Navigational interface for ERP system

• US 7,131,069 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Consona ERP Incorporated (Aptean Superior Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Made2Manage Systems Incorporated (Aptean Superior Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rush, Gary W., Kiefus, Herman J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/743,152
• Time in Patent Office: 2,566 Days
• Field of Search: 345/851, 345/780, 345853-855, 345/734, 345/710, 345/713, 345824-825, 345804-805, 345/776, 345/835, 345/841, 345/845, 709/206, 709/202, 709/208, 709/223, 709/227, 705/50, 705/51, 705/52, 705/2, 705/4, 705 5- 6, 705 7- 9, 705/11, 705/13, 705/16, 705/17, 705/22, 705/26, 705/27, 705/30, 705/33, 705/39, 705/40, 715853-855, 715526-530, 715/780, 715821-824, 715/825, 715/802, 715804-805, 715/745, 715/747, 715/811, 715/776, 715/835, 715/838, 715712-713, 715817-820, 715/734, 715/740, 715/769, 715/841, 715/845, 715/854, 715/813, 715/738, 707/1, 707/10, 707/104
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

The present invention comprises a software system having a user-friendly navigational interface utilizing an hierarchical display (20) of business documents based upon a dominant-subordinate relationship between the documents. In one embodiment, the documents are related through the use of keys, which define a relationship between the dominant (81) and the subordinate documents (91). In conjunction with the selection of a specific document, the invention displays information related to that document which can be custom defined by the user. In one embodiment, each user can define a unique set of data to be displayed. The invention further provides a means by which the underlying data can be easily edited from the hierarchical display (20). The present invention also allows the creation of expressions (230, 231) that will alert the user to predetermined conditions. The alert is displayed in conjunction with the hierarchical display (20) of a document, but the expression (230, 231) may be defined by data not normally contained within the document. Each user can define a unique set of alerts for various documents. The present invention further comprises a visual rendering of predefined expressions describing the progress of work related to a document and each user can also define a unique set of progress of expressions (250) for various documents based on conditions of particular interest to the user.

Claims

1. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

at least one representation of a sub-document wherein;

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure includes at least one branch having levels comprising at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise document type nodes associated with representations of different business document types and the subordinate level comprises a sub-document type node and at least one sub-document instance node associated with the at least one representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node is;

(d) immediately subordinate to a sub-document type node;

(e) associated with a representation of the same type of sub-document as a sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch; and

(f) related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

wherein

the means for selecting further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each node may be collapsed and expanded, such that when expanded, any nodes immediately subordinate to the expanded node in the hierarchical tree structure are displayed.

26. The system according to claim 1 wherein the means for selecting a particular document instance node or sub-document instance node comprises means responsive to presence of a cursor over the node.

29. The software system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a filter text box into which characters may be entered; and

a means for limiting the display of document instance nodes based on characters entered into the filter text box.

30. The software system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface for displaying a representation of a business document, the user interface comprising means for launching the means for displaying the hierarchical tree structure.

3. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a customer document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a customer document type node, the customer document type node comprising either a quote document type node, a sales order document type node, a job order document type node, a shipper document type node, an accounts receivable invoice document type node or an accounts receivable payment document type node.

4. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a quote document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a quote document type node comprises either a quote item bill of materials document type node or a quote item routing step document type node.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising at least one representation of a sub-document wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure includes at least one branch having levels comprising at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise document type nodes associated with representations of different business document types and the subordinate level comprises a sub-document type node and at least one sub-document instance node associated with the at least one representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a sub-document type node;

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of sub-document as a sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch; and

(c) related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

wherein the means for selecting further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a quote document type node comprises a quote line item sub-document type node.

6. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a sales order document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a sales order document type node comprises either a sales order item release document type node, a sales order item bill of materials document type node, a shipper document type node, or a sales order item routing step document type node.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising at least one representation of a sub-document wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure includes at least one branch having levels comprising at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise document type nodes associated with representations of different business document types and the subordinate level comprises a sub-document type node and at least one sub-document instance node associated with the at least one representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a sub-document type node;

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of sub-document as a sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch; and

(c) related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

wherein

the means for selecting further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a sales order document type node comprises a sales order line item sub-document type node.

8. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a job order document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a job order document type node comprises either a job order bill of materials document type node, a job order routing step document type node, or a shipper document type node.

9. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a shipper document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a shipper document type node comprises an accounts receivable invoice document type node.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising at least one representation of a subdocument wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure includes at least one branch having levels comprising at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise document type nodes associated with representations of different business document types and the subordinate level comprises a sub-document type node and at least one sub-document instance node associated with the at least one representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a sub-document type node;

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of sub-document as a sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch; and

(c) related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

wherein

the means for selecting further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a shipper document type node comprises a shipper line item sub-document type node.

11. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises an accounts receivable invoice document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts receivable invoice document type node comprises an accounts receivable payment document type node.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising at least one representation of a subdocument wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure includes at least one branch having levels comprising at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise document type nodes associated with representations of different business document types and the subordinate level comprises a sub-document type node and at least one sub-document instance node associated with the at least one representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a sub-document type node;

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of sub-document as a sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch; and

(c) related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

wherein

the means for selecting further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts receivable invoice document type node comprises an accounts receivable invoice line item sub-document type node.

13. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a sales order item release document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a sales order item release document type node comprises either a job order document type node, or a shipper document type node.

14. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a vendor document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a vendor document type node comprises either a purchase order document type node, a shipper document type node, a receiver document type node, or an accounts payable invoice document type node.

15. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a purchase order document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a purchase order document type node comprises either a purchase order item release document type node, a shipper document type node, or a receiver document type node.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising at least one representation of a subdocument wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure includes at least one branch having levels comprising at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise document type nodes associated with representations of different business document types and the subordinate level comprises a sub-document type node and at least one sub-document instance node associated with the at least one representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a sub-document type node;

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of sub-document as a sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch; and

(c) related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

wherein the means for selecting further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a purchase order document type node comprises a purchase order line item sub-document type node.

17. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a receiver document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a receiver document type node comprises an accounts payable invoice document type node.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising at least one representation of a subdocument wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure includes at least one branch having levels comprising at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise document type nodes associated with representations of different business document types and the subordinate level comprises a sub-document type node and at least one sub-document instance node associated with the at least one representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a sub-document type node;

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of sub-document as a sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch; and

(c) related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

wherein

the means for selecting further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a receiver document type node comprises a receiver line item sub-document type node.

19. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises an accounts payable invoice document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts payable invoice document type node comprises an accounts payable payment document type node.

20. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a general ledger account category document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a general ledger account category document type node comprises a general ledger account document type node.

21. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a general ledger account document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a general ledger account document type node comprises a general ledger account postings document type node.

22. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a general ledger account postings document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a general ledger account postings document type node comprises a general journal entry document type node.

23. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a general journal entry document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a general journal entry document type node comprises either an accounts payable sub-ledger document type node, an accounts receivable sub-ledger document type node, a payroll sub-ledger document type node, or an order costing sub-ledger document type node.

24. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises an accounts payable sub-ledger document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts payable sub-ledger document type node comprises an accounts payable invoice document type node.

25. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises an accounts receivable sub-ledger document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts receivable sub-ledger document type node comprises an accounts receivable invoice document type node.

27. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein the means for displaying includes icons,

at least one of the at least one document instance node of the at least two levels comprises either a quote item bill of materials document instance node, a sales order item bill of materials document instance node, or a job order bill of materials document instance node; and

wherein

the icon associated with the bill of materials document instance node is visually different depending on whether the document represented by the icon is;

(a) a make item;

(b) a stock item;

or (c) a buy item.

28. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node;

a point of interest expression, and

means for displaying a point of interest indicator for each document instance node in which the point of interest expression is met.

31. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node;

at least one representation of a subdocument wherein;

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents; and

the tree structure levels comprise at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise at least one document instance node for different business document types and the subordinate level comprises at least one sub-document instance node associated with a representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node;

(c) is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

(d) is associated with the same type of sub-document associated with the subdocument instance node in the same level of the same branch;

the means for selecting a particular document instance node further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information contained in the representation of a document associated with the selected document instance node further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein each node may be collapsed and expanded, such that when expanded, any nodes immediately subordinate to the expanded node in the hierarchical tree structure are displayed.

33. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a quote document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a quote document instance node comprises either a quote item bill of materials document instance node or a quote item routing step document instance node.

