Guided graphical navigation through multidimensional databases

1. A non-transitory computer readable media, comprising executable instructions for one or more data processors to:

analyze a categorical dimension of multi-dimensional data as a function of entropy to form entropy results;

plot the entropy results as a stacked bar chart; and

allow a user to graphically navigate through the stacked bar chart to display different views of the stacked bar chart, each view of the different views displaying data structured according to respective recalculated entropy results associated with each view;

wherein entropy H(x) of a categorical dimension is determined using:

H

⁡

(

x

)

=

∑

i

=

1

n

⁢

p

i

⁢

log

2

⁡

(

1

/

p

i

)

where pi is the probability of each category, from i-1 to n, occurring the categorical dimension and is calculated as the frequency or distinct count of the value for each category divided by the sum of frequencies for all values in the category.

2. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to present numerical measure data of the multi-dimensional data as a box plot.

3. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 2 wherein the executable instructions to present include executable instructions to present numerical measure data as a box plot with statistical indicators.

4. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 3 wherein the statistical indicators are selected from the median, the upper quartile, the lower quartile, and the inter quartile range for each numerical measure.

5. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 2 further comprising executable instructions to present outlier values with the box plot.

6. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 2 further comprising executable instructions to compute skewness and kurtorsis associated with the numerical measure data.

7. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to display a visualization characterizing a time dimension of the multi-dimensional data.

8. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 2 further comprising executable instructions to simultaneously display the stacked bar chart and the box plot.

9. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8 further comprising executable instructions to display a visualization characterizing a time dimension.

10. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 9 further comprising executable instructions to allow a user to graphically navigate through the stacked bar chart, the box plot and the visualization.

11. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the executable instructions to analyze include executable instructions to compute a surprisal value.

12. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the executable instructions to analyze include executable instructions to compute a probability value.

13. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the executable instructions to analyze include executable instructions to compute a maximum entropy.

14. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 13 wherein the executable instructions to analyze include executable instructions to compute entropy as a percent of the maximum entropy.

15. A computer-implemented method for implementation by one or more data processors comprising:

analyzing, by at least one data processor, a categorical dimension of multi-dimensional data as a function of entropy to form entropy results;

plotting, by at least one data processor, the entropy results as a stacked bar chart; and

allowing, by at least one data processor, a user to graphically navigate through the stacked bar chart to display different views of the stacked bar chart, each view of the different views displaying data structured according to respective recalculated entropy results associated with each view;

wherein entropy H(x) of a categorical dimension is determined using:

H

⁡

(

x

)

=

∑

i

=

1

n

⁢

p

i

⁢

log

2

⁡

(

1

/

p

i

)

where pi is the probability of each category, from i-1 to n, occurring the categorical dimension and is calculated as the frequency or distinct count of the value for each category divided by the sum of frequencies for all values in the category.

16. A computer system comprising:

a central processing unit;

memory coupled to the central processing unit storing executable programs to cause the central processing unit to perform operations comprising:

analyzing a categorical dimension of multi-dimensional data as a function of entropy to form entropy results;

plotting the entropy results as a stacked bar chart; and

allowing a user to graphically navigate through the stacked bar chart to display different views of the stacked bar chart, each view of the different views displaying data structured according to respective recalculated entropy results associated with each view,

wherein entropy H(x) of a categorical dimension is determined using:

H

⁡

(

x

)

=

∑

i

=

1

n

⁢

p

i

⁢

log

2

⁡

(

1

/

p

i

)

where pi is the probability of each category, from i-1 to n, occurring the categorical dimension and is calculated as the frequency or distinct count of the value for each category divided by the sum of frequencies for all values in the category.

17. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 , wherein the multi-dimensional data is characterized by an online analytical processing cube.

18. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1 , wherein bars in each view of the stacked bar chart are charted in an order based on their respective entropy percent.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein bars in each view of the stacked bar chart are charted in an order based on their respective entropy percent.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein bars in each view of the stacked bar chart are charted in an order based on their respective entropy percent.