Systems, methods, and software applications for modeling the structure of enterprises

1 . A computer system for modeling the structure of an enterprise comprising a first class of objects, an object of said class representing an organizational unit of the enterprise, said class comprising a method for assigning and/or deassigning to an object of said class at least one type of at least five types of attributes comprising:

a first type describing a work to be performed by the unit;

a second type describing a legal entity, which said unit represents;

a third type describing a disciplinary or line management properties of the unit;

a fourth type describing a financial responsibility of the unit; and

a fifth type describing a location, which said unit represents.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a first class object is assigned to one or more other first class objects.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more attributes are assigned to each type of attribute.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein one or more attributes of one of said first or second or third or fourth or fifth type are selected from the group comprising of company group, company, segment, profit center, cost center, source-of supply, target-of-supply, ship-of-location, ship-from-location, production location, inventory location, reporting line, sales, service, material requirements planning (MRP), and purchasing.

5 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second class of objects representing positions in the enterprise, said second class objects being assigned to one or more types of attributes of one or more first class objects.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a third class of objects representing persons of the enterprise, one or more third class objects being assigned to one or more tyeps of attributes of one or more of the first class objects and/or to one or more second class objects.

7 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth class of objects representing movable or immovable things of the enterprise, one or more fourth class objects being assigned to one or more types of attributes of one or more first class objects.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more rules for defining one or more evaluation algorithms to retrieve attributes and/or types of attributes of one or more of the first class objects.

9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more rules for the limitation of assignments and of relations amongst first, second, third, and/or fourth class objects.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein an assignment type is assigned to an assignment.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the assignment type is selected from the group comprising of standard type, financial type, legal type, location type, reporting line type and work type.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more first class objects are assigned to an object of a fifth class and wherein one or more rules are assigned to that fifth class object.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a hierarchy is assigned to a first class object.

14 . A computerized method for modeling the structure of an enterprise, the method comprising:

creating an object from a first class of objects;

assigning an organizational unit of the enterprise to that object; and

assigning or deassigning to that object at least one type of at least five types of attributes comprising:

a first type describing a work to be performed by the unit,

a second type describing a legal entity, which said unit represents,

a third type describing a disciplinary or line management properties of the unit,

a fourth type describing a financial responsibility of the unit, and

a fifth type describing a location, which said unit represents.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising assigning at least two types of attributes to one or more of said first class objects.

16 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising assigning a first class object to one or more other first class objects.

17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising assigning one or more attributes to each type of attribute.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein one or more attributes of one of said first or second or third or fourth or fifth type are selected from the group comprising of company group, company, segment, profit center, cost center, source-of supply, target-of-supply, ship-of-location, ship-from-location, production location, inventory location, reporting line, sales, service, material requirements planning (MRP), and purchasing.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

creating one or more objects of a second class representing positions in the enterprise; and

assigning said second class objects to one or more types of attributes of one or more first class objects.

20 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

creating one or more objects of a third class representing natural persons of the enterprise; and

assigning said third class objects to one or more types of attributes of one or more of the first class objects and/or to one or more second class objects.

21 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

creating one or more objects of a fourth class representing movable or immovable things of the enterprise; and

assigning said fourth class objects to one or more types of attributes of one or more of the first class objects.

22 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising creating one or more rules for defining one or more evaluation algorithms to retrieve attributes or types of attributes of one or more of the first class objects.

23 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising creating one or more rules for the limitation of assignments and of relations amongst first, second, third and fourth class objects.

24 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising assigning an assignment type to an assignment.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the assignment type is selected from the group comprising of standard type, financial type, legal type, location type, reporting line type and work type.

26 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising assigning one or more first class objects to an object of a fifth class and assigning one or more rules to that fifth class object.

27 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising assigning a hierarchy to a first class object.

28 . A computer readable medium comprising instructions for causing a processor to perform a method for modeling the structure of an enterprise comprising a first class of objects, an object of said class representing an organizational unit of the enterprise, said class comprising a method for assigning and/or deassigning to an object of said class at least one type of at least five types of attributes comprising:

a first type describing a work to be performed by the unit;

a second type describing a legal entity, which said unit represents;

a third type describing a disciplinary or line management properties of the unit;

a fourth type describing a financial responsibility of the unit; and

a fifth type describing a location, which said unit represents.

29 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises assigning at least two types of attributes to one or more of said first class objects.

30 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises assigning a first class object to one or more other first class objects.

31 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises assigning one or more attributes to each type of attribute.

32 . The computer readable medium of claim 31 , wherein one or more attributes of one of said first or second or third or fourth or fifth type are selected from the group comprising of company group, company, segment, profit center, cost center, source-of supply, target-of-supply, ship-of-location, ship-from-location, production location, inventory location, reporting line, sales, service, material requirements planning (MRP), and purchasing.

33 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises:

creating one or more objects of a second class representing positions in the enterprise; and

assigning said second class objects to one or more types of attributes of one or more first class objects.

34 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises:

creating one or more objects of a third class representing natural persons of the enterprise; and

assigning said third class objects to one or more types of attributes of one or more of the first class objects and/or to one or more second class objects.

35 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises:

creating one or more objects of a fourth class representing movable or immovable things of the enterprise; and

assigning said fourth class objects to one or more types of attributes of one or more of the first class objects.

36 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises creating one or more rules for defining one or more evaluation algorithms to retrieve attributes or types of attributes of one or more of the first class objects.

37 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises creating one or more rules for the limitation of assignments and of relations amongst first, second, third and fourth class objects.

38 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises assigning an assignment type to an assignment.

39 . The computer readable medium of claim 38 , wherein the assignment type is selected from the group comprising of standard type, financial type, legal type, location type, reporting line type and work type.

40 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises assigning one or more first class objects to an object of a fifth class and assigning one or more rules to that fifth class object.

41 . The computer readable medium of claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises assigning a hierarchy to a first class object.

42 . An electronic data structure for modeling the structure of an enterprise, comprising a first class of objects, an object of said class representing an organizational unit of the enterprise, said class comprising a method for assigning and/or deassigning to an object of said class at least one type of at least five types of attributes comprising:

a first type describing a work to be performed by the unit;

a second type describing a legal entity, which said unit represents;

a third type describing a disciplinary or line management properties of the unit;

a fourth type describing a financial responsibility of the unit; and

a fifth type describing a location, which said unit represents.