and

export at least a portion of the report and the metadata to a non-report electronic document.

2 . The computer readable medium of claim I wherein a parameter is selected from a Boolean value, a date, a time, a number, and a text string.

3 . A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

receive at a non-report document at least a portion of a report and metadata specifying a parameter associated with at least a portion of the report;

analyze the metadata to initiate a refresh of the report.

4 . The computer readable medium of claim 3 further comprising executable instructions to import refreshed report data into the non-report document.

5 . A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

bind an object in a non-report document to an object in a report document;

receive a value at the object in the non-report document;

associate the value with the bound object in the report document;

refresh the report document in response to the value to produce refreshed report data; and

import the refreshed report data into the non-report document.

6 . The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the object in the non-report document is a cell.

7 . The computer readable medium of claim 5 further comprising executable instructions to refresh formulas and calculated values within the report document.

8 . The computer readable medium of claim 5 further comprising executable instructions to import into the non-report document metadata related to the object in the report document.

9 . The computer readable medium of claim 5 further comprising executable instructions to maintain non-report document formatting when adding refreshed data from a report document.

10 . A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

bind an object in a non-report document to a report document;

refresh the report document to form a refreshed report document; and

update the non-report document with data from the refreshed report document.

11 . The computer readable medium of claim 10 further comprising executable instructions to detect a change to the non-report document, wherein the refresh of the report document is in response to the change to the non-report document.

12 . The computer readable medium of claim 11 further comprising executable instructions to detect a change to a parameter associated with the object in the non-report document.

13 . The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the refresh of the report document is triggered by a user.

14 . The computer readable medium of claim 13 further comprising executable instructions to refresh the report document using a parameter value associated with the object in the non-report document.

15 . The computer readable medium of claim 14 further comprising executable instructions to update a list of parameter values available to the object in the non-report document.

16 . The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the parameter values are selected from a list of parameter values in the report document.

17 . The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the list of parameter values in the report document is refreshed when the report document is refreshed.

18 . The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the object in the non-report document is bound to a parameter in the report document.

19 . The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the object in the non-report document is bound to a function in the report document.

20 . The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the object in the non-report document is a cell.