Patent ID: 7162484

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving user hierarchical visibility marks for hierarchical elements in a database hierarchical structure, wherein said user hierarchical visibility marks are used to determine visibility of the hierarchical elements at various hierarchical levels in a display of said database hierarchical structure; said user hierarchical visibility marks were generated by a user marking any desired combination of said hierarchical elements, in said database hierarchical structure, for visibility in said display; and said user can arbitrarily select said combination of hierarchical elements; and propagating automatically hierarchical visibility marks to other hierarchical elements in said database hierarchical structure using said user hierarchical visibility marks for said hierarchical elements so that said other hierarchical elements have propagated hierarchical visibility marks wherein a user hierarchical visibility mark for a hierarchical element is propagated automatically to another hierarchical element that is in a hierarchy of said hierarchical element so that said another hierarchical element is one of said other hierarchical elements.