Apparatus and method for data charting with an extensible visualization library

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions to:

define a visualization object model layer disposed between a business intelligence application and a plurality of visualization libraries, wherein the visualization object model layer provides an application programmer interface for the business intelligence application to the plurality of visualization libraries;

designate a visualization to be rendered;

determine if the visualization can be created by comparing metadata for data to be rendered and metadata for the visualization;

define a visualization settings model within the visualization object model layer, wherein the visualization settings model describes the visualization to be rendered by a visualization library in the plurality of visualization libraries;

pass data from the business intelligence application to the visualization via the visualization object model layer to produce a rendered visualization;

form a saved version of the visualization including data of the visualization, a metadata description of the visualization and a mapping from data to the visualization; and

return the rendered visualization to the business intelligence application.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the visualization settings model includes a hierarchy with a root and one or more elements selected from a layer, a region, a portion and a property.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2 wherein each element of the one or more elements has a modifiable value.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to define a plurality of visualization setting models within the visualization object model layer, wherein each visualization setting model of the plurality of visualization setting models describes a representative visualization that can be rendered by a subset of visualization libraries in the plurality of visualization libraries.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the visualization object model layer, the visualization library and the business intelligence application include executable instructions written in two or more programming languages.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to pass a data feed from the business intelligence application to the visualization library through the visualization object model layer.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 further comprising executable instructions to

select the visualization library from the plurality of visualization libraries, wherein the visualization library is selected based on aspects of the data feed.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to make a metadata description of the visualization library available to the business intelligence application.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to define at least one of a data adapter object, a data descriptor object, a feeder object, and a graphic object.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to maintain a data feed for rendering.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising executable instructions to provide the visualization library a description of the data feed.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising executable instructions to link the data feed to an instance of the visualization.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions to:

define a setting model for a visualization, a definition to the setting model, and a value for a setting in the setting model, wherein the setting model describes the visualization selected from a plurality of visualization libraries, wherein the setting model specifies a hierarchy of elements in the visualization and properties of the visualization, and wherein metadata for data to be rendered and metadata for the visualization are compared to confirm that the visualization can be created;

render an instance of the visualization incorporating the value for the setting via a visualization object model layer disposed between a business intelligence application and the plurality of visualization libraries, wherein the business intelligence application passes data to the visualization; and

return the rendered visualization to the business intelligence application via the visualization object model layer.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 further comprising executable instructions to serialize the setting model for the visualization and the value for the setting.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 further comprising executable instructions to create the setting model for the visualization and the value for the setting from a serialized object.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the definition to the setting model places the setting model in a hierarchy.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the setting model is one or more types selected from a root, a layer, a region, a portion, a property, and a further value.

18. Original The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the visualization is of a type selected from a chart, map and table.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the chart is of a type selected from status charts, variation charts, contribution comparison charts, rank compare charts, times series charts, frequency distribution charts, correlation charts, and combination charts.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 further comprising executable instructions to define a plurality of visualization setting models.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 comprising executable instructions selected from instructions to define the data consumption characteristics of the visualization, the reactions of the visualization to interaction, a list of visualizations available from a visualization library and the output formats from the visualization library.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the setting mode or he visualization is included in a hierarchal data file

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein:

the hierarchal data file is specified by a hierarchal data definition file; and

the definition to the setting definition is included in the hierarchal data definition file.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23 wherein the hierarchal data file is an extensible Markup Language (XML) file.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , further comprising executable instructions selected from one or more executable instructions to: parse, modify, read and create one or more of: the setting model for the visualization, the definition to the setting model and the value for the setting.