Patent ID: 8581907

Claim:
A method performed by a tool that is configured to receive arbitrary sets of data elements, the method comprising: receiving a set of data elements; receiving user input defining at least a first subset of the data elements and a second subset of the data elements, the first subset consisting of first data elements and common data elements, the second subset consisting of second data elements and the common data elements; displaying first graphic nodes representing the first data elements, respectively, displaying second graphic nodes representing the second data elements, respectively, and displaying common graphic nodes representing the common data elements, respectively, each graphic node having a corresponding location; computing and displaying a first graphic line such that the first graphic line is connected only once with each of the first graphic nodes and only once with each of the common graphic nodes but is not connected with the second graphic nodes; and computing and displaying a second graphic line such that the second graphic line is connected only once with each of the second graphic nodes.