Multi-Item Access of Pricing Condition Tables

• US 20150186960A1
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Veit, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/145,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20150186960A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

Various embodiments herein each include at least one of systems, methods, and software for multi-item access of pricing condition tables. Such embodiments generally retrieve applicable pricing conditions from each relevant pricing condition table in a single query for each product included in an order or invoicing document, or other document within which pricing data is provided. The retrieved pricing condition data may then be written to a buffer in memory and utilized in pricing products included in an order or invoice document. Such embodiments generally reduce a number of queries that are executed against pricing condition tables thereby increasing the efficiency of pricing activities.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, through execution of instructions on at least one processor of at least one computing device, a pricing procedure for a document based on at least one of a document type and a customer identifier, the pricing procedure identifying ordered pricing condition types to apply to document items to be priced;

for each identified pricing condition type, determining an access sequence of one or more pricing condition tables to obtain a sequence of pricing condition table identifiers for each identified pricing condition type;

for each identified pricing condition type and according to the sequence of pricing condition table identifiers;

retrieving, in a single query from a pricing condition table of the respective pricing condition table identifier, a pricing condition record identifier for each document item to be priced; and

for each retrieved pricing condition record identifier, writing, to a first data structure buffered in a memory, a pricing condition type identifier, an order identifier of the respective pricing condition type, an identifier of the document item to be priced, and the pricing condition record identifier; and

for each pricing condition record identifier included in the first data structure buffered in memory, retrieving pricing condition record data and writing the retrieved data to a second data structure buffered in memory;

pricing each document item to be priced based on the data of the first and second data structures buffered in memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein for each identified pricing condition type with regard to each document item to be priced, the retrieving of the pricing condition record identifier from the pricing condition tables is performed according to the sequence of pricing condition table identifiers until a pricing condition record identifier has been retrieved for the respective document item to be priced, after which, pricing condition record identifiers are retrieved only for document items to be priced for which a pricing condition record identifier has yet to be retrieved.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

retrieving pricing condition record data includes retrieving scaled pricing data for each pricing condition record identifier including a price scaling indicator indicating there is associated scaled pricing data and writing the scaled pricing data to a third data structure buffered in memory; and

pricing each document item to be priced, when a document item is subject to scaled pricing as indicated by a price scaling indicator, includes selecting, for a respective item to be priced, a price from the scaled pricing data written to the third data structure buffered in memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the document is an invoice to be generated for each of a plurality of customers, each of the plurality of customers including at least one document item to be priced;

determining a pricing procedure for the document based on the at least one of the document type and the customer identifier includes;

determining a pricing procedure for each of the plurality of customers for which an invoice is to be generated; and

the pricing procedure for each of the plurality of customers identifying a sequence of pricing condition types to apply to document items to be priced for the respective customer; and

for each customer of the plurality of customers, writing, to a third data structure buffered in the memory, data representative of the respective customer, pricing condition types to be applied to document items, and data representative of the sequence the pricing condition types are to be applied.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the retrieving, in the single query from the pricing condition table of the respective pricing condition table identifier, is performed with regard to each document item of each of the plurality of customers.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and third data structures are the same data structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified ordered pricing condition types include a document item price condition type, at least one document item discount condition type, and at least one document item legal condition type.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, with instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, causes the computing device to:

determine, through retrieval of stored data, a pricing procedure for a document based on at least one of a document type and a customer identifier, the pricing procedure identifying ordered pricing condition types to apply to document items to be priced;

for each identified pricing condition type, determine an access sequence of one or more pricing condition tables to obtain a sequence of pricing condition table identifiers for each identified pricing condition type;

for each identified pricing condition type and according to the sequence of pricing condition table identifiers;

retrieve, in a single query from a pricing condition table of the respective pricing condition table identifier, a pricing condition record identifier for each document item to be priced;

retrieving, in a single query, data of pricing condition records of each pricing condition identifier, the data of each pricing condition record including at least one of price data and an indicator of whether scaled pricing data exists for the pricing condition; and

for each retrieved pricing condition record, write, to a first data structure buffered in a memory, a pricing condition type identifier, an identifier of the document item to be priced, the pricing condition record identifier, and the indicator of whether scaled pricing data exists for the pricing condition record;

