Patent ID: 8027869

Claim:
A method, comprising: in response to a first user input, creating, using a computing system, a first instance of a time-based organization hierarchy to include a first plurality of nodes and a first territory to correspond to each of the first plurality of nodes, wherein the first territory includes a first position and a first assignment rule, and the entire first instance of the time-based organization hierarchy is effective only for an effective period defined by a first start date and a first end date; in response to a second user input, creating, using the computing system, a second instance of the time-based organization hierarchy to include a second plurality of nodes and a second territory to correspond to each of the second plurality of nodes, wherein the second territory includes a second position and a second assignment rule, the entire second instance of the time-based organization hierarchy is effective only for an other effective period defined by a second start date and a second end date, and the second start date falls after the first end date; receiving a sales data input corresponding to a transaction, wherein the transaction is associated with a transaction date of the transaction; assigning, using the computing system, sales credit to the first position in response to a first corresponding assignment rule and the sales data input, if the transaction date of the transaction corresponds to the effective period; assigning, using the computing system, sales credit to the second position in response to a second corresponding assignment rule and the sales data input, if the transaction date of the transaction corresponds to the other effective period; creating, using the computing system, an achievement container definition to include an accumulation period in response to a third user input, the achievement container definition configured to create at least one achievement container having a period corresponding to the accumulation period; and accumulating, using the computing system, transaction data in the at least one achievement container.