PROVIDING SUPPLY CHAIN CONTROL SOFTWARE AS ENTERPRISE SERVICES

• US 20100070337A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Zheng, Hao, Wagner, Frank, Bettin, Andreas, Adam, Alexander S., Kaharkov, Anton Ruskov, Poth, Andreas, Tomski, Rainer, Kretz, Thomas, Mehta, Sanjeev, Deimel, Sabine, Schott, Volker, Weber, Sascha, Colle, Renzo, Steinbach, Jochen, Wilmes, Martin J., Hetzer, Stephan, Baeck, Christian, Gross-Boelting, Thomas, Lokowandt, Bernhard, Freund, Jens, Clemens, Achim
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including systems and computer program products, for a services architecture design that provides enterprise services having supply chain control functionality at the level of an enterprise application. The design includes a set of service operations, process components, and optionally deployment units. Suitable business objects are also described.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium including program code for providing message-based services using a service-oriented methodology for implementing an instance of a deployment unit, the medium comprising:

program code for storing a supply chain control deployment unit for the management and planning of on-time demand fulfillment, where the supply chain control deployment unit defines the limits of an application-defined transaction for the management and planning of on-time demand fulfillment by a set of actions that have atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability in a database, and wherein the actions associated with the application-defined transaction are performed by one or more process components contained in the supply chain control deployment unit, wherein each process component comprises a software package realizing a business process and exposing its functionality as one or more service operations, wherein the supply chain control deployment unit comprises;

a customer requirement processing process component, wherein the customer requirement processing process component implements the following service operations;

a check availability operation, a delete provisional customer requirement operation, a maintain customer requirement operation, a confirm fulfillment operation, a check availability and reserve operation, and a notify of availability update operation;

a demand forecast processing process component, wherein the demand forecast processing process component implements the following service operations;

a maintain demand forecast operation;

an external procurement trigger and response process component, wherein the external procurement trigger and response process component implements the following service operations;

a maintain planning view of purchase order operation, a notify of purchase order delivery values operation, a change purchase requisition based on purchase request operation, and a request purchasing operation;

an in-house requirement processing process component, wherein the in-house requirement processing process component implements the following service operations;

a check availability for in-house requirement and reserve operation, a notify of availability update operation, a confirm fulfillment operation, a maintain in-house requirement operation, and a check availability for in-house requirement operation;

a logistics execution control process component, wherein the logistics execution control process component implements the following service operations;

a change logistics execution requisition based on delivery fulfillment confirmation operation, a maintain site logistics requisition operation, a change based on site logistics request confirmation reconciliation operation, a change site logistics requisition based on site logistics request confirmation operation, a maintain based on site logistics request notification reconciliation operation, a request site logistics, and a request delivery fulfillment operation;

a production trigger and response process component, wherein the production trigger and response process component implements the following service operations;

a change production requisition based on production request confirmation operation, a request production operation, and a change production requisition on production request confirmation reconciliation operation;

a supply and demand matching process component, wherein the supply and demand matching process component implements the following service operations;

a maintain planning view of inventory based on logistics confirmation operation and a maintain planning view of inventory based on inventory reconciliation operation;

wherein the process components of the supply chain control deployment unit are packaged together to be deployed on a single computer system;

program code for executing the application-defined transaction for the management and planning of on-time demand fulfillment; and

program code for presenting data associated with the executed application-defined transaction for the management and planning of on-time demand fulfillment to a graphical user interface.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the customer requirement processing process component comprises a customer requirement business object and an available to promise check run business object.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein the demand forecast processing process component comprises a demand forecast business object.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein the external procurement trigger and response process component comprises a purchase requisition business object, a supply planning request procurement run business object, and a planning view of purchase order business object.

5. The medium of claim 1, wherein the in-house requirement processing process component comprises an in-house requirement business object.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the logistics execution control process component comprises a request logistics execution run business object, a logistics execution requisition business object, and a site logistics requisition business object.

7. The medium of claim 1, wherein the production trigger and response process component comprises a production requisition business object and a supply planning request production run business object.

