Abstract: A computer implemented actual costing method for collecting and presenting an actual cost of performing a business activity includes the steps of carrying a first and/or a second step, the first step including collecting the actual cost of at least one job performed in furtherance of the business activity, the second step including collecting the actual cost of at least one item manufactured in furtherance of the business activity. A unique cost source identifier is created for each collected actual cost and the collected actual cost is stored therein. Each unique cost source identifier is then associated with its corresponding item or job within the business activity. A selected accounting costing method for actual cost collection and a selected accounting costing method for actual cost presentation based upon the stored cost source identifiers may then be implemented.

Abstract: Methods and network architectures for loosely coupling object and non-object oriented applications to a network include an object broker hub, a messaging system, and a business object representation of data. Business objects are embodied by a combination of high level APIs, low level APIs and data stores in each of the applications. The messaging system implements a publish-subscribe model in which all messages conform to a logical definition common to all applications. The higher level APIs, based upon the content of the message, commit the necessary low level APIs access the application's data stores to execute the business object. The loosely coupled nature of the messaging system, coupled with the dual API and switch concepts, allows a loose coupling of object and non-object oriented applications and enhances the functionality of non-object applications by allowing them to execute functionally complete business objects.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of managing hierarchically related and heterogeneous data structures includes the steps of separating the data structures from hierarchical information interrelating the data structures and representing and storing the hierarchical information as a nodal tree structure. The nodal tree structure includes a first node and a plurality of second nodes, each node being in a parent-child relationship with at least one other node. The data structures are stored separately from the nodal tree structure and each of the first node and the plurality of second nodes references one of the data structures. Each of the second nodes is a child node, and each child node has a respective parent node selected from among the first node and the plurality of second nodes. Each of the second nodes includes a dependency attribute indicative of a dependency relationship of the child node with its respective parent node.

Abstract: A computer implemented actual costing method for collecting and presenting an actual cost of performing a business activity includes the steps of carrying a first and/or a second step, the first step including collecting the actual cost of at least one job performed in furtherance of the business activity, the second step including collecting the actual cost of at least one item manufactured in furtherance of the business activity. A unique cost source identifier is created for each collected actual cost and the collected actual cost is stored therein. Each unique cost source identifier is then associated with its corresponding item or job within the business activity. A selected accounting costing method for actual cost collection and a selected accounting costing method for actual cost presentation based upon the stored cost source identifiers may then be implemented.