for all pricing condition records of the first data structure buffered in memory, retrieving, in a single query, pricing data and writing the retrieved pricing data to a second data structure buffered in memory;

price each document item to be priced based on the data of the first and second data structures buffered in memory.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein for each identified pricing condition type with regard to each document item to be priced, the retrieving of the pricing condition record identifier from the pricing condition tables is performed according to the sequence of pricing condition table identifiers until a pricing condition record identifier has been retrieved for the respective document item to be priced, after which, pricing condition record identifiers are retrieved only for document items to be priced for which a pricing condition record identifier has yet to be retrieved.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein retrieving the pricing data in the single query includes retrieving scaled pricing data for each pricing condition record including an indicator that scaled pricing data exists.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein:

the document is an invoice to be generated for each of a plurality of customers, each of the plurality of customers including at least one document item to be priced;

determining a pricing procedure for the document based on the at least one of the document type and the customer identifier includes;

determining a pricing procedure for each of the plurality of customers for which an invoice is to be generated; and

the pricing procedure for each of the plurality of customers identifying a sequence of pricing condition types to apply to document items to be priced for the respective customer; and

the instructions which when further executed by the at least one processor, for each customer of the plurality of customers, causes the computing device to;

write, to a third data structure buffered in the memory, data representative of the respective customer, pricing condition types to be applied to document items, and data representative of the sequence the pricing condition types are to be applied.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the retrieving, in the single query from the pricing condition table of the respective pricing condition table identifier, is performed with regard to each document item of each of the plurality of customers.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first and third data structures are the same data structure.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the identified ordered pricing condition types include a document item price condition type, at least one document item discount condition type, and at least one document item legal condition type.

15. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory; and

an instruction set accessible in the at least one memory and executable by the at least one processor to;

identify, through retrieval of data stored on the at least one memory device, a pricing procedure for a document based on at least one of a document type and a customer identifier, the pricing procedure identifying ordered pricing condition types to apply to document items to be priced;

for each identified pricing condition type, determine an access sequence of one or more pricing condition tables to obtain a sequence of pricing condition table identifiers for each identified pricing condition type;

for each identified pricing condition type and according to the sequence of pricing condition table identifiers;

retrieve, in a single query from a pricing condition table of the respective pricing condition table identifier, a pricing condition record identifier for each document item to be priced;

retrieving, in a single query, data of pricing condition records of each pricing condition identifier, the data of each pricing condition record including at least one of price data and an indicator of whether scaled pricing data exists for the pricing condition; and

for each retrieved pricing condition record, write, to a first data structure buffered in the at least one memory, a pricing condition type identifier, an order identifier of the respective pricing condition type, an identifier of the document item to be priced, the pricing condition record identifier, and the indicator of whether scaled pricing data exists for the pricing condition record; and

for all pricing condition records of the first data structure buffered in the at least one memory, retrieving, in a single query, pricing data and writing the retrieved pricing data to a second data structure buffered in the at least one memory

price each document item to be priced based on the data of the first and second data structures buffered in the at least one memory.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein for each identified pricing condition type with regard to each document item to be priced, the retrieving of the pricing condition record identifier from the pricing condition tables is performed according to the sequence of pricing condition table identifiers until a pricing condition record identifier has been retrieved for the respective document item to be priced, after which, pricing condition record identifiers are retrieved only for document items to be priced for which a pricing condition record identifier has yet to be retrieved.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the document is an invoice to be generated for each of a plurality of customers, each of the plurality of customers including at least one document item to be priced;

determining a pricing procedure for the document based on the at least one of the document type and the customer identifier includes;

determining a pricing procedure for each of the plurality of customers for which an invoice is to be generated; and

the pricing procedure for each of the plurality of customers identifying a sequence of pricing condition types to apply to document items to be priced for the respective customer; and

the instructions set including further instructions executable by the at least one processor to;

write, to a third data structure buffered in the at least one memory, data representative of the respective customer, pricing condition types to be applied to document items, and data representative of the sequence the pricing condition types are to be applied.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the retrieving, in the single query from the pricing condition table of the respective pricing condition table identifier, is performed in the single query with regard to each document item of each of the plurality of customers.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and third data structures are the same data structure.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the identified ordered pricing condition types include a document item price condition type, at least one document item discount condition type, and at least one document item legal condition type.