SOURCE AND DESTINATION DETERMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20100100573A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Hadari, Malkiel, Navon, Ohad, Harel, Orit
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/812
• 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/28 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading, distribution or shipping

Abstract

In a first general aspect, a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier is described. The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, perform operations for identifying a source or destination for stock. The operations include receiving an electronic request to determine a source or destination for stock, identifying, using a primary rule, a logistic area database object that represents a storage location at one of multiple levels of a hierarchy of storage locations. The logistic area database object is associated with a value that indicates an amount of stock that is associated with the storage location. The operations also include transmitting an identifier specifying the logistic area database object if the value indicates that associated storage location is available as a source or destination. The identifier is used to assign the storage location as the source or destination for the stock.

Claims

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, perform operations for identifying a source or destination for stock, the operations comprising:

receiving an electronic request to determine a source or destination for stock in a facility, wherein the electronic request specifies a material for the stock and a logistic unit for the stock;

accessing a hierarchical model of the facility comprising logistic area database objects that are configurable to represent storage locations at any one of a plurality of different levels of a hierarchy of storage locations and to represent an amount of stock stored at the storage locations;

selecting a primary rule from a set of primary rules based upon the material and the logistic unit for the stock specified in the electronic request, wherein the selected primary rule includes criteria that a storage location must satisfy to be determined as the source or the destination for the stock and an ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched in a process of identifying a particular storage location to serve as the source or the destination for the stock;

identifying, using the selected primary rule, at least one logistic area database object that represents a storage location that satisfies the criteria of the primary rule and that is available as the source or destination for the stock, the identifying of the at least one logistic area database object being performed by repeatedly evaluating storage locations represented by logistic area database objects in the hierarchal model according the ordered sequence of storage locations included in the selected primary rule until the at least one logistic area database object is identified; and

assigning a storage location represented by the identified logistic area database object as the source or the destination for the stock.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched is based upon an ordered sequence of logistic area database objects.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched is based upon an ordered sequence of storage behavior methods, wherein each storage behavior method is associated with at least one logistic area database object in the hierarchal model and indicates a manner in which stock is stored at storage locations represented by the associated at least one logistic area database object.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched is based upon an ordered sequence of electronic documents, wherein each electronic document includes information regarding deliveries of stock or orders of stock and is associated with at least one logistic area database object in the hierarchical model that represents storage locations for the deliveries of stock or the orders of stock.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the ordered sequence of storage location is based upon an ordered sequence of logistic area database objects, storage behavior methods, and electronic documents;

wherein each storage behavior method is associated with at least one logistic area database object in the hierarchal model and indicates a manner in which stock is stored at storage locations represented by the associated at least one logistic area database object; and

wherein each electronic document includes information regarding deliveries of stock or orders of stock and is associated with at least one logistic area database object in the hierarchical model that represents storage locations for the deliveries of stock or the orders of stock.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the material for the stock comprises a product type for the stock and wherein the logistic unit for the stock comprises a unit of the stock by which the stock is stored in or retrieved from a storage location.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the at least one logistic area database object being identified using the selected primary rule and the at least one logistic area database object comprising a plurality of logistic database objects, selecting one of the plurality of logistic area database objects over another of the plurality of logistic area database objects based upon local rules associated with the plurality of logistic area database objects, wherein a local rule specifies characteristics for at least one storage location.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the at least one logistic area database object being identified using the selected primary rule and the at least one logistic area database object comprising a plurality of logistic database objects, applying a refinement rule to the plurality of logistic area database objects to identify a single logistic area database object that represents a storage location that is preferred as the source or destination for the stock.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the criteria of the primary rule includes a reservation level that specifies a level of the hierarchical model for the source or the destination of the stock.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the criteria of the primary rule includes whether a purpose associated with the electronic request is a planning purpose or an execution purpose.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the electronic request further comprises an expected stock delivery or order which initiates use of the identified logistic area database object in a planning stage, wherein the amount of stock associated with the storage location is based on expected stock deliveries or orders.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the electronic request further comprises an expected stock delivery or order which initiates use of the identified logistic area database object in an execution stage, wherein the amount of stock associated with the storage location is based on current stock deliveries or orders.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the storage location is available as the destination if the storage location includes space for storing the stock or the location is available as the source if the stock is available for retrieval.

14. A source and destination determination system for identifying a storage location as a source or destination for stock, having one or more computers comprising:

an interface that receives an electronic request for a storage location for stock to be placed or retrieved, wherein the electronic request specifies a material for the stock and a logistic unit for the stock;

a hierarchical model of the facility comprising logistic area database objects that are configurable to represent storage locations at any one of a plurality of different levels of a hierarchy of storage locations and to represent an amount of stock stored at the storage locations;

a source and destination determination engine configured to;

select a primary rule from a set of primary rules based upon the material and the logistic unit for the stock specified in the electronic request, wherein the selected primary rule includes criteria that a storage location must satisfy to be determined as the source or the destination for the stock and an ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched in a process of identifying a particular storage location to serve as the source or the destination for the stock;

identify, using the selected primary rule, at least one logistic area database object that represents a storage location that satisfies the criteria of the primary rule and that is available as the source or destination for the stock, the identifying of the at least one logistic area database object being performed by repeatedly evaluating storage locations represented by logistic area database objects in the hierarchal model according the ordered sequence of storage locations included in the selected primary rule until the at least one logistic area database object is identified; and

assign a storage location represented by the identified logistic area database object as the source or the destination for the stock.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched is based upon an ordered sequence of logistic area database objects.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched is based upon an ordered sequence of storage behavior methods, wherein each storage behavior method is associated with at least one logistic area database object in the hierarchal model and indicates a manner in which stock is stored at storage locations represented by the associated at least one logistic area database object.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched is based upon an ordered sequence of electronic documents, wherein each electronic document includes information regarding deliveries of stock or orders of stock and is associated with at least one logistic area database object in the hierarchical model that represents storage locations for the deliveries of stock or the orders of stock.

18. A computer-implemented method for identifying a storage location as a source or destination for stock, comprising:

receiving, at a computer system, an electronic request to determine a source or destination for stock in a facility, wherein the electronic request specifies a material for the stock and a logistic unit for the stock;

accessing, by the computer system, a hierarchical model of the facility comprising logistic area database objects that are configurable to represent storage locations at any one of a plurality of different levels of a hierarchy of storage locations and to represent an amount of stock stored at the storage locations;

selecting, by the computer system, a primary rule from a set of primary rules based upon the material and the logistic unit for the stock specified in the electronic request, wherein the selected primary rule includes criteria that a storage location must satisfy to be determined as the source or the destination for the stock and an ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched in a process of identifying a particular storage location to serve as the source or the destination for the stock;

identifying, by the computer system, at least one logistic area database object that represents a storage location that satisfies the criteria of the primary rule and that is available as the source or destination for the stock, the identifying of the at least one logistic area database object being performed by repeatedly evaluating storage locations represented by logistic area database objects in the hierarchal model according the ordered sequence of storage locations included in the selected primary rule until the at least one logistic area database object is identified; and

assigning, by the computer system, a storage location represented by the identified logistic area database object as the source or the destination for the stock.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched is based upon an ordered sequence of storage behavior methods, wherein each storage behavior method is associated with at least one logistic area database object in the hierarchal model and indicates a manner in which stock is stored at storage locations represented by the associated at least one logistic area database object.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the ordered sequence of storage locations to be searched is based upon an ordered sequence of electronic documents, wherein each electronic document includes information regarding deliveries of stock or orders of stock and is associated with at least one logistic area database object in the hierarchical model that represents storage locations for the deliveries of stock or the orders of stock.