Abstract: A computer-implemented method is disclosed having the steps of receiving a user input selecting an entity name, and generating an entity table associated with the entity name and configured to store data related to a business unit. The method further includes the steps of populating the entity table with unique explicit entity ID values, generating a unique internal entity ID value for each one of the explicit entity ID values, associating each internal entity ID value with a corresponding one of the explicit entity ID values, and storing the internal entity ID values in the entity table. The entity table is associated with a separate data table such that at least one of the explicit entity ID values is displayed, but not stored, in an ID field of the data table, while the corresponding associated internal entity ID value is stored in the data table but not displayed.