Patent ID: 8321548

Claim:
A method of specifying changes to a communications network, comprising: storing a network model representing a first configuration of the communications network; receiving, utilizing a processor, scope information defining a subset of the network model to which changes are to be made; copying model information relating to the defined subset of the network model in accordance with the scope information, to create a partial model copy; modifying the partial model copy to represent a second configuration of the communications network; displaying a user interface for at least one of viewing and modifying network information associated with the communications network, where the user interface is operable in a plurality of contexts, including a first context in which network information relating to the first configuration of the communications network is displayed or modified, and one or more further contexts in which network information corresponding to one or more planned configurations, including the second configuration, of the communications network is displayed or modified, where the user interface provides functionality for switching from a currently active context selected from the plurality of contexts to another of the plurality of contexts; and storing the network information associated with the communications network in a database, where the database associates the network information with context information associated with the plurality of contexts, such that the user interface provides access to view or modify network information associated with the currently active context; wherein the database hides model objects associated with one or more contexts from database users; wherein the database is configured to prevent database queries relating to model objects from returning, modifying, adding or deleting hidden model objects associated with the one or more contexts.