1. A method for automatically maintaining identity relationships, the method: comprising: providing an identity relationship repository comprising identity relationship entries; receiving a source business object from a source enterprise information system (EIS), wherein the source business object comprises a source key and is representative of a change in the source EIS; accessing a target identity relationship in the relationship database with the source key from the source business object; determining an affected identity relationship hierarchically related to the target relationship, wherein the affected identity relationship is inconsistent as a result of the change in the source EIS; and modifying the affected identity relationship to make the affected identity relationship consistent with the target identity relationship and the source EIS.