Update processes in an enterprise planning system

• US 20070073737A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cognos Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Patterson, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An enterprise planning system accumulates newly submitted planning data in a manner that minimizes database contention, allows ongoing entry of planning data, and allows queries against that data to return consistent results while accumulations are ongoing. An “update process” is the set of activities required to bring the entire data store up to date with a newly submitted value set. The activities may be interleaved with an arbitrary number of other submitted value set changes (other update processes). The enterprise planning system also provides for labeling of consistent sets and removal of obsolete versions of value sets.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing enterprise planning data in a data store according to a calculation model for an enterprise planning system, wherein the calculation model includes a plurality of hierarchically arranged nodes, and wherein each node has a corresponding level measure;

receiving a submitted value set from a user corresponding to a leaf node in the calculation model;

initiating an update process to accumulate the submitted value set into the data store, wherein the update process includes a set of activities each corresponding to a node in the calculation model;

determining a subset from the set of available activities that are independent;

scheduling all available activities having the lowest level measure; and

executing the scheduled activities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the scheduled activities comprises:

completing a scheduled activity to create an updated value set for the corresponding node in the calculation model;

adding to the set of available activities additional activities to which the updated value set is a dependent.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising assigning a version to the updated value set and storing the updated value set in the data store.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising maintaining list of versions of dependents that were inputs to the updated value set.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether there are any remaining scheduled activities; and

determining a subset from the set of remaining scheduled activities that are independent.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether there are any remaining available activities;

scheduling the remaining available activities.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a plurality of update processes, each corresponding to one of a plurality of submitted value sets.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying an activity assigned to a first update process which would result in a conflicting update with a second update process, wherein the first update process has an associated higher level measure and the second update process has an associated lower level measure; and

handing-off the activity assigned to the first update process to the second update process.

9. The method of claim 1, further including identifying consistent versions of nodes in the calculation model in response to a query.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying consistent versions of nodes further comprises:

identifying a highest level node in the query;

determining the most recent completed version of the highest level node; and

identifying versions of dependents to the highest level node corresponding to the most recent completed version of the highest level node.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising labeling consistent versions of all nodes in the calculation model.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein labeling consistent versions comprises:

selecting a label;

identifying root nodes in the calculation model;

determining a most recent completed version of each root node;

identifying versions of dependents associated with each root node corresponding to the most recent completed version of the associated root nodes;

associating a label with the root nodes and the identified versions of the dependents.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting obsolete versions of nodes in the calculation model.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein deleting obsolete versions of nodes comprises:

identifying a most recent consistent set of value sets in the calculation model;

identifying any labeled consistent sets in the calculation model;

identify versions of value sets created by an update process that is in progress; and

deleting any remaining versions of value sets in the calculation model.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculation model comprises a directed acyclic graph.

16. A system comprising:

an enterprise planning system to execute an enterprise planning session for a set of enterprise users in accordance with a calculation model, wherein the calculation model defines hierarchically arranged nodes; and

an update process manager that initiates update processes to accumulate submitted value sets from users into the data store, wherein each update process includes a set of activities that correspond to nodes in the calculation model;

wherein the update process manager further identifies potentially conflicting activities among the update processes;

wherein the update process manager identifies consistent versions of nodes in the calculation model in response to a query.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each node in the calculation model has an associated level measure and wherein the update process manager schedules all available activities for execution having a determined lowest level measure.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the update process manager labels consistent versions of all nodes in the calculation model.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the update process manager deletes obsolete versions of value sets in the calculation model.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the update process manager identifies an activity assigned to a first update process which would result in a conflicting update with a second update process, wherein the first update process has an associated higher level measure and the second update process has an associated lower level measure, and hands-off the activity assigned to the first update process to the second update process.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the calculation model comprises a directed acyclic graph.