Custom application builder for supply chain management

• US 20060206411A1
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Blue Yonder Group, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Patel, Tarak, Rau, Anand
• Granted Patent: US 10,572,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Supply chain management is performed by building a user-defined custom application that uses supply chain data. The supply chain data is returned for display and/or use in the custom application based on metadata stored in a database that is arranged to store supply chain data. The metadata specifies a stored procedure that when called based on parameters in a request generated in response to a user selecting a custom application, returns the supply chain data that may be used in whole or in part in the custom application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for building a custom application for supply chain management, comprising:

storing application parameters for a trading partner in a supply chain, the application parameters describing at least one customized display of supply chain data for the trading partner based on a role of the trading partner;

receiving a request for supply chain data from the trading partner; and

responsive to the request, providing the requested supply chain data to the trading partner in accordance with the stored application parameters.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application parameters further describe which portions of the provided supply chain data to display.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application parameters further describe a format for display of at least a portion of the provided supply chain data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the application parameters as customized by the trading partner.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically generating the application parameters based on the role of the trading partner.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trading partner is at least one of a consumer, a retailer, a manufacturer, a parts supplier, and a distributor.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein supply chain data describes an order placed between at least two trading partners in the supply chain.

8. A supply chain management system for building a custom application, comprising:

a web interface arranged to allow a trading partner to provide application parameters for the custom application;

a custom application builder module arranged to generate a request for supply chain data based on the provided application parameters; and

a database arranged to store the supply chain data, wherein the database is arranged to return the supply chain data to the custom application builder module based on parameters specified in the request.

9. The supply chain management system of claim 8, wherein the custom application builder module is further arranged to cause the web interface to render a display of at least a portion of the returned supply chain data based on the application parameters.

10. The supply chain management system of claim 8, wherein the application parameters describe at least one customized display of the custom application.

11. A method of supply chain management, comprising:

receiving a request from a user for supply chain data stored in a database, the request comprising parameters specifying a category of the supply chain data needed for an application selected by the user;

invoking a procedure to return the supply chain data from the database to the user at least partly based on the parameters in the request; and

returning the supply chain data for display and use by the application according to customization preferences selected by the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the procedure is specified in metadata associated with a module needed to implement the application.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the metadata comprises an XML file.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

authenticating the request prior to passing the request to the database.

15. The method of claim 14, the authenticating comprising:

determining a permission of the user to receive the supply chain data.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is implemented using a computer system.

17. A method of supply chain management, comprising:

selecting a type of application for viewing supply chain data, the supply chain data being stored in a database;

generating a web-based request for the supply chain data based on the selecting; and

selectively customizing a display of at least a portion of the supply chain data returned from the database in response to the web-based request.

18. The method of claim 17, the selectively customizing comprising at least one of:

selecting for display at least one column comprising at least a portion of the supply chain data;

selecting a name of the at least one column;

selecting a criteria for sorting data in the at least one column;

selecting a direction for sorting data in the at least one column;

selecting a search criteria for searching the returned supply chain data;

defining a search criteria for searching the returned supply chain data;

selecting error information to display;

selecting an action for performing at least one operation on data in the at least one column; and

naming the action.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

performing an operation on data in a displayed column comprising at least a portion of the returned supply chain data.

20. The method of claim 19, the performing comprising at least one of:

adding the data in the displayed column;

averaging the data in the displayed column;

determining a maximum value in the displayed column;

determining a minimum value in the displayed column;

performing an operation on the data in the displayed column with data in another displayed column comprising at least a portion of the returned supply chain data; and

forming a new displayed column based on a result of the performing the operation on the data in the displayed column with the data in the another displayed column.

21. A supply chain management system, comprising:

a user system accessibly by a user, the user system providing the user a capability to build a custom application requiring supply chain data;

a web interface accessible by the user system, the web interface arranged to handle a request from the user system for the supply chain data; and

a database arranged to store the supply chain data, wherein a procedure in metadata stored in the database is invocable to return the supply chain data based on parameters in the request.

22. The supply chain management system of claim 21, wherein the parameters in the request are specific to a type of the custom application.

23. The supply chain management system of claim 21, wherein the metadata comprises an XML file.

24. The supply chain management system of claim 21, wherein the web interface is further arranged to authenticate the user.

25. The supply chain management system of claim 21, wherein at least a portion of the returned supply chain data is displayed to the user using the custom application, wherein the user is capable of selecting display preferences for the custom application.

26. The supply chain management system of claim 21, wherein supply chain data stored in the database is updateable based on activities in a supply chain related to the user.

27. The supply chain management system of claim 21, wherein the database is arranged to store a plurality of metadata, each of which corresponds to a module associated with a type of custom application selectable by the user.

28. A computer-readable medium having instructions recorded therein, the instructions to:

render a web-based application for allowing a user to select an application to customize, the application requiring supply chain data;

receive a request from the user to view supply chain data using the application;

authenticate the request;

transmit the authenticated request to a database having a procedure stored therein, the procedure invocable to return supply chain data specified by parameters in the request; and

provide the user with at least one of selectable and definable preferences for the application to view and use at least a portion of the returned supply chain data.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising instructions to:

allow the user to update supply chain data stored in the database.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising instructions to:

allow the user to at least one of delete, copy, modify, restrict, and share with another user the custom application.