Patent ID: 8364517

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for reconciling hierarchical forecasts, comprising: receiving, using one or more processing units, a plurality of input hierarchical forecast data sets, wherein the hierarchical forecast data sets include forecasts independently generated for each of a plurality of nodes hierarchically arranged according to parent child relationships, wherein one or more of the forecasts are included in records of a parent data set, wherein one or more of the forecasts are included in records of a child data set, and wherein the records of the child data set are in a particular order according to an index; generating, the one or more processing units, an output child data set including one record for each of the records in the child data set in an identical order as the child data set, wherein the output child data set record includes an index value and a status indicator representing an unprocessed state; identifying, using the one or more processing units, a particular parent data set forecast from the parent data set; identifying, using the one or more processing units, locations for a group of one or more child data set forecasts that are children of the particular parent data set forecast; accessing, using the one or more processing units, the one or more identified child data set forecasts using the identified locations; performing, using the one or more processing units, a reconciliation operation based upon the particular parent data set forecast and the one or more accessed child data set forecasts, wherein the reconciled particular parent data set forecast is mathematically equivalent to the aggregation of the reconciled one or more accessed child data set forecasts, wherein the reconciled forecasts include associated measures of uncertainty, and wherein the reconciliation operation adjusts a particular child data set forecast; storing, using the one or more processing units, the adjusted child data set forecast in a record of the output child data set using the index value corresponding to the particular child data forecast; and changing, the one or more processing units, the status indicator for the record of the output child data set to represent a processed state.