1. Software comprising processor-executable instructions stored in one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media that when executed perform a method of providing a production metric about a physical production line comprising an arrangement of physical entities at a plurality of line positions in the physical production line, said method comprising: (a) presenting one or more interactive entity configuration views on a display of a workstation; (b) receiving user inputs to said one or more interactive entity configuration views, said user inputs including entity data representing one of said physical entities; (c) generating an entity data model from said entity data; (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) to generate an entity data model for each of the physical entities in the physical production line; (e) presenting one or more interactive line configuration views on said display of the workstation, at least one of said one or more interactive line configuration views having a work area and a palette of entity configuration objects, at least a plurality of said entity configuration objects representing said entity data models generated in steps (c) and (d); (f) receiving user inputs selecting said plurality of said entity configuration objects and placing them on the work area at displayed locations on the work area representative of the line positions of the respective physical entities in the physical production line to create a graphical object model representing the physical production line; (g) generating a line data model based on said user inputs, said step of generating the line data model comprising including in the line data model a line definition model for the physical production line and an entity link model for each of the physical entities, the entity link model comprising a record including a line identification field identifying the line definition model, an entity identification field identifying a respective one of the entity data models, and a line position field describing the line positon of the respective one of the physical entities; (h) receiving production data about the physical entities; (i) determining a production metric of the physical production line using the production data and the line data model; and (j) displaying the production metric on said display.