Method for quantity checking of product purchase orders

• US 7,424,448 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2006
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Semmler, Martin, Fuchs, Carsten, Juettner, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunham; Jason B.
• Application Number:
  US11/387,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20070226067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/1, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for processing spare parts purchase orders includes receiving, during a manufacturing planning phase, an estimate of the number of the spare parts that will be needed to be produced during a given period to satisfy expected purchase orders for the spare part. The method also includes receiving a user-defined configurable reasonable quantity rule to be used during processing of electronic purchase order information. The method further includes, upon receipt of an electronic purchase order, determining whether a quantity value included in the electronic purchase order is reasonable using the defined reasonable quantity check rule, and if determined unreasonable, generating an indication that the quantity value was determined to be unreasonable.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing electronic purchase orders, the method comprising:

determining, during a planning phase, a user-defined configurable reasonable quantity rule to be used during processing of electronic purchase order information, wherein the reasonable quantity rule includes reference quantity information for an estimated number of spare parts that will be needed to be produced during a given period to satisfy expected purchase orders of the spare parts, a warning threshold percentage, and an error threshold percentage that is greater than the warning threshold percentage;

receiving an electronic purchase order, and upon receiving the electronic purchase order, determining a reference quantity based on the reference quantity information and at least one of a product record for a product specified in the electronic purchase order or a client record corresponding to a client for whom the electronic purchase order was received;

calculating a variance percentage, the variance percentage corresponding to a percentage by which a quantity value included in the electronic purchase order exceeds said reference quantity;

comparing the variance percentage to the warning threshold percentage and the error threshold percentage; and

when the variance percentage is less than or equal to the warning threshold percentage, processing the electronic purchase order; and

when the variance percentage is greater than the warning threshold percentage but less than or equal to the error threshold percentage, processing the electronic purchase order and generating a warning indicator; and

when the variance percentage is greater than the error threshold percentage, performing a confirmation process that the quantity value is correct before processing the electronic purchase order, wherein processing the electronic purchase order comprises causing the electronic purchase order to be fulfilled.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic purchase order is for automobile spare parts and includes electronic data entered by agents of automobile dealers.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the reasonable quantity rule is dependent on a particular automobile dealer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises forwarding the warning indicator to a device associated with the electronic purchase order, when the warning indicator is generated.

5. A computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that when executed perform operations comprising:

determining, during a planning phase, a user-defined configurable reasonable quantity rule to be used during processing of electronic purchase order information, wherein the reasonable quantity rule includes reference quantity information for an estimated number of spare parts that will need to be produced during a given period to satisfy expected purchase orders of the spare parts, a warning threshold percentage, and an error threshold percentage that is greater than the warning threshold percentage;

receiving an electronic purchase order, and upon receiving the electronic purchase order, determining a reference quantity based on the reference quantity information and at least one of a product record for a product specified in the electronic purchase order or a client record corresponding to a client for whom the electronic purchase order was received;

calculating a variance percentage, the variance percentage corresponding to a percentage by which a quantity value included in the electronic purchase order exceeds said reference quantity;

comparing the variance percentage to the warning threshold percentage and the error threshold percentage; and

when the variance percentage is less than or equal to the warning threshold percentage, processing the electronic purchase order; and

when the variance percentage is greater than the warning threshold percentage but less than or equal to the error threshold percentage, processing the electronic purchase order and generating a warning indicator; and

when the variance percentage is greater than the error threshold percentage, performing a confirmation process that the quantity value is correct before processing the electronic purchase order, wherein processing the electronic purchase order comprises causing the electronic purchase order to be fulfilled.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the electronic purchase order is for automobile spare parts and includes electronic data entered by agents of automobile dealers.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the reasonable quantity rule is dependent on a particular automobile dealer.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise forwarding the warning indicator to a device associated with the electronic purchase order, when the warning indicator is generated.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the reference quantity corresponds to a predetermined period of time.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein calculating the variance percentage comprises calculating a percentage by which a sum exceeds the reference quantity, wherein the sum comprises a sum of the quantity value included in the received electronic purchase order and one or more quantity values in one or more corresponding previously received purchase orders that were received within the predetermined period of time before the electronic purchase order was received.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise performing an available-to-promise check to confirm that the electronic purchase order can fulfilled.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise deriving the reference quantity from the reference quantity information based on at least one of product information, client information, or a time period.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the reasonable quantity rule comprises a plurality of possible warning threshold percentages and a plurality of possible error threshold percentages;

wherein the operations further comprise selecting the warning threshold percentage from the plurality of possible warning threshold percentages and selecting the error threshold percentage from the plurality of possible error threshold percentages based on a characteristic of a client that is associated with the electronic purchase order.