Data management system and method for propagating product manufacturing information to disparate information systems

• US 20070011205A1
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agile Software Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Agile Software Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Majjasie, Michelle, Hein, Raymond, Lin, Raymond, Teh, Jin, Wise, Dorothy, Fazio, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

A data management system is provided that is designed to automatically propagate changes in information related to a product being designed or manufactured. The product information may be stored in a central location such as a central data base. According to the invention, product information may be transferred to remote locations to systems having disparate formats and protocols. The product information may be configured into a standard format within the central data base and transferred to remote and disparate user locations for use in user'"'"'s engineering and manufacturing information systems. The invention may further include an administration module communicating with the central database and configured to validate product data stored in the data base. This would ensure that the centrally stored data is accessible by the system. The system also includes a product change module communicating with the central data base that is configured to poll the central data base to determine whether a change has been made to data related to a product. When changes are discovered by the product change module, a data management server is alerted to the change. The data management server may also incorporate the change module therein. In response to such an alert, the data server is configured to extract, format and transmit the changes in product data from the central data base to an appropriate user system. An application adapter communicating with the user system then receives the changed data from the data server and formats the data according to the user system platform. All aspects of the format protocols are configurable for adaptation of the data to the user system.

Claims

1. A method of propagating product information changes on network between a first computer including a central database and a second computer including a user information system, comprising:

configuring the central database for storing and maintaining a file for manufacturing a product, the file including at least one of a set of component serial numbers, a set of change orders, and a set of financial information;

configuring the central database to format the file for transfer to a second computer, the file including a set of attribute properties;

coupling an administration module in the second computer to the central database;

configuring the administration module to validate the product information based on a set of predefined criteria by confirming at least one of a field length, a format, and a unit of measure;

polling the central data base to determine whether a change has been made to the file;

generating a reformatted file, if the change has been made, according to the predefined criteria;

transmitting the reformatted file to the second computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of generating a status report, after the step of transmitting the reformatted file to the second computer.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the step of configuring the user information system to display the file for a user, after the step of configuring the central database to format the file for transfer to a second computer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of polling the central data base to determine whether a change has been made to the file, further includes polling the central database according to a predetermined schedule.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the file is a bill of material.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the bill of material includes at least one of an identification of a particular item, a vendor part number, a vendor code, a manufacturer'"'"'s name, and a date of a transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the file is an engineering change order.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the file is a manufacturing change order.

9. A method for automatically propagating changes in information related to a product being designed or manufactured from a central location to remote and disparate user information systems having varying data formats, comprising:

configuring a central data base for storing and maintaining data that is related to a product and that is configured into a standard format to be transferred to remote and disparate user information systems;

configuring an administration module communicating with the central database and having software code that, when executed by a microprocessor, configures the administration module to validate data related to a product;

configuring a product change module communicating with the central data base and having software code that, when executed by a microprocessor, configures the product change module to poll the central data base to determine whether a change has been made to data related to a product; and

configuring a data server having code that, when executed by a microprocessor, configures the data server to extract, format and transmit changes in data stored in the central data base to a user system, the data being transferred according to predetermined data requirements of the disparate information system.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

configuring an application adapter to receive data from the data server and to format the data according to the platform under which the user system'"'"'s computer system is based, after the step of configuring a data server having code.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the administration module is configured validate the field length of data related to a product, the field format of the data, the list of values of the data including units of measure and required fields for the transfer of data to a user system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the product change module is configured to poll the central database according to a predetermined schedule to determine whether any changes in data have occurred and configured to send a signal to the data server upon the detection of a change of data in the central data base.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the application adapter is further configured to validate data changes sent by the data server, to update a user system database after data changes are validated, and to generate status reports according to predefined criteria for a user system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a client information system is further configured to receive the data changes from the data server and to display the data for a user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is a bill of material.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the bill of material includes at least one of an identification of a particular item, a vendor part number, a vendor code, a manufacturer'"'"'s name, and a date of a transaction.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is one of an engineering change order and a manufacturing change order.

18. A method of propagating product information changes on network between a first computer including a central database and a second computer including a user information system, comprising:

configuring the central database in a first computer for storing and maintaining a bill of material for manufacturing a product, wherein the bill of material includes an identification of a particular item, a vendor part number, a vendor code, a manufacturer'"'"'s name, and a date of a transaction;

configuring the central database to format the bill of material for transfer to a second computer, the file including a set of attribute properties;

coupling an administration module in the second computer to the central database, the administration module is further configured based on a set of predefined criteria to validate the product information by confirming at least on of a field length for each data of the file, a field format for each data of the file, and a unit of measure for each data of the file;

polling the central data base to determine whether a change has been made to the file related to a product;

generating a reformatted file, if the change has been made, according to the predefined criteria;

transmitting the reformatted file to the second computer.