Patent ID: 8463743

Claim:
A method of representing a composition of data comprising: generating a plurality of data composition regions, including aspects of sets of data; forming any overlapping portions of the composition of data based in part on one or more corresponding properties of one or more of the plurality of composition regions; generating a graphical composition representation to include one or more overlapping portions including delineating data flow and conflict information based in part on one of a master source and an overriding source, including using a master determination in quantifying a direction of change and associated propagation, and displaying conflict-related information for various sources including resolved conflicts and unresolved conflicts, further including displaying color changing of one or more overlapping portions of the graphical composition representation from one or more first colors to one or more second colors upon resolving conflicting data changes, wherein the displaying further includes using opposing arrow indicators to indicate a potential or an existing conflict of each associated overlapping portion and a single arrow indicator to identify a master-subordinate relationship of each associated overlapping portion; determining if any corresponding properties of an overlapping portion are unmerged; and, updating the graphical composition representation to reflect aspects of the unmerged properties of the overlapping portion including merging unmerged properties of an associated overlapping portion based in part on one of an identified master source and an identified overriding source and updating the graphical composition representation to reflect merging of the unmerged properties of each overlapping portion.