MULTI-DIMENSIONAL MODELING OF SALES TERRITORIES

• US 20110125668A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chang, Francis, Venkatesan, Subramanian, Bansal, Harish, Colliat, George, Constantinou, Fivos, Lam, Yu Cong
• Application Number:
  US12/857,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125668A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/348
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for using multi-dimensional modeling techniques to optimize definition and management of sales territories. Embodiments use multi-dimensional modeling to define territories in such a way that accounts for applicable territory criteria as sets with logical boundaries, rather than as a defined rule-based architecture. For example, territory criteria are modeled as hierarchical dimensions that form boundaries to a territory hypercube. An individual territory may be a set of cells in the hypercube. In certain embodiments, the territory (e.g., set of cells) is formalized by an MDX query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a hypercube with a territory management system, the hypercube defined according to a set of territory dimensions each having a set of dimension members;

generating a set of normalized territory definitions with the territory management system, the normalized territory definitions configured to define a hierarchical set of territories each as a set of cells of the hypercube;

generating a set of de-normalized territory definitions by de-normalizing at least some of the normalized territory definitions according to their corresponding territory dimensions and dimension members;

receiving an opportunity defined by opportunity data;

generating a de-normalized opportunity definition by transforming the opportunity data to corresponding dimension members;

determining one of the set of de-normalized territory definitions as a matching territory for which the dimension members of its de-normalized territory definition at least encompass the dimension members corresponding to the de-normalized opportunity definition; and

assigning the opportunity to the matching territory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one of the set of de-normalized territory definitions as the matching territory comprises:

determining a plurality of de-normalized territory definitions as candidate matching territories each having dimension members that at least encompass the dimension members corresponding to the de-normalized opportunity definition;

determining which of the candidate matching territories is at a lowest relative hierarchy level according to a hierarchical configuration of the hierarchical set of territories; and

assigning the opportunity to the candidate matching territories at the lowest relative hierarchy level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the opportunity to the matching territory comprises:

updating the opportunity data to associate the opportunity with the matching territory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the set of de-normalized territory definitions comprises:

calculating, for each normalized territory definition, a dot product of its territory dimensions according to its corresponding dimension members.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hypercube is configured to represent a market space for which each territory of the hierarchical set of territories represents a jurisdiction over a portion of the market space.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each territory of the hierarchical set of territories is associated with a territory type indicating a type of the jurisdiction represented by the territory.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one territory of the hierarchical set of territories is associated with a sales territory type.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of dimension members for at least one territory dimension is hierarchically configured, such that at least one dimension member for the territory dimension is a child of at least another dimension member for the territory dimension.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the hierarchical set of territories comprises at least one child territory and at least one parent territory; and

each territory of the hierarchical set of territories has a boundary defined as a range of dimension members for each territory dimension, such that the boundary of the child territory is a subset of the boundary of the parent territory.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving metrics data corresponding to at least some of the cells of the hypercube; and

loading the metrics data to the corresponding cells of the hypercube.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

calculating territory-level metrics data for a territory by aggregating the metrics data from the cells of the hypercube that correspond to the territory according to its normalized territory definition.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the hypercube is configured according to an Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) business intelligence framework; and

the normalized territory definitions are defined according to a Multi-Dimensional Expressions (MDX) framework.

13. A system comprising:

a hypercube store configured to store a hypercube defined according to a set of territory dimensions each having a set of dimension members;

a normalizer subsystem, communicatively coupled with the hypercube store, and configured to generate and store a set of normalized territory definitions that define a hierarchical set of territories each as a set of cells of the hypercube;

a de-normalizer subsystem, communicatively coupled with the normalizer subsystem, and configured to generate and store a set of de-normalized territory definitions by de-normalizing at least some of the normalized territory definitions according to their corresponding territory dimensions and dimension members; and

an assignment subsystem, communicatively coupled with the de-normalizer subsystem, and configured to;

receive an opportunity defined by opportunity data;

generate a de-normalized opportunity definition by transforming the opportunity data to corresponding dimension members;

determine one of the set of de-normalized territory definitions as a matching territory for which the dimension members of its de-normalized territory definition at least encompass the dimension members corresponding to the de-normalized opportunity definition; and

assign the opportunity to the matching territory.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the assignment subsystem is configured to generate the set of de-normalized territory definitions by:

calculating, for each normalized territory definition, a dot product of its territory dimensions according to its corresponding dimension members.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the set of dimension members for at least one territory dimension is hierarchically configured, such that at least one dimension member for the territory dimension is a child of at least another dimension member for the territory dimension.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a metrics subsystem, communicatively coupled with the hypercube store and the normalizer subsystem, and configured to;

receive metrics data corresponding to at least some of the cells of the hypercube;

load the metrics data to the corresponding cells of the hypercube; and

calculating territory-level metrics data for a territory by aggregating the metrics data from the cells of the hypercube that correspond to the territory according to its normalized territory definition.

17. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

generating a hypercube defined according to a set of territory dimensions each having a set of dimension members;

generating a set of normalized territory definitions configured to define a hierarchical set of territories each as a set of cells of the hypercube;

generating a set of de-normalized territory definitions by de-normalizing at least some of the normalized territory definitions according to their corresponding territory dimensions and dimension members;

receiving an opportunity defined by opportunity data;

generating a de-normalized opportunity definition by transforming the opportunity data to corresponding dimension members;

determining one of the set of de-normalized territory definitions as a matching territory for which the dimension members of its de-normalized territory definition at least encompass the dimension members corresponding to the de-normalized opportunity definition; and

assigning the opportunity to the matching territory.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein generating the set of de-normalized territory definitions comprises:

calculating, for each normalized territory definition, a dot product of its territory dimensions according to its corresponding dimension members.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the set of dimension members for at least one territory dimension is hierarchically configured, such that at least one dimension member for the territory dimension is a child of at least another dimension member for the territory dimension.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving metrics data corresponding to at least some of the cells of the hypercube;

loading the metrics data to the corresponding cells of the hypercube; and

calculating territory-level metrics data for a territory by aggregating the metrics data from the cells of the hypercube that correspond to the territory according to its normalized territory definition.