The present invention relates generally to the field of analytics reporting, and more particularly to accumulation of data in the presence of bridge tables and many-to-many relationships in database data.
Analytics may be defined as a method of logical analysis, and may be thought of as the discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data. Much of the communication corresponding to analytical discoveries is captured and disseminated via reports generated during and after analysis of database data. It is imperative that the information in the reports be accurate. Inaccuracies of accumulated data in the generated reports may lead to incorrect assumptions and projections, and may ultimately contribute to economic, financial, or industrial issues. For example, a local government may be estimating property tax revenue for the yearly budget, and a report accidentally includes taxes paid for properties multiple times when a property has multiple owners; thus, inflating the expected tax revenue for the year. As a result, the government may end the year in a deficit.