Automated system and method for adapting market data and evaluating user-specified configurations

• US 10,055,719 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2017
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Buymetrics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Buymetrics Incorporated
• Inventors: Hansen, Valerie
• Primary Examiner(s): Niquette, Robert R
• Application Number:
  US15/641,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20170300878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/08 Sorting, i.e. grouping record carriers in numerical or other ordered sequence according to the classification of at least some of the information they carry by merging two or more sets of carriers in ordered sequence G06F7/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 : Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 : Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 : Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 : Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 : Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A system includes a server that implements a metric server adapter and a metrics application. The server receives a user-agent configured product specification data set that identifies an item or items having attributes which causes the metrics application to obtain time-dependent metric data. The metric data includes reference data for one or more responsive items responsive to a respective item in the product specification data set. The metrics application dynamically discovers differences in the attribute data, which enables the metric server adapter to define context-specific instructions for adapting the metric data for the respective item. An adjustment value applied to the reference data transforms the reference data and produces context-specific reference data for the respective item. One or more user interfaces expose the context-specific reference data values produced for the user-agent configured product specification data set to at least a client computing device associated with the user-agent.

Claims

1. In a networked environment, a system comprising:

at least one server that includes;

a network interface;

a processor in communication with the network interface and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein execution of the computer-executable instructions by the processor implements system components including at least;

a governing logic component comprising a metric server adapter programmed to manage a plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to at least one evaluation service or metric data used to provide the at least one evaluation service, including domain or industry specific instruction or user-agent specific instruction; and

a production component comprising a metrics application programmed to manage one or more analysis processes, to execute the at least one evaluation service in coordination with the metric server adapter, and manages one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions with the at least one server;

wherein, in operation, the at least one server is configured to;

receive from a user-agent computing device, via the network interface, at least one configuration of a product specification data set, wherein each received configuration identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes, including two or more parameter values, or a plurality of items having attributes that differ by at least parameter value; and

wherein receipt of at least one configuration of a product specification data set causes the production component, for each received configuration of the product specification data set, to automatically;

obtain time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, wherein the obtained metric data includes reference data for one or more responsive items having attributes that are responsive to attributes defined for a respective item in the product specification data set, wherein each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes that include at least one parameter value;

evaluate the plurality of attributes possessed by each responsive item relative to the set of attributes defined for the respective item to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component to contextually define one or more configuration-specific instructions for adapting the reference data for the responsive item;

execute the configuration-specific instructions, wherein execution of at least one configuration-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for at least one responsive item that differs by at respective item, transforming the reference data for the responsive item into normalized metric data for the respective item; and

produce one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the produce specification data set, wherein the one or more metric data values are produced, at least in part, using the normalized metric data; and

wherein the production component is further programmed to manage one or more user interfaces to expose one or a combination of the metric data values produced for at least one received configuration of the product specification data set, via the network interface, to at least the user-agent computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is further programmed to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that enable the user-agent computing device to dynamically change at least one item or one or more parameter values identified for the at least one item in the product specification data set, wherein the production component, in coordination with the governing logic component, automatically produces one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as identified in the re-configured product specification data set.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is further programmed to compare two or more alternative configuration of a product specification data set using, at least in part, one or combination of the metric data values produced for each of the two or more alternative configurations, wherein a result comparison is exposed to at least the user-agent computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein coordinated operation of the production component and the governing logic component enables the reference data for a responsive item that differs to be transformed into normalized metric data for the respective item without relying on a pre-constructed model having predefined relations that remain fixed within the model, or a map of all possible relationships, or limiting discovery to relationships that were pre-mapped, or requiring contemporaneous user-agent instruction.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the governing logic component processes the set of attributes defined for the respective item, each of the discovered one or more relationships comprising a difference, and the plurality of predefined instruction that pertain to the at least one evaluation service, to ascertain which, if any, or the predefined instructions are applicable to the responsive item in the immediate context of the respective item as configured in the product specification data set, which enable the governing logic component to contextually define ore or more configuration-specific instructions for adapting the reference data for the responsive item.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the governing logic component is further programmed to manage a conditional execution, by the production component, of a plurality of configuration-specific instruction that specify rules, variables, or criteria, including:

