Patent ID: 8443036

Claim:
A method comprising: storing data related to a project in a first format, wherein the data is stored in a first data file using a first software application, the first format is compatible with the first software application, and the data represents multiple project data entity instances for the project; storing representations of the multiple project data entity instances in a second format, wherein the representations are stored in a data store using a second software application, the second format is compatible with the second software application, and the first format and the second format are distinct from one another; creating a second data file, wherein the second data file is in the first format, the second data file is created using the second software application, and the second data file stores values for the multiple project data entity instances based on the representations stored in the data store; modifying the representations, wherein the modifying causes the representations to reflect changes to one or more of the multiple project data entity instances for the project, and the representations are modified using the second software application; updating the second data file, wherein the second data file is updated using the first software application, the second data file remains in the first format, and the second data file is updated to reflect the representations after having been modified by the second software application; performing a second update on the second data file, wherein the second update is performed on the second data file to reflect modifications to one or more of the multiple project data entity instances performed by the first software application, the second update is performed by the first software application, and the second data file remains in the first format; and providing information regarding the project based on the values stored in the second data file after the second update is performed on the second data file.