Patent ID: 8577847

Claim:
A method of delivering a search query result in an information management system that manages data associated with reports stored offline, the method comprising: searching, by a processor, multiple archived or compressed reports stored in a long-term backup repository to identify a report among the multiple archived or compressed reports that matches criteria provided in a search query; bringing an offline data repository that stores the identified report in the long-term backup repository online, wherein bringing the offline data repository online includes unarchiving or decompressing the identified report to make data associated with the identified report available; exporting, by the processor, the data associated with the unarchived or decompressed report in accordance with an export option provided in a request to view the unarchived or decompressed report; delivering, by the processor, the data exported from the unarchived or decompressed report to a spreadsheet application, wherein manipulating the data delivered to the spreadsheet application does not modify the identified report stored in the offline data repository associated with the long-term backup repository; searching, by the processor, multiple immediately available reports stored in an online data repository to identify a report among the multiple immediately available reports that matches the criteria provided in the search query; exporting, by the processor, data associated with the immediately available report that matches the criteria provided in the search query in accordance with the export option; and delivering the data exported from the immediately available report that matches the criteria provided in the search query to the spreadsheet application, wherein manipulating the exported data associated with the immediately available report that matches the criteria provided in the search query via the spreadsheet application does not modify the immediately available report that matches the criteria provided in the search query stored in the online data repository.