one or more formulas operationally combing elements or using variables relating to a plurality of items, parameters, events, or sources of metric data;

or

a combination of rules, variables, criteria relating to a plurality or items, parameters, events, or metric data sources, the execution of which may be interdependent and/or or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

or priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

or

a combination of evaluation services, wherein at least one evaluation service is combined with at least one configuration-specific instruction that specifies employing a process step, action, function, subroutine, and/or at least one other evaluation service, the execution of which may be interdependent or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

or priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

or

one or more validation rules relating to a plurality of items, parameters, events, metric data sources, or metric data values, the execution of which may be interdependent and/or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

or priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

wherein the configuration-specific instructions defined by the governing logic component represent an evolved set of instructions that embody more than a filtered subset of the predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more user-interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that enable that at least one server to receive, from at least one user-agent computing device, identification of one or more instructions for customizing at least one evaluation service for a specific domain or industry and/or one or more specific user-agents, wherein each instruction predefined by a user-agent is stored in association with the specific domain or industry and/or one or more specific user-agents and the at least one evaluation service in at least one memory accessible to the at least one server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is further programmed to manage one or more user-interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interaction that enable a user-agent computing device to pre-associate one or more instructions predefined by a user-agent with a specific item defined by a set of attributes, and/or a specific parameter value, a specific source of metric data, or a specific event.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is further programmed to manage one or more user-interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that enable a user-agent computing device to pre-associate a specific item defined by a set of attributes with one or more other items attributes parameter values, metric data source, or evens, and/or with one or more of the predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service, to collectively form a compound, grouped, or multi-variant data element, object, or category.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein receipt of a triggering request from a user-agent computing device in communicating with the at least one server causes the production component to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, visually display on the user-agent computing device a plurality of predefined data entry fields, each data entry field including a plurality of selectable items defined by a set of attributes or a plurality of selectable parameter values that pertain to at least one selected item or the product specification data set, wherein the one or more user interfaces facilitate interactions that enable a user-agent to dynamically configure at least one product specification data set.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein implementation of the at least one evaluation service or execution of at least one predefined instruction that pertains to the at least one evaluation service further causes the production component to insert, as a predefined data input, at least a subset of the normalized metric data for the respective item or items into one or more predefined algorithms that pertain to the at least one evaluation service to produce at least one metric data value for the item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate data communications in XML format, enabling the production component to dynamically change, dynamically route, and/or pre-configure the data for movement in an integrated data exchange.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is programmed to concurrently manage two or more user interfaces, including at least one first user interface that, in operation, facilitates interactions that enable the user-agent to dynamically configure a product specification data set, and at least one user interface that, in operation, causes the user-agent computing device to concurrently display one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the first user interface.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one second user-interface, in operation, causes the user-agent computing device to concurrently display one ore a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set in at least one floating or pop-up or fixed position window that is positioned in a manner to not obstruct the user-agent'"'"'s ability to interact with the first user interface, wherein the user-agent is further enabled to dynamically add, delete or modify at least one item and/or one or more parameter values identified for the at least one item in the at least one first user interface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the exposed metric data values displayed in connection with the at least one second user interface are automatically refreshed when a user-agent adds, deletes, or modifies at least one item and/or or more parameter values identified for the at least one item in the at least one first user interface.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more of the user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that cause the production component to expose, in one or more layers of detail, data used to produce one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein implementation of the at least one evaluation service or execution of at least one predefined instruction that pertains to the at least one evaluation service further causes the production component to compare two or more configurations of the product specification data set using one or a combination of the metric data values produced for each configuration, and wherein a result of the comparison is exposed, via the network interface, to at least the user-agent computing device.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is configured to store, in at least one memory accessible to the at least one server, at least a subset of the information received or produced by the at least one server.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the exposed metric data values enable a user-agent to advantageously shape or model the product specification data set for a transaction.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the production component is programmed to convert data defined by a unit of measure into standardized or common units of measure and to use only data possessing consistent units of measure to produce the one or more metric data values for the respective item, wherein the transformation of the reference data for the at least one responsive item that differs occurs independent of the unit-of-measure conversion of the data.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the parameter values include at least one of a grade, a rating measure, a species, an item type or category, a brand, a size, a style or design, a unit of measure, a tally, a quantity, a price, a weight, a shipping or receiving location, a method of delivery, a delivery date or time of service, a warranty, a capacity or performance measure, a payment term, or a transaction type.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one respective item as configured in the product specification data set identifies a size, a weight, a volume, or a capacity parameter, wherein the production component is programmed to produce one or more parameter-specific metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the parameter-specific metric data values enable a user-agent to shape or model a more efficient configuration of the product specification data set that utilizes a maximum size, weight, volume, or capacity allowable for the respective item or items in the product specification data set.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one domain or industry or user-agent specific instruction that pertains to the at least one evaluation service, when executed causes the production component to obtain metric data that is responsive to at least one other item having attributes that differ from the respective item in the product specification data set, wherein the at least one other item is a different item or a predefined alternate or substitute for the respective item, and wherein at least one configuration-specific instruction defined by the governing logic component, when executed, causes the production component to apply one or more adjustment values to the reference data for the at least one other item, transforming the reference data for the at least one other item into normalized metric data for the respective item.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the transformation of the reference data for at least one responsive item that differs by at least one parameter value from the respective item occurs independent of routine data management protocols, wherein the data management protocols pertain to the pre-processing of the data for use by the at least one server, including data validation, data extraction, data cleansing, and manipulating the form or format of the data as required to load the data into a data storage memory accessible to the at least one server.

