Patent ID: 7830382

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for automated graphing of trends using a massive data set comprising a large plurality of records and a large plurality of predictor variables per record, the method being implemented by one or more data processors and comprising: accepting, by at least one data processor, as input said massive data set comprising a large plurality of records and a large plurality of variables per record; for each predictor variable from the massive data set, performing, by at least one data processor, the following: automatically detecting and filtering special values; automatically choosing an appropriate graphing style by determining the type of each variable by examining the data, the determination of the type of each variable by examining the data comprising: calculating an approximate or exact number of distinct values detected in each variable, for each variable, if the number of distinct values is less than or equal to the maximum number of categorical bars that can fit on a graph, or some fraction thereof, then the variable is graphed as categorical in the X-axis, and otherwise, the variable is graphed as continuous in the X-axis, and for the variable associated with the Y-axis, if the number of distinct values is equal to two, then a function of any of the probabilities, p(A|x), p(B|x), p(A), and p(B), is graphed, and otherwise, the conditional mean of the variable associated with the Y-axis is graphed; automatically selecting a graphing range with minimal scale distortion; and automatically performing sub-processes that create one or more robust plots for a continuous, or a binary, Y-axis variable, and for any type of predictor variable; and outputting, by at least one data processor, a collection of said one or more robust plots when no more predictor variables remain in said massive data set, thereby producing a graph of trends based on said massive data set.