Customizable state machine and state aggregation technique for processing collaborative and transactional business objects

A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with software method for facilitating processing by a state machine of business objects, the software when executed using one or more computers is configured to:

• retrieve composite state information of a composite business object from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the composite business object including one or more components comprising component state information;
• control the composite state information of the composite business object based on one or more data structures comprising state information stored as values in a multidimensional state transition matrix, action information, and transition information associated with the composite business object, wherein a first dimension of the state transition matrix represents a state identifier associated with the composite business object, a second dimension of the state transition matrix represents an action identifier associated with the composite business object, and a third dimension of the state transition matrix represents an entity identifier associated with the composite business object;
• and
• configure a derived state information for the composite business object by assigning a priority level from a hierarchy of states to the individual component state information of the one or more components and selecting the component state information having the highest priority, each state in the hierarchy of states having a corresponding assigned priority level.

A system for facilitating processing by a state machine of business objects, comprising:

• an electronic marketplace comprising two or more business enterprises;
• at least one supplier entity of the two or more business enterprises, wherein the at least one supplier entity supplies one or more products;
• and
• the electronic marketplace configured to:
• retrieve composite state information of a composite business object from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the composite business object representing at least one collaboration between the two or more business enterprises comprising and including one or more components comprising component state information;
• control the composite state information of the composite business object based on one or more data structures comprising state information stored as values in a multidimensional state transition matrix, action information, and transition information associated with the composite business object, wherein a first dimension of the state transition matrix represents a state identifier associated with the composite business object, a second dimension of the state transition matrix represents an action identifier associated with the composite business object, and a third dimension of the state transition matrix represents an entity identifier associated with the composite business object;
• and
• configure a derived state information of the composite business object by assigning a priority level from a hierarchy of states to the individual component state information of the one or more components and selecting the component state information having the highest priority, each state in the hierarchy of states having a corresponding assigned priority level.