Patent ID: 7703007

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of importing hierarchical data into a spreadsheet document and for exporting hierarchical data from the spreadsheet document, comprising: selecting an extensible markup language (XML) data file containing the hierarchical data for importing into the spreadsheet document; accessing an XML mapping stored within the spreadsheet document relating a plurality of elements within the hierarchical data to a plurality of respective locations in the spreadsheet document; wherein markers are stored within the spreadsheet document that point locations within spreadsheet cells to locate a corresponding element or attribute in the XML data file; rendering the hierarchical data in the spreadsheet document according to the XML mapping of selected hierarchical data to selected target locations in the spreadsheet document; receiving input modifying the hierarchical data rendered in the spreadsheet document; updating the XML mapping to include modifications to the hierarchical data; and exporting, as a generated output file, from the spreadsheet document the modifications to the hierarchical data and the updated XML mapping such that the generated output file is configured to enable subsequent rendering of the hierarchical data in a second spreadsheet document according to the updated XML mapping; wherein the exporting includes: creating a generalized instance structure corresponding to the XML mapping, the generalized instance structure representing an XML document with elements and attributes defined by an XML schema; determining XML schema path information related to the modified hierarchical data; using the XML schema path information to associate the modified hierarchical data with the generalized instance structure; and writing the generalized instance structure to the generated output file.