Patent ID: 7774303

Claim:
In a record management system having a record structure foundation storage unit coupled to a processing engine, a master table, and a master table index, a computer-implemented method to construct a layout mapping of cells over a plurality of axes, the method comprising: (a) receiving formatting information that identifies each dimension value to be represented on a first axis, identifies each dimension value to be represented on a second axis, and identifies each measure value to be characterized by the identified dimension values; (b) forming the record structure foundation by compiling a set of dimension value combinations selected from a set consisting of unique combinations of dimension values with each dimension value being from a different one of the first axis' dimensions, wherein the record structure foundation is formed independent of hierarchical relationships between different dimension values; (c) for each combination of dimension values in the set of dimension value combinations, utilizing the dimension value combination as a comparison dimension value combination to determine whether a combination of master table records exists that contains the same dimension values as are in the comparison dimension value combination; (d) when a combination of master table records exists that contains the same dimension values as are in the comparison dimension value combination, then utilizing this combination of master table records to determine whether each master table record in the said combination of master table records includes a measure object that is identical to a measure object identified in the received formatting information; and (e) when each master table record in the said combination of master table records includes a measure value that is identical to a measure value identified in the received formatting information, then designating the combination of dimension values from the said combination of master table records as the layout mapping of cells to be represented on the first axis; wherein unnecessary cell locations in the record structure are eliminated, and wherein an unnecessary cell location is eliminated when a first dimension value associated with a first corresponding dimension being represented on a selected axis from among the plurality of axes does not coexist as a second dimension value associated with a second dimension being represented on the selected axis.