Patent ID: 8589337

Claim:
A method for analyzing a data value of interest in a multidimensional database, the method comprising: identifying the data value of interest in a structured report, wherein the identifying of the data value of interest in the structured report comprises identifying the data value of interest on a cross-tab intersection in a cross-tab in the structured report; identifying a data source for the structured report; collecting a context for the data value of interest in at least one of the data source and the structured report; building an analysis specification, by a processor, based on the collected context; and analyzing the data value of interest using the analysis specification; wherein building the analysis specification comprises: extracting a slicer from the structured report and adding the slicer to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having said slicer; extracting a member of one or more detailed pages in a master-detail relationship and adding the one or more detailed pages to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having one or more detailed pages; extracting a default measure from the structured report and adding the default measure to the analysis specification based upon the structured report having a default measure; and adding at least one child of the member to the analysis specification.