34. The system of claim 33 further comprising at least one representation of a subdocument wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure levels comprise at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise at least one document instance node for different business document types and the subordinate level comprises at least one sub-document instance node associated with a representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node;

(a) is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

(b) is associated with the same type of sub-document associated with the sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch;

the means for selecting a particular document instance node further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information contained in the representation of a document associated with the selected document instance node further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a quote document instance node comprises a quote line item sub-document instance node.

35. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a sales order document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a sales order document instance node comprises either a sales order item release document instance node, a sales order bill of materials document instance node, a shipper document instance node, or a sales order item routing step document instance node.

36. The system of claim 35 further comprising at least one representation of a subdocument wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure levels comprise at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise at least one document instance node for different business document types and the subordinate level comprises at least one sub-document instance node associated with a representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node;

(a) is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

(b) is associated with the same type of sub-document associated with the subdocument instance node in the same level of the same branch;

the means for selecting a particular document instance node further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information contained in the representation of a document associated with the selected document instance node further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a sales order document instance node comprises a sales order line item subdocument instance node.

37. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a job order document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a job order document instance node comprises either a job order bill of materials document instance node, a job order routing step document instance node, or a shipper document instance node.

38. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a shipper document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a shipper document instance node comprises an accounts receivable invoice document instance node.

39. The system of claim 38 further comprising at least one representation of a subdocument wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure levels comprise at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise at least one document instance node for different business document types and the subordinate level comprises at least one sub-document instance node associated with a representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node;

(a) is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

(b) is associated with the same type of sub-document associated with the subdocument instance node in the same level of the same branch;

the means for selecting a particular document instance node further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information contained in the representation of a document associated with the selected document instance node further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a shipper document instance node comprises a shipper line item sub-document instance node.

40. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises an accounts receivable invoice document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts receivable invoice document instance node comprises an accounts receivable payment document instance node.

41. The system of claim 40 further comprising at least one representation of a subdocument wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure levels comprise at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise at least one document instance node for different business document types and the subordinate level comprises at least one sub-document instance node associated with a representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node;

(a) is related to a representation of a business document associated with a, document instance node in another level in the branch; and

(b) is associated with the same type of sub-document associated with the sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch;

the means for selecting a particular document instance node further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information contained in the representation of a document associated with the selected document instance node further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts receivable invoice document instance node comprises an accounts receivable invoice line item sub-document instance node.

42. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a sales order item release document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a sales order item release document instance node comprises either a job order document instance node, or a shipper document instance node.

43. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a vendor document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a vendor document instance node comprises either a purchase order document instance node, a shipper document instance node, a receiver document instance node, or an accounts payable invoice document instance node.

44. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a purchase order document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a purchase order document instance node comprises either a purchase order item release document instance node, a shipper document instance node, or a receiver document instance node.

45. The system of claim 44 further comprising at least one representation of a sub-document wherein:

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure levels comprise at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise at least one document instance node for different business document types and the subordinate level comprises at least one sub-document instance node associated with a representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node;

(a) is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

(b) is associated with the same type of sub-document associated with the sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch;

the means for selecting a particular document instance node further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein;

the means for displaying information contained in the representation of a document associated with the selected document instance node father comprises means for displaying information contained in the—

representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a purchase order document instance node comprises a purchase order line item sub-document instance node.

46. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a receiver document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a receiver document instance node comprises an accounts payable invoice document instance node.

47. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node;

at least one representation of a subdocument wherein;

the means for relating the plurality of business documents further comprises means for relating sub-documents;

the tree structure levels comprise at least a dominant level, a subordinate level and a sub-subordinate level, and wherein the dominant and sub-subordinate levels comprise at least one document instance node for different business document types and the subordinate level comprises at least one sub-document instance node associated with a representation of a business sub-document;

each sub-document instance node;

(c) is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the branch; and

(d) is associated with the same type of sub-document associated with the sub-document instance node in the same level of the same branch;

the means for selecting a particular document instance node further comprises means for selecting a particular sub-document instance node; and

wherein

the means for displaying information contained in the representation of a document associated with the selected document instance node further comprises means for displaying information contained in the representation of a sub-document associated with the selected sub-document instance node; and

wherein

a sub-document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a receiver document instance node comprises a receiver line item sub-document instance node.

48. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises an accounts payable invoice document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts payable invoice document instance node comprises an accounts payable payment document instance node.

49. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a general ledger account category document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a general ledger account category document instance node comprises a general ledger account document instance node.

50. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a general ledger account document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a general ledger account document instance node comprises a general ledger account postings document instance node.

51. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a general ledger account postings document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a general ledger account postings document instance node comprises a general journal entry document instance node.

52. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a general journal entry document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a general journal entry document instance node comprises either an accounts payable sub-ledger document instance node, an accounts receivable subledger document instance node, a payroll sub-ledger document instance node, or an order costing sub-ledger document instance node.

53. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises an accounts payable sub-ledger document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts payable sub-ledger document instance node comprises an accounts payable invoice document instance node.

54. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises an accounts receivable sub-ledger document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising an accounts receivable invoice document instance node.

55. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node;

wherein the means for displaying includes icons,

at least one of the at least one document instance node of the at least two levels comprises either a quote item bill of materials document instance node, a sales order item bill of materials document instance node, or a job order bill of materials document instance node; and

wherein the icon associated with the bill of materials document instance node is visually different depending on whether the document represented by the icon is;

(a) a make item;

(b) a stock item;

or (c) a buy item.

56. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node;

means for accessing a representation of a business document referred to by a document instance node; and

means for launching the means for accessing from the display of a representation of a business document instance node in the hierarchical tree structure.

57. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node; and

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

a user interface for displaying a representation of a business document, the user interface comprising means for launching the means for displaying the hierarchical tree structure.

58. The system of claim 57 wherein:

upon launching the display of the hierarchical tree structure, the top level of the tree comprises a document type node that corresponds to the type of a business document displayed by the user interface and a document instance node that corresponds to the representation of a business document displayed by the user interface.

59. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

a filter document type node expression, wherein;

at least one of the at least two levels further a comprises a filter document type node, the filter document type node being displayed when the filter document type node expression is met,

at least one of the at least one document instance nodes is;

(d) immediately subordinate to a filter document type node,

(e) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch,

(f) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch,

(g) associated with the same representation of a business document as one of the at least one document instance nodes immediately subordinate to a document type node in the same level,

(h) a document instance in which the filter document type node expression is met.

60. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a patient document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a patient document type node comprises either an x-ray negative document type node, an evaluation document type node, a health insurance provider document type node, a health history document type node, or a prescription drug history document type node.

61. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document type node and at least one document instance node,

the document type nodes in at least two different levels in the same tree branch identify different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) immediately subordinate to a document type node,

(b) associated with a representation of the same type of business document as a document instance node in the same level of the same branch, and

(c) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with a selected document instance node; and

wherein a document type node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a purchaser document type node, and at least one document type node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a purchaser document type node comprises either a purchaser application document type node, an income document type node, a tax form document type node, balance sheet document type node, an investment document type node, a lease document type node, a sales contract document type node, a lien document type node, or a land title document type node.

62. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a patient document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a patient document instance node comprises either an x-ray negative document instance node, an evaluation document instance node, a health insurance provider document instance node, a health history document instance node, or a prescription drug history document instance node.

63. A software system comprising:

representations of a plurality of business documents;

means for relating the plurality of business documents;

means for displaying a hierarchical tree structure of representations of business documents, the tree structure having at least one branch, wherein;

the tree structure has a plurality of levels in a hierarchy, each level being in a dominant-subordinate relationship with each adjacent level,

at least two levels in the same branch comprise at least one document instance node,

the document instance nodes in at least two different levels of the same tree branch are associated with representations of different types of business documents,

each document instance node is;

(a) associated with a representation of the same type of business document associated with a document instance node in the same level of the same branch

(b) associated with a representation of a business document that is related to a representation of a business document associated with a document instance node in another level in the same branch;

means for selecting a particular business document instance node;

means for displaying information contained in the representation of a business document associated with the selected document instance node; and

wherein a document instance node of a dominant hierarchical level comprises a purchaser document instance node, and at least one document instance node of a hierarchical level subordinate to the level comprising a purchaser document instance node comprises either a purchaser application document instance node, an income document instance node, a tax form document instance node, a balance sheet document instance node, an investment document instance node, a lease document instance node, a sales contract document instance node, a lien document instance node, or a land title document instance node.