26. In a networked environment, a method comprising:

receiving, by at least one server, via a network interface, at least one configuration of a product specification data set from a user-agent computing device, wherein the at least one server is operating under control of computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement a plurality of system components including at least a governing logic component and a production component,

wherein each received configuration identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes, including two or more parameter values, or a plurality of items that differ in accordance with at least one parameter value; and

wherein, for each received configuration of the product specification data set, the method, in operation, includes;

obtaining, by the production component, time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, wherein the obtained metric data includes reference data for one or more responsive items having attributes that are responsive to attributes defined for a respective item in the product specification data set, wherein each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes that include at least one parameter value;

evaluating, by the production component, the plurality of attributes possessed by each responsive item relative to the set of attributes defined for the respective item to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component to contextually define one or more configuration-specific instructions for adapting the reference data for the responsive item;

executing, by the production component, the configuration-specific instructions, wherein execution of at least one configuration-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for at least one responsive item that differs by at least one parameter value from the respective item, transforming the reference data for the responsive item into normalized metric data for the respective item; and

producing, by the production component, one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set, wherein the one or more metric data values are produced, at least in part, using the normalized metric data; and

managing by the production component, one or more user interfaces to expose one or a combination of the metric data values produced for at least one received configuration of the product specification data set, via the network interface, to at least the user-agent computing device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the production component is further programmed to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that enable the user-agent computing device to dynamically change at least one item or one or more parameter values identified for the at least one item in the product specification data set, wherein the production component, in coordination with the governing logic component, automatically produces one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as identified in the re-configured product specification data set.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein coordinated operation of the production component and the governing logic component enables the reference data for a responsive item to be transformed into normalized metric data for the respective item that differs without relying on a pre-constructed model having predefined relations that remain fixed within the model, or a map of all possible relationships, or limiting discovery to relationships that were pre-mapped, or requiring contemporaneous user-agent instruction.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the governing logic component includes one or more applications, application layers, or modules to manage a plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service or the metric data used to provide the at least one evaluation service, including domain or industry specific instruction or user-agent specific instructions.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the governing logic component processes the set of attributes defined for a respective item in the product specification data set, each of the discovered one or more relationships comprising a difference in the attribute data for the responsive and respective items, and the plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service, to ascertain which, if any, of the predefined instructions are applicable to the responsive item in the immediate context of the respective item, which enables the governing logic component to contextually define one or more configuration-specific instructions for adapting the reference data for the responsive item.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the governing logic component is further programmed to manage a conditional execution, by the production component, of a plurality of configuration-specific instructions that specify rules, variables, or criteria, including:

one or more formulas operationally combining elements or using variables relating to a plurality of items, parameters, events, or sources or metric data;

or

a combination or rules, variables, criteria relating to a plurality of items, parameters, events, or metric data sources, the execution of which may be interdependent and/or or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

or priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

or

a combination of evaluation services, wherein at least one evaluation service is combined with at least one configuration-specific instruction that specifies employing a process step, action, function, subroutine, and/or at least one other evaluation service, the execution of which may be interdependent or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

or priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

or

one or more validation rules relating to a plurality of items, parameters, events, metric data sources, or metric data values, the execution of which may be interdependent and/or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

wherein the configuration-specific instructions defined by the governing logic component represent an evolved set of instructions that embody more than a filtered subset of the predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the production component includes one or more application, application layers, or modules programmed to manage one or more analysis processes, to execute the at least one evaluation service in coordination with the governing logic component, and to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions with the at least one server.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more user-interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that enable the at least one server to receive, from at least one user-agent computing device, identification of one or more instructions for customizing at least one evaluation service for a specific domain or industry and/or one or more specific user-agents, wherein each instruction predefined by a user-agent is stored in association with the specific domain or industry and/or one or more specific user-agents and the at least one evaluation service in at least one memory accessible to the at least one server.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to customize one or more user interfaces for a particular user-agent or a particular industry or domain, wherein each customized user interface adds, removes, modifies, custom populates one or more data fields represented in at least one user interface, or causes the production component to change a presentation format for a particular industry or domain or customizes at least one menu option for the particular user-agent.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein one or more of the user interfaces, in operation, facilitate data communications in XML format, enabling the production component to dynamically change, dynamically route, and/or pre-configure the data for movement in an integrated data exchange.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, cause a plurality of predefined data entry fields to be visually displayed on a user-agent computing device in communication with the at least one server, each data entry field including a plurality of selectable items defined by a set of attributes, and a plurality of selectable parameter values that pertain to the at least one item of the product specification data set, wherein the one or more user interfaces, in operation, facilitate interactions that enable the user-agent to dynamically configure at least one product specification data set.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein one or more of the user interfaces further include a calculate option that, when selected, causes the production component, in coordination with the governing logic component, to automatically produce one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the at least one product specification data set.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein one or more of the user-interfaces include a post to market option that, when selected, causes the production component to expose the product specification data set to one or more seller-agents for the purpose of soliciting actionable offers for at least one item as configured in the product specification data set.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to concurrently manage two or more user interfaces, including at least one first user interface that, in operation, facilitates interactions which enable the user-agent to dynamically configure at least one product specification data set, and at least one second user interface that, in operation, causes the user-agent computing device to concurrently display one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the first user interface.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the at least one second user interface, in operation, causes the user-agent computing device to concurrently display the metric data values produced for the responsive item or items as configured in the first user interface in at least one floating or pop-up or fixed position window that is positioned in a matter to not obstruct the user-agent'"'"'s ability to interact with the at least one first user interface, wherein the user-agent is further enabled to dynamically add, delete or modify at least one item and/or one or more parameter values identified for the at least one item in the first user interface.

41. The method of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more of the user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that cause the user-agent computing device to display, in a unified presentation, the product specification data set and one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

42. The method of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more of the user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that enable the user-agent computing device to cause the production component to expose, in one or more layers of detail, data used to produce one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein at least one exposed layer of detail includes data comprising at least one weight, volume, or capacity measure calculated for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

44. The method of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to convert data defined by a unit of measure into standardized or common units of measure and to use only data possessing consistent units of measure to produce the one or more metric data values for the respective item, wherein the transformation of the reference data for the at least one responsive item that differs by at least one parameter value from the respective item occurs independent of the unit-of-measure conversion of the data.

45. The system of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate the streaming of voice communications, via the network interface, between a user-agent computing device and the at least one server.

