Transportation connection cache for dynamic network and route determination

• US 9,811,797 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Zahn, Marcus, Huene, Holger, Gottlieb, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Erb, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US13/834,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20140279661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

A transportation management system may include a connection cache configured to store connection-relevant transportation information for transportation objects. The connection-relevant transportation information may have been replicated from at least one of a plurality of transportation object sources including at least a first database storing schedules, a second database storing freight bookings, and a third database storing freight orders. The transportation management system may also include a connection cache access engine configured to receive transportation parameters including at least a first location and a second location, and query the connection cache to dynamically select one or more transportation objects from the connection cache related to at least one of the schedules, the freight bookings, and the freight orders, that are relevant for the first location and the second location.

Claims

1. A transportation management system for retrieving transportation information related to a shipment of goods using a transportation cache database without having to access and search multiple databases, the transportation management system comprising:

one or more processors;

a replication engine configured to replicate transportation information, describing one or more connections, from a plurality of databases and store the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, as transportation objects having only the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, in the transportation cache database, the transportation cache database including an in-memory database, wherein upon creation of a transportation object within one of the plurality of databases, the replication engine is configured to populate the transportation cache database with only the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, associated with the created transportation object,

the plurality of databases storing schedules and freight documents for multiple modes of transportation, the schedules defining transportation capabilities of ocean, air, rail, and vehicle carriers, the freight documents including freight bookings and freight orders, the freight bookings including air-freight bookings and ocean-freight bookings, the freight orders including road-freight orders and rail-freight orders, the plurality of databases having separate access structures that permit access to respective transportation objects stored therein, the transportation cache database not storing details of the schedules and the freight documents that are not related to determining potential connections for the shipment of goods;

a connection cache access engine configured to receive transportation parameters including a first location and a second location, and query the transportation cache database via a single uniform interface using the transportation parameters to dynamically select transportation objects from the transportation cache database that are relevant for transporting the shipment of goods between the first location and the second location instead of independently accessing and searching the plurality of databases via the separate access structures;

a routing selector configured to select a transportation network including determining connections within the transportation network between the first location and the second location based on the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, in the transportation cache database;

a transportation proposal unit configured to determine transportation proposals based on the determined connections within the selected transportation network, each transportation proposal providing a different transportation plan for transporting the shipment of goods from the first location to the second location, the transportation proposals including a first transportation proposal for freight and ocean transportation, and a second transportation proposal for freight and air transportation; and

a geo-map unit configured to display a map providing a visualization of the transportation proposals based on the determined connections from the routing selector,

wherein the transportation proposals are provided via a transportation proposal user interface, the transportation proposal user interface defining a section that lists the transportation proposals and the determined connections, wherein a display of the first transportation proposal identifies the connections of different stages of the first transportation proposal, and the connections identify one or more of the freight documents.

2. The transportation management system of claim 1, wherein the transportation cache database stores a smaller set of information contained within the schedules and the freight documents than the schedules and the freight documents stored in the plurality of databases.

3. The transportation management system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of databases further stores transportation lanes, and the transportation cache database stores transportation information, describing one or more connections, for the transportation lanes, and the connection cache access engine is configured to select at least one transportation object from the transportation cache database related to at least one transportation lane that is relevant for transporting the shipment of goods between the first location and the second location.

4. The transportation management system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of databases further stores default routes, and the transportation cache database stores transportation information, describing one or more connections, for the default routes, and the connection cache access engine is configured to select at least one transportation object from the transportation cache database related to at least one default route that is relevant for transporting the shipment of goods between the first location and the second location, the at least one default route providing an existing defined route between the first location and the second location.

5. The transportation management system of claim 1, wherein the connections include at least one of a direct or multi-stop schedule, a freight booking, a freight order, a transportation lane, and a default route between the first location and the second location.

6. The transportation management system of claim 1, wherein the routing selector includes:

a transshipment location determination unit configured to determine a first explicitly assigned hub associated with the first location, and a second explicitly assigned hub associated with the second location,

wherein the routing selector is configured to select transportation objects for the transportation network using the first explicitly assigned hub and the second explicitly assigned hub as entries into the transportation cache database.

7. The transportation management system of claim 6, wherein the routing selector is configured to determine at least one implicitly assigned hub associated with the first location and at least one implicitly assigned hub associated with the second location based on an analysis of the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, of the transportation cache database.

8. The transportation management system of claim 7, wherein the routing selector further includes:

a path finder configured to create and verify available paths associated with the implicitly and explicitly assigned hubs, wherein the routing selector is configured to select the connections having verified paths.

9. The transportation management system of claim 1, wherein the map includes an explanation interface element that, when activated, provides further details regarding a determined connection.

