Patent ID: 7320113

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for displaying hierarchical data, the method comprising: displaying a first table that shows one or more first-level data items included in a hierarchical data set, the hierarchical data set expressed by a markup language, the first table having a row corresponding to each first-level data item and one or more columns that each correspond to a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item of a corresponding row; displaying at least a portion of a second table that shows one or more second-level data items in the hierarchical data set, the second table having a row corresponding to each second-level data item and one or more columns that each correspond to a second-level data sub-item associated with the second-level data item of a corresponding row; displaying one or more actuatable subordinate data icons, each in a column of a row in the first table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the second table to be displayed; and wherein the actuatable subordinate data icon is only displayed if there is second-level data that corresponds with the first-level data sub-item associated with the column in which the actuatable subordinate data icon is displayed.