8. The medium of claim 1, wherein the supply and demand matching process component comprises a production planning order business object, a material requirements planning run business object, a planning view of inventory business object, a supply planning exception business object, a supply planning exception view business object, a capacity load planning view business object, a material supply and demand view business object, a planned independent requirement business object, a planned material flow business object, a supply planning requirement business object, a procurement planning order business object, and an order fulfillment planning view business object.

9. The medium of claim 1, wherein the services operations associated with the customer requirement processing process component are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

a fulfillment in interface that includes the check availability operation, the delete provisional customer requirement operation, the maintain customer requirement operation, and the check availability and reserve operation; and

a fulfillment out interface that includes the confirm fulfillment operation and the notify of availability update operation.

10. The medium of claim 1, wherein the services operations associated with the demand forecast processing process component are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

a demand forecasting in interface that includes the maintain demand forecast operation.

11. The medium of claim 1, wherein the services operations associated with the external procurement trigger and response process component are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

an external procurement trigger and response fulfillment out interface that includes the notify of purchase order delivery values operation;

an ordering notification in interface that includes the maintain planning view of purchase order operation;

a purchasing in interface that includes the change purchase requisition based on purchase request operation; and

a purchasing out interface that includes the request purchasing operation.

12. The medium of claim 1, wherein the services operations associated with the in-house requirement processing process component are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

an internal fulfillment in interface that includes a check availability for in-house requirement and reserve operation, a maintain in-house requirement operation, and a check availability for in-house requirement operation;

an internal fulfillment out interface that includes a notify of availability update operation and a confirm fulfillment operation.

13. The medium of claim 1, wherein the services operations associated with the logistics execution control process component are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

a fulfillment in interface that includes the change logistics execution requisition based on delivery fulfillment confirmation operation;

a fulfillment out interface that includes the request delivery fulfillment operation;

a site logistics notification in interface that includes the maintain site logistics requisition, the maintain based on site logistics request notification reconciliation operation, the change based on site logistics request confirmation reconciliation operation, and the change site logistics requisition based on site logistics request confirmation operation; and

a site logistics processing out interface that includes the request site logistics operation.

14. The medium of claim 1, wherein the services operations associated with the production trigger and response process component are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

a producing in interface that includes the change production requisition based on production request confirmation operation and the change production requisition on production request confirmation reconciliation operation; and

a producing out interface that includes the request production operation.

15. the medium of claim 1, wherein the services operations associated with the supply and demand matching process component are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

an inventory changing in interface that includes the maintain planning view of inventory based on logistics confirmation operation; and

an inventory reconciliation in interface that includes the maintain planning view of inventory based on inventory reconciliation operation.

16. The medium of claim 1, wherein the single computer system comprises a single physical hardware platform.

17. A computer readable medium including program code for providing message-based services using a service-oriented methodology for implementing an instance of a deployment unit, the medium comprising:

program code for storing an instance of a business planning deployment unit for the provision of services for semantic, technical, and process integration for planning applications within a company, where the business planning deployment unit defines the limits of an application-defined transaction for the provision of services for semantic, technical, and process integration for planning applications within a company by a set of actions that have atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability in a database, and where the actions associated with the application-defined transaction are performed by one or more process components contained in the business planning deployment unit, wherein each process component comprises a software package realizing a business process and exposing its functionality as one or more service operations, wherein the business planning deployment unit comprises;

a demand planning process component, wherein the demand planning process component implements the following service operations;

a notify of forecast operation;

a purchase planning process component; and

a business plan foundation process component; and

wherein the process components of the business planning deployment unit are packaged together to be deployed on a single computer system;

program code for executing the application-defined transaction for the provision of services for semantic, technical, and process integration for planning applications within a company; and

program code for presenting data associated with the executed application-defined transaction for the provision of services for semantic, technical, and process integration for planning applications within a company to a graphical user interface.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the demand planning process component comprises a demand plan business object, a demand plan preparation run business object, a demand plan forecast run business object, a demand plan release run business object, and a demand plan structural adjustment run business object.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the purchase planning process component comprises a purchase plan business object.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein the business plan foundation process component comprises a business plan foundation business object and a value help business plan foundation business object.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein the services operations associated with the demand planning process component are grouped into service interfaces, the service interfaces comprising:

a demand forecasting out interface that includes the notify of forecast operation.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein the single computer system comprises a single physical hardware platform.