Architectural design for make to stock application software

• US 20070168240A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kulick, Thorsten, Steinbach, Jochen, Hirth, Jochen, Hetzer, Stephan, Bildmayer, Reiner, Moosmann, Gerd, Kaetker, Stefan, Poth, Andreas, Heitner, Ami, Doerfler, Andre, Alfandary, Shai, Freund, Jens, Clemens, Achim, Sandner, Andreas, Latocha, Peter, Wilmes, Martin, Gaiser, Tim
• Granted Patent: US 8,402,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for implementing a software architecture design for a software application implementing a make to stock process. The application is structured as multiple process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, and multiple service interface operations, each being implemented for a respective process component. The process components include an Accounting process component; a Production process component; a Site Logistics process component; a Confirmation and Inventory process component; a Customer Requirement Processing process component; a Demand Forecast Processing process component; a Supply and Demand Matching process component; a Production Trigger and Response process component; an In-house Requirement Processing process component; a Sales Scheduling Agreement Processing process component; and a Demand Planning process component.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising application software encoded on a tangible machine-readable information carrier, the application software being structured as process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, the software comprising:

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

an Accounting process component that records all relevant business transactions;

a Production process component that combines the activities required to manage the production execution process on the manufacturing shop floor;

a Site Logistics process component that supports preparing and execution tasks concerning internal inventory movements;

a Confirmation and Inventory process component that combines tasks required to confirm inventory changes and provided activities;

a Customer Requirement Processing process component that combines tasks required for processing customer requirements and provides an interface to presales, sales and services;

a Demand Forecast Processing process component that collects demand forecasts for further processing;

a Supply and Demand Matching process component that combines tasks necessary to ensure that sufficient material receipt elements exist to cover material demand while taking available capacity into account;

a Production Trigger and Response process component that provides an interface to production from a supply planning perspective;

an In-house Requirement Processing process component that combines tasks required for processing in-house requirements;

a Sales Scheduling Agreement Processing process component that combines tasks required for the inbound processing of delivery schedules and the outbound processing of delivery schedule confirmations; and

a Demand Planning process component that combines all the tasks required to anticipate future demand; and

a plurality of service interface operations, each service interface operation being implemented for a respective process component, the operations comprising inbound and outbound operations, the outbound operation for a first process component being operable to send a message to a second process component of the plurality of process components, the second process component having an inbound operation for receiving the message, the passing of messages between an inbound and an outbound operation defining a message-based pair-wise interaction between the respective process components of the respective operations, the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components including interactions between;

the Production process component and the Accounting process component;

the Production Trigger and Response process component and the Production process component;

the Site Logistics Processing process component and the Accounting process component; and

the Demand Planning process component and the Demand Forecast Processing process component.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of process components is assigned to exactly one deployment unit among multiple deployment units, and each deployment unit is deployable on a separate computer hardware platform independent of every other deployment unit; and

all interaction between a process component in one deployment unit and any other process component in any other deployment unit takes place through the respective service interfaces of the two process components.

3. The product of claim 2, wherein the deployment units comprise:

a Financial Accounting deployment unit that includes the Accounting process component;

a Logistics Execution deployment unit that includes the Production process component, the Site Logistics process component, and the Confirmation and Inventory process component;

a Supply Chain Control deployment unit that includes the Customer Requirement Processing process component, the Demand Forecast Processing process component, the Supply and Demand Matching process component, the Production Trigger and Response process component, the In-house Requirement Processing process component, and the Sales Scheduling Agreement process component;

an Integrated Business Planning deployment unit that includes the Demand Planning process component.

4. The product of claim 1, wherein:

each of the process components includes one or more business objects; and

none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects included in any of the other process components.

5. The product of claim 4, wherein the business objects comprise a business process object.

6. The product of claim 4, wherein:

none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

7. The product of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of process agents, each process agent being either an inbound process agent or an outbound process agent, an inbound process agent being operable to receive a message from an inbound operation, an outbound process agent being operable to cause an outbound operation to send a message, each process agent being associated with exactly one process component.

8. The product of claim 7, wherein:

the inbound process agents comprise a first inbound process agent operable to start the execution of step requested in a first inbound message by creating or updating one or more business object instances.

9. The product of claim 7, wherein:

the outbound process agents comprise a first asynchronous outbound process agent that is called after a business object that is associated with the first outbound process agent changes.

