Abstract: A system (and corresponding methodology) by which a user can interact directly with visual data is provided. The system employs associations and relationships between visual data objects to automatically update objects based upon a change in other objects. The innovation also provides specialized controls (e.g., dashboard tools/controls) that facilitate manipulation of visual data. As there can be numerous manners in which a user can interact with visualization data, the innovation enables a specialized set of controls to be identified and provided to a user thereby reducing overwhelming effects of a large number of controls.

Abstract: An adaptive visualization system is provided. The system includes a processing component that receives visualization configurations to determine a suitable visualization for a user. A visualization component automatically adapts a visualization output based in part on the visualization configurations. The visualization configurations can include user context inputs, user profile inputs, device characteristic inputs, or background data inputs, for example.

Abstract: Various types of data can be collected into a data set and related content and/or related concepts across the data in the data set and/or across search histories can be displayed as a visual representation. The related content/concepts can be presented as a function of incremental revealing of relationships. After reviewing the visual representation, a user can customize the data set and relationships by specifically excluding a related data segment. The visual representation can be applied across multiple searches or other obtained data. Through interaction with the visual representation, a user can drill down into common linkages of the data to more narrowly focus on a subset of the data and/or to refocus a search result and/or to provide annotations.

Abstract: A system facilitates dynamic data visualizations. The system includes an analysis component that periodically processes one or more incoming data streams to determine a visualization form from a plurality of visualization forms. A visualization component dynamically generates the visualization form based in part on the processing of the incoming data streams.

Abstract: A graphical user interface system is provided. The system includes a graphical component to enable sketching of a diagram and a logical component to associate one or more data sources with the diagram. A visualization component adjusts the diagram in accordance with the one or more data sources.

Abstract: Tools and techniques are described for linking visual properties of charts to cells within tables. Methods provided by these tools enable users to select visual properties that are associated with graphical displays of chart data, and to link these visual properties to respective cells within the tables. User interfaces provided by these tools may provide representations of visual properties associated with the graphical displays of chart data, with these representations of the visual properties being responsive to user input to link the cells in the tables to the visual properties. These user interfaces may also include representations of the cells that are associated with the representations of the visual properties.

Abstract: A Web Part connection runtime framework provides the architecture for Web Parts to connect and pass data between each other. The runtime framework provides a series of interfaces that a Web Part can implement to send or receive information from other connected Web Parts. The interfaces provided by the runtime framework allow for the connection of Web Parts on a server or client. A first Web Part is retrieved and connected to a second Web Part in response to a user selecting information to be passed from the first Web Part to the second Web Part. Subroutines of the connected Web Parts are fired signaling the Web Parts to pass data from one to another. Once the data is passed, the Web Part receiving data can be rendered while containing the passed data on the server or the client.

Abstract: Rendering electronic chart objects is provided. A set of chart elements having a common set of properties is identified. Formatting attributes of the chart elements and the data point locations for each chart element are also identified. Path information is generated for the chart elements that includes the formatting attributes and the data point locations. The path information is provided to a rendering engine that renders a chart element. Each chart element in the set is displayed on a display screen. Chart elements having a common set of properties are only rendered once. Alternatively, chart objects are rendered by generating and storing an image of chart objects having a common geometry and common properties and by copying the stored image to each data point location. Dynamic selection of rendering engines based on property and performance criteria may be utilized to enhance rendering performance.

Abstract: The Web Part authoring framework provides the a graphical user interface for connecting Web Parts, mechanisms for determining the compatibility between Web Parts, and the means to persist the connection between Web Parts. The framework builds the user interface for selecting the source and target parts based on a series of compatibility rules. A user can access a menu to specify the type of connection between a compatible source and target part. If the Web Parts implement different connection interface types, a transformer is generated to make the Web Parts compatible. The target and source Web Parts can reside on the same or different pages. Additionally, the target and source Web Parts can be created by different developers. After the end user defines the connection, the framework forms the connection between the Web Parts so the parts can share information.