10. The transportation management system of claim 1, wherein, when the transportation cache database is parameterized to return only schedule connections, the transportation proposal unit is configured to combine available schedules without considering the transportation information, describing one or more connections, of the freight documents.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable code thereon that, when executed, is configured to cause at least one processor to access a transportation cache database without having to access and search multiple databases, the executable code including instructions to cause the at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

replicate transportation information, describing one or more connections, from a plurality of databases storing schedules and freight documents for multiple modes of transportation, the schedules defining transportation capabilities of ocean, air, rail, and vehicle carriers, the freight documents including freight bookings and freight orders, the freight bookings including air-freight bookings and ocean-freight bookings, the freight orders including road-freight orders and rail-freight orders, wherein a freight document includes planned departure times of vehicles and a bill of lading, the plurality of databases having separate access structures that permit access to respective transportation objects stored therein, wherein the planned departure times of vehicles are replicated but not the bill of lading for storage within the transportation cache database;

store the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, as transportation objects having only the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, in the transportation cache database, the transportation cache database including an in-memory database, wherein upon creation of a transportation object within one of the plurality of databases, the transportation cache database is populated with only transportation information, describing the one or more connections, associated with the created transportation object, the transportation cache database not storing details of the schedules and the freight documents that are not related to determining potential connections for a shipment of goods;

receive transportation parameters including a first location and a second location;

query the transportation cache database via a single uniform interface using the transportation parameters instead of independently accessing and searching the plurality of databases via the separate access structures;

select a transportation network including determining connections within the transportation network for transporting the shipment of goods between the first location and the second location based on the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, in the transportation cache database;

determine transportation proposals based on the determined connections within the selected transportation network, each transportation proposal providing a different transportation plan for transporting the shipment of goods from the first location to the second location, the transportation proposals including a first transportation proposal for freight and ocean transportation, and a second transportation proposal for freight and air transportation; and

display a map providing a visualization of the transportation proposals based on the determined connections.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the plurality of databases further stores transportation lanes, and the transportation cache database stores transportation information, describing one or more connections, for the transportation lanes, and instructions to select one or more transportation objects include selecting at least one transportation object from the transportation cache database related to at least one transportation lane that is relevant for transporting the shipment of goods between the first location and the second location.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the plurality of databases further stores default routes, and the transportation cache database stores transportation information, describing one or more connections, for the default routes, and the instructions include instructions to select at least one transportation object from the transportation cache database related to at least one default route that is relevant for transporting the shipment of goods between the first location and the second location, the at least one default route providing an existing defined route between the first location and the second location.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the connections include at least one of a direct or multi-stop schedule, a freight booking, a freight order, a transportation lane, and a default route between the first location and the second location.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions include instructions to:

determine a first explicitly assigned hub associated with the first location, and a second explicitly assigned hub associated with the second location; and

select transportation objects for the transportation network using the first explicitly assigned hub and the second explicitly assigned hub as entries into the transportation cache database.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions include instructions to:

determine at least one implicitly assigned hub associated with the first location and at least one implicitly assigned hub associated with the second location based on an analysis of the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, of the transportation cache database.

17. A method for access to a transportation cache database without having to access and search multiple databases, the method comprising:

replicating, by at least one processor, transportation information, describing one or more connections, from a plurality of separate databases storing schedules and freight documents for multiple modes of transportation, the schedules defining transportation capabilities of ocean, air, rail, and vehicle carriers, the freight documents including freight bookings and freight orders, the freight bookings including air-freight bookings and ocean-freight bookings, the freight orders including road-freight orders and rail-freight orders, the plurality of separate databases having separate access structures that permit access to respective transportation objects stored therein;

storing, by the at least one processor, the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, as transportation objects having only the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, in the transportation cache database, the transportation cache database including an in-memory database, the transportation cache database not storing details of the schedules and the freight documents that are not related to determining potential connections for a shipment of goods;

receiving, by the at least one processor, transportation parameters for the shipment of goods from a first location to a second location;

selecting, by the at least one processor, a transportation network including determining connections within the transportation network for the first location and the second location based on the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, in the transportation cache database including querying the transportation cache database via a single uniform interface using the transportation parameters instead of independently accessing and searching the plurality of separate databases via the separate access structures;

determining, by the at least one processor, transportation proposals based on the determined connections within the selected transportation network, each transportation proposal providing a different transportation plan for transporting the shipment of goods from the first location to the second location, the transportation proposals including a first transportation proposal for freight and ocean transportation, and a second transportation proposal for freight and air transportation; and

displaying a map providing a visualization of the transportation proposals based on the determined connections,

wherein the transportation proposals are provided via a transportation proposal user interface, the transportation proposal user interface defining a section that lists the transportation proposals and the determined connections, wherein a display of the first transportation proposal identifies the connections of different stages of the first transportation proposal, and the connections identify one or more of the freight documents.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the connections include at least one of a direct or multi-stop schedule, a freight booking order, a freight order, a transportation lane, and a default route.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the selecting, by the at least one processor, a transportation network including determining connections within the transportation network for the first location and the second location based on the transportation information, describing the one or more connections, in the transportation cache database further includes:

determining a first explicitly assigned hub associated with the first location, and a second explicitly assigned hub associated with the second location; and

selecting transportation objects for the transportation network using the first explicitly assigned hub and the second explicitly assigned hub as entries into the transportation cache database.