Patent ID: 7747622

Claim:
A method for performing an analysis of use by an organization of a plurality of variables to determine an impact on a first variable, said method including: acquiring, by a computer, usage data relating to said plurality of variables within a timeframe parameter and a presentation parameter, wherein said plurality of variables are across a plurality of simulation models, wherein said usage data includes dependency data and a variable score for each of said plurality of variables, wherein said dependency data depends upon and includes records having an identifier that is based upon a variable identifier and that depend at least one of directly or indirectly from said first variable; classifying, by said computer, said plurality of variables according to said usage data to create variable types; analyzing, by said computer, said dependency data relating to said first variable having said variable identifier; determining individual variables within a first subset of said plurality of variables within said variable types, wherein each of said variables within said first subset are impacted by said dependency data, wherein said plurality of variables are associated with simulation models that simulate at least one of outcomes, effectiveness, penetration, utilization, or distribution of marketing strategies based upon at least one of historic, current or probability data of said marketing strategies, and wherein said dependency data relates to a transfer of information exchanged between said first variable and at least one of said first subset of said plurality of variables and a second subset of said plurality of variables, wherein said information includes accuracy of said information, an amount of said information, a transfer rate of said information, a processing rate of said information, and said usage data for each of said variable types; analyzing, by said computer, said dependency data relating to said first subset of said plurality of variables; determining said second subset of said plurality of variables impacted by said dependency data, wherein said second subset of said plurality of variables is dependent upon said first subset of said plurality of variables; determining, by said computer and based upon said variable identifier, inter-dependencies of said first variable across said plurality of simulation models; propagating, by said computer, and based on said variable identifier and said inter-dependencies, a change to said first variable to said plurality of variables among different branches across said plurality of simulation models, wherein said different branches are within at least one of said first subset of said plurality of variables or within said second subset of said plurality of variables; modifying, by said computer, said variable score based on said dependency data to create a modified variable score; and at least one of: modifying said first variable or decommissioning said first variable based on said modified variable score.