Structured model navigator

A method of interacting with data related to components that are used to assemble an article of manufacture, the method comprising:

• establishing a database including data describing a plurality of components used to assemble the article of manufacture;
• assigning a value to each of a plurality of attributes for each of the plurality of components;
• organizing the components into a structure based on the values of one of the plurality of attributes;
• and
• displaying the structure in a hierarchal fashion based on the one of the plurality of attributes.

A graphical user interface configured to be displayed on a computer system for informing a user about selected search results of data related to an article of manufacture, the graphical user interface comprising:

• a search results view pane including a drop down list of user selectable views for selecting a results view;
• a search pane including a plurality of search criteria windows for the user to input search criteria;
• and
• a search results pane that displays search results arranged in a view based on the user selectable view selected in the search results view pane.