System, computer-readable medium and method for filtering exceptions generated by forecasting and replenishment engine

• US 7,657,453 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Guldner, Andreas, Schwingel, Markus, Schuhn, Wolfgang, Keller, Jörn, Fotteler, Christine
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty; Romain
• Assistant Examiner(s): FEENEY, BRETT A
• Application Number:
  US11/135,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A system, computer-readable storage medium and method for storing, filtering, selecting and manipulating business exceptions generated by forecasting and replenishment processes and systems. When an exception is generated, it will be associated with attributes corresponding to those business objects and business areas to which the exception relates. Exceptions may also be associated with administrative attributes such as status, priority and generation date, as well as information identifying the specific business process that generated the exception. Alternatively, forecasting and replenishment exceptions may be logged or stored in a database for future review and treatment. Within an exceptions monitor or workbench tool, a business replenishment specialist may browse, search, select, review, filter, rearrange, edit, forward and/or respond to generated exceptions. Exceptions may be filtered tacitly according to a user profile associated with the business replenishment specialist. Alternatively, exceptions may be filtered according to explicitly supplied selection criteria.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

subscribing to a set of business areas by a user;

filtering forecasting and replenishment exceptions according to the steps of;

receiving an exception object and an attribute of the exception object;

identifying a business area associated with the attribute through a table;

determining whether business area from the set of business areas associated with the attribute is one of the business areas subscribed to by the user;

when the business area associated with the attribute is not one of the set of business areas subscribed to by the user;

retrieving a creation time and an expiration time of the exception object;

storing the exception object in a temporary container; and

deleting the exception object from the temporary container after the earlier of;

a predetermined time after the creation time, and the expiration time of the exception object;

when the business area associated with the attribute is one of the set of business areas subscribed to by the user;

storing the exception object in a persistent container;

comparing a value in a data field of the exception object to values of data fields of a plurality of exception objects stored in the persistent container;

when the data field value of the exception object matches at least one of the stored data field values of the plurality of stored exception objects;

grouping a quantity of exception objects containing the matching data field value using a processor;

storing the grouped quantity of exception objects containing the matching data field value in the persistent container using the processor;

linking in the persistent container the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value to each of the stored exception objects containing the matching data field value using the processor;

receiving an action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value;

executing the action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value on each linked exception object;

updating the status of the each linked exception object to reflect a result of the action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value using the processor;

when the data field value of the exception object does not match at least one of the stored data field values of the plurality of stored exception objects;

receiving an action relating to the unmatched exception object;

executing the action relating to the unmatched exception object on the exception object;

updating, using the processor, the status of the exception object to indicate a result of the action relating to the unmatched exception object;

determining whether the status of the exception object indicates that the exception object is resolved;

when the status of the exception indicates that the exception object is resolved, deleting the exception object from the persistent container; and

when the status of the exception does not indicate that the exception object is resolved, deleting the exception object after the expiration time of the exception object.

2. The method of claim 1, where exception objects are presented to the user in summary form, the summary form comprising the grouped quantity of exception objects, the matching data field value in the persistent container, and a link to the stored exception objects containing the matching data field value.

3. The method of claim 1, where the action comprises notifying the user of the exception object by at least one of:

an e-mail, a fax, or a short message service (SMS) text.

4. The method of claim 1, where the action comprises identifying a business program or module to resolve the exception object and branching directly to the identifying business program or module.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responding to a user request to temporarily disable a specified exception object with the attribute including one of the set of business areas subscribed to by the user for a fixed duration;

transferring the specified exception object to the temporary container before storing the specified exception object in the persistent container for the fixed duration;

deleting the transferred exception object from the temporary container after the earlier of;

a predetermined time after the creation time of the specified exception object, and the expiration time of the exception object.

6. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to perform the steps comprising:

subscribing to a set of business areas by a user;

filtering forecasting and replenishment exceptions according to the steps of;

receiving an exception object and an attribute of the exception object;

identifying a business area associated with the attribute through a table;

determining whether business area from the set of business areas associated with the attribute is one of the business areas subscribed to by the user;

when the business area associated with the attribute is not one of the set of business areas subscribed to by the user;

retrieving a creation time and an expiration time of the exception object;

storing the exception object in a temporary container; and

deleting the exception object from the temporary container after the earlier of;

a predetermined time after the creation time, and the expiration time of the exception object;

when the business area associated with the attribute is one of the set of business areas subscribed to by the user;

storing the exception object in a persistent container;

comparing a value in a data field of the exception object to values of data fields of a plurality of exception objects stored in the persistent container;

when the data field value of the exception object matches at least one of the stored data field values of the plurality of stored exception objects;

grouping a quantity of exception objects containing the matching data field value using a processor;

storing the grouped quantity of exception objects containing the matching data field value in the persistent container using the processor;

linking in the persistent container the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value to each of the stored exception objects containing the matching data field value using the processor;

receiving an action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value;

executing the action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value on each linked exception object;

updating the status of the each linked exception object to reflect a result of the action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value using the processor;

when the data field value of the exception object does not match at least one of the stored data field values of the plurality of stored exception objects;

receiving an action relating to the unmatched exception object;

executing the action relating to the unmatched exception object on the exception object;

updating, using the processor, the status of the exception object to indicate a result of the action relating to the unmatched exception object;

determining whether the status of the exception object indicates that the exception object is resolved;

when the status of the exception indicates that the exception object is resolved, deleting the exception object from the persistent container; and

when the status of the exception does not indicate that the exception object is resolved, deleting the exception object after the expiration time of the exception object.

7. A computer system comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory connected to the computer processor;

the memory containing a plurality of executable instructions wherein the computer processor is configured to execute;

instructions for subscribing to a set of business areas by a user;

instructions for filtering forecasting and replenishment exceptions including;

instructions for receiving an exception object and an attribute of the exception object;

instructions for identifying a business area associated with the attribute through a table;

instructions for determining whether business area from the set of business areas associated with the attribute is one of the business areas subscribed to by the user;

when the business area associated with the attribute is not one of the set of business areas subscribed to by the user;

retrieving a creation time and an expiration time of the exception object;

storing the exception object in a temporary container; and

deleting the exception object from the temporary container after the earlier of;

 

a predetermined time after the creation time, and the expiration time of the exception object;

when the business area associated with the attribute is one of the set of business areas subscribed to by the user;

storing the exception object in a persistent container;

comparing a value in a data field of the exception object to values of data fields of a plurality of exception objects stored in the persistent container;

when the data field value of the exception object matches at least one of the stored data field values of the plurality of stored exception objects;

 

grouping a quantity of exception objects containing the matching data field value using a processor;

 

storing the grouped quantity of exception objects containing the matching data field value in the persistent container using the processor;

 

linking in the persistent container the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value to each of the stored exception objects containing the matching data field value using the processor;

 

receiving an action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value;

 

executing the action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value on each linked exception object;

 

updating the status of the each linked exception object to reflect a result of the action relating to the stored grouped quantity and the matching data field value using the processor;

when the data field value of the exception object does not match at least one of the stored data field values of the plurality of stored exception objects;

 

receiving an action relating to the unmatched exception object;

 

executing the action relating to the unmatched exception object on the exception object;

 

updating, using the processor, the status of the exception object to indicate a result of the action relating to the unmatched exception object;

instructions for determining whether the status of the exception object indicates that the exception object is resolved;

when the status of the exception indicates that the exception object is resolved, deleting the exception object from the persistent container; and

when the status of the exception does not indicate that the exception object is resolved, deleting the exception object after the expiration time of the exception object.