Patent ID: 7840428
Filing Date: 2010-11-23
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer implemented method of analyzing and measuring business volume, the method including accessing a database that is linked to a computer, the computer including a database management utility to produce business volume data that includes explanations of business volume movements which do not comprise lost or gained business, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing to the database business data, including data related to accounts, products, product groups, hierarchical account/product relationships, and hierarchical account/customer relationships, said business data being organized in the database, said database and database management utility supporting relational queries to said business data; (b) defining threshold change values regarding said business data, including threshold change values for at least two of the following: product, product group, or customer, in accordance with the organization of the business data in the database, and associating said threshold change values with the database; (c) performing a plurality of threshold tests for detecting changes throughout a selected set of said business data in accordance with said threshold change values within a specified period of time, said plurality of threshold tests being applied, or the application being facilitated, by one or more computers processors of the computer, and said plurality of threshold tests consisting of at least the following: said plurality of threshold tests being applied to the business data to reflect aspects of the business data, including at least the following: said plurality of threshold tests further resulting in the identification of the business data as reflecting one or more changes, said one or more changes each being classified with respect to at least a change direction and a change magnitude, and said plurality of threshold tests producing results simultaneously that are applied to at least three dimensions of the business data so that results of the threshold tests are identifiable as relating to at least the following: the plurality of levels of product aggregation, the customer, and the time period; and (d) combining the results of the threshold tests to obtain a classification of the business volume data indicating measurements of changes in business volume, including measurements of external flows of business.