Patent ID: 8401944

Claim:
A method for generating a dynamic, investment-related, data hierarchy utilizing investment variables in a plurality of levels in the hierarchy and further utilizing one or more functions describing relationships between the variables in the plurality of levels, wherein the functions further describe the relationships if the hierarchy is modified to include the variables at different levels, the method comprising: storing information related to sales, wherein the information includes dimensions and each of the dimensions includes at least one level and each of the levels is described by variables; storing relationships between at least some of the variables; receiving a request for a hierarchy, wherein the requested hierarchy includes a set of dimensions from the stored dimensions, at least one level for each dimension in the set, and a sequence of the dimensions or levels in the hierarchy; calculating, by a computer system, values for the variables in the levels for the requested hierarchy using the stored relationships that are applicable to the variables in the levels; determining whether there are multiple constraints for the different levels, and upon a determination that there are multiple constraints, determining whether there is a conflict between the multiple constraints; and upon a determination that there is a conflict between the multiple constraints: determining ranges for the multiple constraints; determining an overlapping range for the multiple constraints; and applying the overlapping range as a constraint; and generating a view of the hierarchy including the calculated values, wherein the view includes the dimensions or levels of the requested hierarchy in the sequence specified for the requested hierarchy.