Abstract: A business object model, which reflects data that is used during a given business transaction, is utilized to generate interfaces. This business object model facilitates commercial transactions by providing consistent interfaces that are suitable for use across industries, across businesses, and across different departments within a business during a business transaction. In some operations, software creates, updates, or otherwise processes information related to a business partner relationship and a business partner hierarchy business object.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for managing a change to a product structure includes defining instructions to implement the change to the product structure, associating a first validity for the change with a first organizational structure, and associating a second validity for the change with a second organizational structure. The first organizational structure has a first organizational view of the product structure, and the second organizational structure has a second organizational view of the product structure. The change is automatically implemented according to the first validity for the first organizational view, and according to the second validity for the second organizational view.