46. The method of claim 32, wherein the production component is programmed to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that cause the user-agent computing device to receive a data communication from the at least one server, and configures that at least one server to expose, in connection with one or more of the user interface, one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set to the user-agent computing device, wherein the user-agent computing device is cause to audibly announce the exposed metric data values.

47. The method of claim 26, wherein execution of at least one configuration-specific instruction defined by the governing logic component causes the production component to filter the responsive items in the obtained metric data using one or more control values, criteria, or parameters before producing one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

48. The method of claim 26, wherein the production component is further programmed to compare a plurality of configurations of a product specification data set using one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as identified in each of the configurations, and to expose a result of the comparison to at least the user-agent computing device.

49. The method of claim 26, wherein one or more of the parameter values include at least one of a grade, a rating measure, a species, an item type or category, a brand, a size, a style or design, a unit of measure, a tally, a quantity, a price, a weight, a shipping or receiving location, a method of delivery, a delivery date or time of service, a warranty, a capacity or performance measure, a payment term, or a transaction type.

50. The method of claim 26, wherein the production component uses the set of attributes defined for the respective item in the product specification data set to automatically select one or more data sources from which to obtain metric data.

51. The method of claim 26, wherein one or more predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service, when executed, cause the production component to limit the metric data obtained by the production component to:

actual market transaction data sets, wherein each transaction data set was previously exposed by at least one buyer-agent or at least one seller-agent; and

/or

preprocessed metric data that includes reference data for at least one predefined item having attributes responsive to attributes identified for a respective item in the product specification data set, wherein each predefined item possesses a plurality of attributes including at least one parameter value; and

/or

metric data resulting from a computer-based interaction and/or electronically-created metric data, wherein the metric data include data that does not include a human-reported transaction data value that was transcribed into a digital format.

52. The method of claim 26, wherein the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set represent a specific version or particular form of a physical product or a raw material, an intangible product or a service, or a combination thereof.

53. The method of claim 26, wherein the production component is further programmed to input at least a subset of the normalized metric data for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set into one or more predefined functions or algorithms that pertain to the at least one evaluation service, wherein at least one predefined function or algorithm produces a mean value or median value or a variant of mean or median, or produces a range or series of metric data values, for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

54. The method of claim 26, wherein at a predefined time or interval of time or in response to a triggering event, the production component is further programmed to obtain more-current metric data for a respective item identified in the product specification data set, wherein the production component, in coordination with the governing logic component, uses the more-current metric data to automatically produce one or more-current metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

55. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one server comprises a multi-tenant system, wherein the at least one evaluation service is provided to a plurality of user-agents.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the production component is further programmed to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, enable a computing device associated with a particular tenant to define one or more instructions for managing at least one evaluation service and to associate the one or more instructions with one or more attributes, parameters, sources of metric data, evaluation metrics, industries or domains, user-agents, events, and/or one or more other predefined instructions, and to store the one or more predefined instructions in association with the particular tenant and at least one evaluation service in at least one memory accessible to the at least one server, wherein receipt of at least one product specification data set configured by a user-agent associated with the particular tenant causes the governing logic component to retrieve, from the at least one memory, the predefined instructions associated with the particular tenant and the at least one evaluation service.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein at least a subset of the data received, retrieved, produced, or generated by the at least one evaluation service for a plurality of tenants is tracked to at least one queryable storage memory accessible to the at least one server and aggregated, wherein the tracked data is stored in association with a particular time or period of time.

