Inventory management

• US 20030204480A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Heger, Achim, Laethem, Pascale Van, Seng, Markus, Heinrichs, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 7,383,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for inventory management. managing data items in an inventory management system. A request to add a data item to the inventory management system is received. The data item has an associated set of attributes to be represented in the inventory management system. It is determined whether the inventory management system includes a structure in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented. If no structure exists in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented, a new structure is automatically defined in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented. The data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item is added to the defined new structure.

Claims

1. A method for managing data items in an inventory management system, comprising:

receiving a request to add a data item to the inventory management system, the data item having an associated set of attributes to be represented in the inventory management system;

determining whether the inventory management system includes a structure in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented;

if no structure exists in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented, automatically defining a new structure in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented; and

adding the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item to the defined new structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data item represents:

a stock item, a handling unit, or a location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory management system includes a hierarchy representing relations between a plurality of data items, each data item being represented by a unique identifier in the hierarchy, the method further comprising:

automatically defining a unique identifier for the added data item and the associated set of attributes;

determining a location within the hierarchy for the added data item, based on one or more of the attributes in the set of attributes associated with the added data item; and

adding the unique identifier to the hierarchy at the determined location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining and adding steps are performed in accordance with a set of rules associated with the hierarchy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request to add a data item comprises receiving an XML document defining the data item and the associated set of attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating one or more external system in response to the adding of the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item to the defined new structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises one or more of:

an index table, a stock table, a serial number table, and a tree hierarchy table.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data item is represented in a unique index table that includes a global unique identifier field and one or more attribute fields, each attribute field representing an attribute associated with the data item.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating the tree hierarchy table every time a unique identifier is created.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the index table is:

a stock index table, a location index table, or a handling unit index table.

11. A computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive a request to add a data item to the inventory management system, the data item having an associated set of attributes to be represented in the inventory management system;

determine whether the inventory management system includes a structure in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented;

if no structure exists in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented, automatically define a new structure in which the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item can be represented; and

add the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item to the defined new structure.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the data item represents:

a stock item, a handling unit, or a location.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the inventory management system includes a hierarchy representing relations between a plurality of data items, each data item being represented by a unique identifier in the hierarchy, the method further comprising instructions to:

automatically define a unique identifier for the added data item and the associated set of attributes;

determine a location within the hierarchy for the added data item, based on one or more of the attributes in the set of attributes associated with the added data item; and

add the unique identifier to the hierarchy at the determined location.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the determining and adding steps are performed in accordance with a set of rules associated with the hierarchy.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein receiving a request to add a data item comprises receiving an XML document defining the data item and the associated set of attributes.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to update one or more external system in response to the adding of the data item and the set of attributes associated with the data item to the defined new structure.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the structure comprises one or more of:

an index table, a stock table, a serial number table, and a tree hierarchy table.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the data item is represented in a unique index table that includes a global unique identifier field and one or more attribute fields, each attribute field representing an attribute associated with the data item.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising instructions to update the tree hierarchy table every time a unique identifier is created.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the index table is:

a stock index table, a location index table, or a handling unit index table.