Patent ID: 8589445

Claim:
A data-processing apparatus for creating and dynamically maintaining relationships between operational data and output data, the data-processing apparatus comprising: a microprocessor arranged to cause a computer memory to hold: a) a set of first line items arranged to store operational data, wherein at least one line item in the set of first line items has: i) a first operating attribute arranged to specify whether the operational data stored in the at least one line item is primary data or secondary data, wherein primary data is sourced externally from the system and secondary data is derived from operational data stored in at least one other first line item, and if the operational data is secondary data, how the operational data is derived; ii) a treatment attribute arranged to specify a treatment which is to be applied with respect to the at least one line item, wherein the treatment is arranged to specify at one qualifier to be used to generate qualified operational data, and the treatment attribute is arranged to specify whether qualified operational data resulting from the application of the treatment is primary data or secondary data, wherein primary data is data sourced externally from the system and secondary data is data derived from operational data or other qualified operational data, and if the qualified operational data is secondary data, how the qualified operational data is derived; iii) a qualified line item corresponding to each qualifier and which is arranged to store the qualified operational data resulting from the application of the treatment with respect to the at least one line item; and iv) an impact attribute corresponding to each qualified line item and which is arranged to define one or more destinations for the operational data stored in the corresponding qualified line item; b) a set of second line items arranged to store output data based on at least the qualified operational data in accordance with each impact attribute.