10. The product of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise synchronous and asynchronous operations.

11. A system, comprising:

a computer system comprising one or more hardware platforms for executing a computer software application;

a plurality of process components, each of the process components being a package of software implementing a respective and distinct business process, the plurality of process components including;

an Accounting process component that records all relevant business transactions;

a Production process component that combines the activities required to manage the production execution process on the manufacturing shop floor;

a Site Logistics process component that supports preparing and execution tasks concerning internal inventory movements;

a Confirmation and Inventory process component that combines tasks required to confirm inventory changes and provided activities;

a Customer Requirement Processing process component that combines tasks required for processing customer requirements and provides an interface to presales, sales and services;

a Demand Forecast Processing process component that collects demand forecasts for further processing;

a Supply and Demand Matching process component that combines tasks necessary to ensure that sufficient material receipt elements exist to cover material demand while taking available capacity into account;

a Production Trigger and Response process component that provides an interface to production from a supply planning perspective;

an In-house Requirement Processing process component that combines tasks required for processing in-house requirements;

a Sales Scheduling Agreement Processing process component that combines tasks required for the inbound processing of delivery schedules and the outbound processing of delivery schedule confirmations; and

a Demand Planning process component that combines all the tasks required to anticipate future demand; and

a plurality of service interface operations, each service interface operation being implemented for a respective process component, the operations comprising inbound and outbound operations, the outbound operation for a first process component being operable to send a message to a second process component of the plurality of process components, the second process component having an inbound operation for receiving the message, the passing of messages between an inbound and an outbound operation defining a message-based pair-wise interaction between the respective process components of the respective operations, the pair-wise interactions between pairs of the process components including interactions between;

the Production process component and the Accounting process component;

the Production Trigger and Response process component and the Production process component;

the Site Logistics Processing process component and the Accounting process component; and

the Demand Planning process component and the Demand Forecast Processing process component.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

each of the process components includes one or more business objects; and

none of the business objects of any one of the process components interacts directly with any of the business objects included in any of the other process components.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

none of the business objects included in any one of the process components is included in any of the other process components.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein:

a plurality of process agents, each process agent being either an inbound process agent or an outbound process agent, an inbound process agent being operable to receive a message from an inbound operation, an outbound process agent being operable to cause an outbound operation to send a message, each process agent being associated with exactly one process component.

15. The system of claim 11, the system comprising multiple hardware platforms, wherein:

the Accounting process component is deployed on a first hardware platform;

the Production process component, the Site Logistics process component, and the Confirmation and Inventory process component are deployed on a first hardware platform;

the Customer Requirement Processing process component, the Demand Forecast Processing process component, the Supply and Demand Matching process component, the Production Trigger and Response process component, the In-house Requirement Processing process component, and the Sales Scheduling Agreement process component are deployed on a first hardware platform; and

the Demand Planning process component is deployed on a first hardware platform.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the first through the last hardware platforms are distinct and separate from each other.

17. A method for developing a computer software application, comprising:

obtaining in a computer system digital data representing an architectural design for a set of processes implementing an end-to-end application process, the design specifying a process component for each process in the set of processes, the design specifying further specifying a set of process component interactions, wherein

the specified process components include

an Accounting process component that records all relevant business transactions;

a Production process component that combines the activities required to manage the production execution process on the manufacturing shop floor;

a Site Logistics process component that supports preparing and execution tasks concerning internal inventory movements;

a Confirmation and Inventory process component that combines tasks required to confirm inventory changes and provided activities;

a Customer Requirement Processing process component that combines tasks required for processing customer requirements and provides an interface to presales, sales and services;

a Demand Forecast Processing process component that collects demand forecasts for further processing;

a Supply and Demand Matching process component that combines tasks necessary to ensure that sufficient material receipt elements exist to cover material demand while taking available capacity into account;

a Production Trigger and Response process component that provides an interface to production from a supply planning perspective;

an In-house Requirement Processing process component that combines tasks required for processing in-house requirements;

a Sales Scheduling Agreement Processing process component that combines tasks required for the inbound processing of delivery schedules and the outbound processing of delivery schedule confirmations; and

a Demand Planning process component that combines all the tasks required to anticipate future demand; and

the process component interactions include interactions between

the Production process component and the Accounting process component;

the Production Trigger and Response process component and the Production process component;

the Site Logistics Processing process component and the Accounting process component; and

the Demand Planning process component and the Demand Forecast Processing process component; and

using the design including the specified process components and the specified process component interactions to develop a computer software application to perform the set of processes.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

each process in the set of processes is a business process transforming a defined business input into a defined business outcome.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

obtaining digital data representing the architectural design further comprises editing the design before using the design.