Patent ID: 8032484

Claim:
A method of modeling and using a relational database creating a multitude of hierarchies, each of the hierarchies including a multitude of nodes arranged in two or more levels, the method comprising the steps of: defining a set of data tables to accommodate any number of levels of a business hierarchy, said set of data tables including: a first information and control table identifying first and second hierarchies, a second table identifying in a flattened format the nodes of the first and second hierarchies, and for each of a subset of the nodes of each of the hierarchies, identifying a parent node for said each node of said each hierarchy, a third table storing names for the nodes of the hierarchies and a data entry point for each of the hierarchies, and a fourth table describing languages; using said set of data tables as a generic data model to handle various levels of requirements of the business hierarchy; the hierarchy; using a computer system configured to implement and to implement the defining and using steps; designing into measurement tables a capability for a given number of generic hierarchy anchor point fields; for a given hierarchy request, describing a purpose of the given hierarchy, and listing levels of the given hierarchy, names of the levels, and sample values; documenting entry points for each of the measurement tables; and using the first, second, third and fourth tables to generate said first and second hierarchies, each of said hierarchies being a hierarchical order of data from the relational database; wherein no additional data tables are needed to generate a further hierarchy of data from the relational database.