58. In a networked environment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor of at least one server, cause the at least one server to implement a plurality of system components including at least a governing logic component and a production component, and to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user-agent computing device via a network interface, at least one configuration of a product specification data set, wherein each configuration of the product specification data set identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes, including two or more parameter values, or a plurality of items that differ in accordance with at least one parameter value;

invoking at least one evaluation service wherein, for each received configuration of the product specification data set, the computer-executable instructions cause the production component of the at least one server to;

obtain time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, wherein the obtained metric data includes reference data for one or more responsive items having attributes that are responsive to attributes defined for a respective item in the product specification data set, wherein each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes that include at least one parameter value;

evaluate the plurality of attributes possessed by each responsive item relative to the set of attributes defined for the respective item to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component of the at least one server to contextually define one or more configuration-specific instructions for adapting the reference data for the responsive item;

execute the configuration-specific instructions, wherein execution of at least one configuration-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for at least one responsive item that differs by at least one parameter value from the respective item, transforming the reference data for the responsive item into normalized metric data for the respective item; and

produce one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set, wherein the one of more metric data values are produced, at least in part, using the normalized metric data; and

managing one or more user interface that, in operation, expose one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set, via the network interface, to at least the user-agent computing device.

59. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the production component to manage one or more analysis processes, execute the at least one evaluation service in coordination with the governing logic component, and manage one or more user interface that, in operation, facilitate interactions with the at least one server.

60. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the computer-executable instructions when executed, cause the governing logic component to manage a plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service or the metric data used to provide the at least one evaluation service, including domain or industry specific instruction or user-agent specific instructions.

61. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the governing logic component to manage a conditional execution, by the production component, of a plurality of configuration-specific instructions that specify rules, variables, or criteria, including:

one or more formulas operationally combining elements or using variables relating to a plurality of items, parameters, events, or sources of metric data;

or

a combination of rules, variables, criteria relating to a plurality of items, parameters, events, or metric data sources, the execution of which may be interdependent and/or or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

or priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

or

a combination of evaluation services, wherein at least one evaluation service is combined with at least one configuration-specific instruction that specifies employing a process step, action, function, or subroutine, and/or at least one other evaluation service, the execution of which may be interdependent or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

or priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

or

one or more validation rules relating to a plurality of items, parameters, events, metric data sources, or metric data values, the execution of which may be interdependent and/or conditionally expressed as “

IF condition THEN action”

or priority weighted, sequential, recursive, or subject to another pre-specified method of control;

wherein the configuration-specific instructions defined by the governing logic component represent an evolved set of instructions that embody more than a filtered subset of the predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service.

62. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the production component to insert, as a predefined data input, at least a subset of the normalized metric data for the respective item or items into one or more predefined algorithms that pertain to the at least one evaluation service to produce at least one metric data value for the item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

63. In a networked environment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor of at least one server, cause the at least one server to implement a plurality of system components including at least a governing logic component and a production component, and perform operations comprising:

receiving, via a network interface, a triggering request from a user-agent computing device, wherein the triggering request causes the production component to manage at least one first user interface that, in operation, facilitates interactions that enable the requesting user-agent to dynamically configure a product specification data set;

receiving at least one configuration of a product specification data set from the user-agent computing device, wherein each received configuration identifies at least one item defined by a set of attributes including two or more parameter values, or a plurality of items that differ in accordance with at least one parameter value;

invoking at least one evaluation service wherein, for each received configuration of the product specification data set, the computer-executable instructions cause the production component of the at least one server to;

obtain time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, wherein the obtained metric data includes reference data for one or more responsive items having attributes that are responsive to attributes defined for a respective item identified in the product specification data set, wherein each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes that include at least one parameter value;

evaluate the plurality of attributes possessed by each responsive item relative to the set of attributes defined for the respective item to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component of the at least one server to contextually define one or more configuration-specific instructions for adapting the reference data for the responsive item;

execute the configuration-specific instructions, wherein execution of at least one configuration-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for at least one responsive item that differs by at least one parameter value from the respective item, transforming the reference data for the responsive item into normalized metric data for the respective item;

produce one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set, wherein the one or more metric data values are produced, at least in part, using the normalized metric data; and

manage at least one second user interface that, in operation, causes the user-agent computing device to concurrently display in at least one floating or pop-up or fixed position window one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set.

64. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the production component to respond to receipt, via the at least one first user interface, of a change to at least one item or one or more parameter values identified for the at least one item or the product specification data set by automatically producing, in coordination with the governing logic component, one or more metric data values for the newly-received configuration, and further causes the production component to expose the metric data values for the newly-received configuration to the user-agent computing device via the at least one second user interface, wherein one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the re-configured product specification data set are concurrently displayed on the user-agent computing device.

65. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the metric data values displayed in the at least one second user-interface to be automatically updated when the user-agent adds, deletes, or modifies at least one item and/or one or more parameter values identified for the at least one item in the at least one first user interface.

66. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the at least one second user-interface, in operation, causes the user-agent computing device to concurrently display one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set in at least one floating or pop-up or fixed position window that is positioned in a manner to not obstruct the user-agent'"'"'s ability to interact with the first user interface, wherein the user-agent is further enabled to dynamically add, delete or modify at least one item and/or one or more parameter values identified for the at least one item in the at least one first user interface.

67. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the governing logic component to manage a plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service or the metric data used to provide the at least one evaluation service, including domain or industry specific instructions or user-agent specific instructions.

68. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the production component to manage one or more analysis processes, execute the at least one evaluation service in coordination with the governing logic component, and manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions with the at least one server.

69. The computer-readable medium of claim 68, wherein the production component is programmed to customize one or more user interfaces for a particular user-agent or a particular industry or domain, wherein each customized user interface adds, removes, modifies, or custom populates one or more data fields represented in at least one user interface, or causes the production component to change a presentation format for a particular industry or domain or customizes at least one menu option for the particular user-agent.

70. In a networked environment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor of at least one server, cause the at least one server to implement a plurality of system components including at least a governing logic component and a production component, and perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user-agent computing device via a network interface, a streamed voice communication that identifies at least one configuration of a product specification data set, wherein each identified configuration includes at least one item defined by a set of attributes, including two or more parameter values, or a plurality of items that differ in accordance with at least one parameter value;

invoking at least one evaluation service wherein, for each identified configuration of the product specification data set, the computer-executable instructions cause the production component of the at least one server to;

obtain time-dependent metric data from at least one data source accessible to the at least one server, wherein the obtained metric data includes reference data for one or more responsive items having attributes that are responsive to attributes defined for a respective item in the product specification data set, wherein each responsive item in the metric data possesses a plurality of attributes that include at least one parameter value;

evaluate the plurality of attributes possessed by each responsive item relative to the set of attributes defined for the respective item to dynamically discover relationships within the attribute data, wherein discovery of one or more relationships comprising a difference enables the governing logic component of the at least one server to contextually define one or more configuration-specific instructions for adapting the reference data for the responsive item;

execute the configuration-specific instructions, wherein execution of at least one configuration-specific instruction causes one or more adjustment values to be applied to the reference data for at least one responsive item that differs by at least one parameter value from the respective item, transforming the reference data for the responsive item into normalized metric data for the respective item;

produce one or more metric data values for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set, wherein the one or more metric data values are produced, at least in part, using the normalized metric data; and

managing one or more user interfaces that, in operation, enable the at least one server to expose one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set, via the network interface, to at least the user-agent computing device.

71. The computer-readable medium of claim 70, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the production component to manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions that cause the user-agent computing device to receive a data communication from the at least one server, and configures the at least one server to expose, in connection with one or more of the user interfaces, one or a combination of the metric data values produced for the respective item or items as configured in the product specification data set to the user-agent computing device, wherein the user-agent computing device is caused to audibly announce the exposed metric data values.

72. The computer-readable medium of claim 70, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the governing logic component to manage a plurality of predefined instructions that pertain to the at least one evaluation service and the metric data used to provide the at least one evaluation service, including domain or industry specific instructions or user-agent specific instructions.

73. The computer-readable medium of claim 70, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the production component to manage one or more analysis processes, execute the at least one evaluation service in coordination with the governing logic component, and manage one or more user interfaces that, in operation, facilitate interactions with the at least one server.

74. The computer-readable medium of claim 70, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one server to expose to the user-agent computing device one or a combination of the metric data values produced for at least one configuration of the product specification data set in a format compatible with the user-agent computing device, wherein the user-agent computing device is a cellular telephone, a handheld or mobile device, or another electronic device capable of communicating, via the network interface, with the at least one server.