Dimension-based relation graphing of documents

1. A computer-implemented method of visualizing data on a display device, comprising:

pre-defining, via a user interface, multiple relation dimensions, wherein each relation dimension represents a property about a relation between documents and is associated with a set of attributes;

extracting dimension metadata from multiple documents;

populating one or more of the pre-defined relation dimensions with the extracted dimension metadata;

determining, based on the extracted dimension metadata, one or more relations between the documents along the one or more relation dimensions;

presenting, on the display device, a relation graph that represents the documents interconnected by the one or more relations; and

wherein the determining the one or more relations between the documents comprises

defining at least one hierarchy of dimensions, and

determining the one or more relations between the documents that use at least one dimension in the hierarchy of dimensions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the documents comprise reports.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the populating the one or more of the relation dimensions comprises storing the extracted dimension metadata by using a document dimension table, wherein each record in the document dimension table corresponds to attribute values of the one or more of the relation dimensions of a single document.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the presenting the relation graph comprises dynamically rendering the relation graph while a user navigates the relation graph.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the relation graph comprises nodes interconnected by edges, wherein the nodes represent the documents and the edges are directed and represent the one or more relations.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more relations comprise a semantic relation, a context relation, a set relation, a hierarchical relation, a numerical relation, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more relations comprise at least one database field relation.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the determining the one or more relations between the documents comprises:

defining at least one database field set comprising one or more database elements; and

determining the one or more relations between the documents that use at least one database element in the database field set.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the database field relation comprises a set relation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more relations comprise at least one semantic hierarchical relation.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more relations comprise at least one database hierarchical relation.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more relations comprise at least one filter relation.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the determining the one or more relations between the documents comprises comparing filter fields of the documents to determine a filter field relation.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the determining the one or more relations between the documents comprises identifying a filter set relation between result sub-sets of database fields corresponding to the documents.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the filter set relation comprises an include relation, a lie-in relation, or an equality relation.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the determining the one or more relations between the documents comprises identifying a filter semantic relation between filters corresponding to the documents.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more relations comprise at least one parameter relation.

18. A computer usable medium having a computer readable program code tangibly embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method for visualizing data, comprising:

pre-defining, via a user interface, multiple relation dimensions, wherein each relation dimension represents a property about a relation between documents and is associated with a set of attributes;

extracting dimension metadata from multiple documents;

populating one or more of the pre-defined relation dimensions with the extracted dimension metadata;

determining, based on the extracted dimension metadata, one or more relations between the documents along the one or more relation dimensions;

presenting a relation graph that represents the documents interconnected by the one or more relations; and

wherein the determining the one or more relations between the documents comprises

defining at least one hierarchy of dimensions, and

determining the one or more relations between the documents that use at least one dimension in the hierarchy of dimensions.

19. A relation graphing system, comprising:

a non-transitory memory device for storing computer readable program code; and

a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor being operative with the computer readable program code to:

pre-define, via a user interface, multiple relation dimensions, wherein each relation dimension represents a property about a relation between documents and is associated with a set of attributes;

extract dimension metadata from multiple documents;

populate one or more of the pre-defined relation dimensions with the extracted dimension metadata;

determine based on the extracted dimension metadata, one or more relations between the documents along the one or more relation dimensions;

present a relation graph that represents the documents interconnected by the one or more relations; and

wherein the determine the one or more relations between the documents comprises

defining at least one hierarchy of dimensions, and

determining the one or more relations between the documents that use at least one dimension in the hierarchy of dimensions.