APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CREATING STAND-ALONE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE WIDGETS WITHIN AN AUTHENTICATION FRAMEWORK

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

retrieve a list of one or more widgets from a repository;

display a set of items representing the list of one or more widgets from the repository:

accept a selection of a widget from amongst the one or more widgets in the repository; and

configure the widget with a set of authentication credentials.

2 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to define a widget.

3 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 2 further comprising executable instructions to include a set of data connection information in the widget.

4 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 3 wherein the widget is a consumer of a web service.

5 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to accept a selection of a report part from a report within the repository and create a widget template from the report part.

6 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to:

prompt a user for a set of configuration data; and

configure the widget to include the set of configuration data.

7 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the set of authentication credentials includes a set of user authentication credentials.

8 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein:

the repository includes two or more business intelligence documents; and

one of the two or more business intelligence documents is of a type selected from widgets and reports.

9 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to transfer the widget to a new environment.

10 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein the repository is located at a server.

11 . A computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions to:

define a repository at a business intelligence server, wherein the repository stores business intelligence documents;

interface a repository explorer with the repository, wherein the repository explorer accesses a set of business intelligence documents in the repository; and

create a widget instance, wherein:

the widget instance is based on a business intelligence document from the set of business intelligence documents in the repository and a set of information that personalizes the operation of the widget.

12 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the set of information includes authentication credentials.

13 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the set of information includes data connection information.

14 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 13 further comprising executable instructions to provide a web service to supply the widget instance with data from a data source.

15 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising executable instructions to make the widget instance from a report.

16 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the set of information is information of one or more types selected from saved data and configuration information.

17 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the repository explorer is located at a business intelligence client.

18 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising one or more executable instructions selected from:

executable instructions to transfer a widget instance to a client, and

executable instructions to save the widget instance in the repository.

19 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising one or more executable instructions selected from:

executable instructions to create the widget instance from a widget template,

executable instructions to create the widget instance from a report part, and

executable instructions to create the widget instance from another widget instance.

20 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the executable instructions to create the widget instance from a report part include executable instructions to include information describing the context of the report part in the widget instance.

21 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the executable instructions to create the widget instance from a report part include executable instructions to include the a set of dependent elements for the report part, wherein the set of dependent elements is two or more elements selected from another report part, a formula, a parameter, and a set of data source connection information.