Tracking substances over various business processes

• US 8,494,892 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Salomon, Thomas, Coenning, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEIKH, ASFAND M
• Application Number:
  US11/521,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20070255626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,503 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/7.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The disclosure provides a method, software, and system for monitoring substances. In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a first document associated with a business process of an enterprise. A first volume of a substance based, at least in part, on the business document is determined. A second document associated with the business process of the enterprise is identified. A second volume of the substance based, at least in part, on the business document is determined. The first volume and the second volume is aggregated. A file associated with the business process is updated with at least the aggregated volume.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, at a computing device, a first document for a business process of an enterprise, wherein the first document identifies a volume of a material including a plurality of chemical substances for a requested purchase for a specified location prior to an actual purchase of the material;

identifying a specification for the material defining a volume for each of the plurality of chemical substances for a specified amount of the material;

prior to an actual purchase of the material, automatically determining a first volume of a chemical substance included in the plurality of chemical substances based, at least in part, on the material volume for the requested purchase and the specification;

identifying, at a computing device, a second document for the business process of the enterprise including the chemical substance;

determining a second volume of the chemical substance consumed within the specified location based, at least in part, on the second business document;

updating a volume for the chemical substance at the specified location with the first volume of the chemical substance requested to be purchased and the second volume of the chemical substance consumed within the specified location; and

determining whether the updated volume of the chemical substance violates one or more safety protocols based, at least in part, on the updated volume prior to the actual purchase of the material.

2. The method of claim 1, the chemical substance currently possessed by the enterprise.

3. The method of claim 1, the chemical substance being acquired by the enterprise.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an amount of a material based, at least in part, on the first document, the material including the substance;

identifying a specification associated with the material; and

determining the first volume of the substance based, at least in part, on the material amount and the material specification.

5. The method of claim 4, the material comprising a plurality of substances including the substance, the method further comprises:

determining a volume for each of the plurality of substances based, at least in part, on the material amount and the specification; and

updating a plurality of files based, at least in part, on the determined volumes, each file associated with at least one of the plurality of substances.

6. The method of claim 1, the business process comprising one of production, sales, or purchases.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating the first volume and the second volume comprises adjusting the first volume using the second volume.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a first material including the substance, the first volume based, at least in part, on an amount of the first material; and

identifying a second material including the substance, the second volume based, at least in part, on an amount of the second material, the first material different from the second material.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a list of substances associated with the enterprise, the list of substances identifying a plurality of substances including the substance;

identifying a plurality of documents based, at least in part, on the list of substances;

determining a plurality volumes of the substances based, at least in part, on the plurality of documents; and

updating a plurality of files with the determined volumes, the plurality of files associated with the substances identified in the list of substances.

10. An article comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

identifying, at a computing device, a first document for a business process of an enterprise, wherein the first document identifies a volume of a material including a plurality of chemical substances for a requested purchase for a specified location prior to an actual purchase of the material;

identifying a specification for the material defining a volume for each of the plurality of chemical substances for a specified amount of the material;

prior to an actual purchase of the material, automatically determining a first volume of a chemical substance included in the plurality of chemical substances based, at least in part, on the material volume for the requested purchase and the specification;

identifying, at a computing device, a second document for the business process of the enterprise including the chemical substance;

determining a second volume of the chemical substance consumed within the specified location based, at least in part, on the second business document;

updating a volume for the chemical substance at the specified location with the first volume of the chemical substance requested to be purchased and the second volume of the chemical substance consumed within the specified location; and

determining whether the updated volume of the chemical substance violates one or more safety protocols based, at least in part, on the updated volume prior to an actual purchase of the material.

11. The article of claim 10, the chemical substance currently possessed by the enterprise.

12. The article of claim 10, the chemical substance being acquired by the enterprise.

13. The article of claim 10, the instructions further perform operations comprising:

identifying an amount of a material based, at least in part, on the first document, the material including the substance;

identifying a specification associated with the material; and

determining the first volume of the substance based, at least in part, on the material amount and the material specification.

14. The article of claim 13, the chemical substance comprising a plurality of substances including the chemical substance, the instructions further perform operations comprising:

determining a volume for each of the plurality of substances based, at least in part, on the material amount and the specification; and

updating a plurality of files based, at least in part, on the determined volumes, each file associated with at least one of the plurality of substances.

15. The article of claim 10, the business process comprising one of production, sales, or purchases.

16. The article of claim 10, wherein the instructions perform operations comprising aggregating the first volume and the second volume comprises the instructions perform operations comprising adjusting the first volume using the second volume.

17. The article of claim 10, the instructions further perform operations comprising:

identifying a first material including the substance, the first volume based, at least in part, on an amount of the first material; and

identifying a second material including the substance, the second volume based, at least in part, on an amount of the second material, the first material different from the second material.

18. The article of claim 10, the instructions further perform operations comprising:

identifying a list of substances associated with the enterprise, the list of substances identifying a plurality of substances including the substance;

identifying a plurality of documents based, at least in part, on the list of substances;

determining a plurality volumes of the substances based, at least in part, on the plurality of documents; and

updating a plurality of files with the determined volumes, the plurality of files associated with the substances identified in the list of substances.