Patent Application
20080154619
Software used to run businesses may include data that corresponds to both materials to be sold, and process controls defining business processes corresponding to the materials. Master data is a collection of all of the process controls associated with a business. Due to the complexity of master data, it is often not possible to maintain all the data of all the process controls for one master datum correctly at any given time. Failed consistency checks in one process control may prevent other process controls from being used.
In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments which may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural, logical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following description of example embodiments is, therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
The functions or algorithms described herein are implemented in software or a combination of software and human implemented procedures in one embodiment. The software may consist of computer executable instructions stored on computer readable media such as memory or other type of storage devices. The term “computer readable media” is also used to represent any means by which the computer readable instructions may be received by the computer, such as by different forms of wireless transmissions. Further, such functions correspond to modules, which are software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. Multiple functions are performed in one or more modules as desired, and the embodiments described are merely examples. The software is executed on a digital signal processor, ASIC, microprocessor, or other type of processor operating on a computer system, such as a personal computer, server or other computer system.
Master data processing enables a business organization to manage all master data that describes for example its tangible and intangible products and that is relevant to control its business processes, such as sales, purchasing, planning, production, and accounting processes.
Process controls are groups of attributes that execute software that automates a specific process involving a fundamental entity of a master data database. Fundamental entities are real world elements such as a bank, a terminal, a company, or a personal computer. Process controls are groups of attributes that are used to control a specific process step, and each process control offers a different view into an object. Process controls are used to model the master database, i.e., process controls define which attributes are relevant for a specific process step; the process control defines the set of attributes necessary to run a process. The process controls are defined to make the complexity of the database, which itself contains hundreds of attributes and in an embodiment many tables, more manageable. At a high level, process controls are defined according to an outside-in design approach along the lines of the processes it supports. That is, the process control is not concerned with what is in the database, but what the process control wants to retrieve for the outside world. In other words, a process control is designed for business reasons (what data a business organization wants to review) and not technical reasons (how should that data be retrieved from the database). In an embodiment, the process controls are defined at design time, and hence can be shipped to one or more customers. The process controls represent the process controlling business logic of a business system.
In one embodiment, some process controls are related to a material, such as a product to be sold, and a particular sales organization or distribution chain. If a process control is not usable, it is termed inactive. However, other process controls of the master data may be used, allowing business to continue. It should be noted that the terms material and product are just one form of master data used for illustration, and that master data relates to data for many different business processes. Further, references to a sales organization or distribution chain are also used as an example, and are not meant to be limiting.
In one embodiment, a status management module or process is used to manage the status of process controls. The status may be set by a user, or may be set by the a business system.
Process control mast data 125 may include relevant data for use in selling or transporting goods. It may include external dimensions of products, such as length, width, height, weight that are useful for transport of the products. Further, data used to execute a sale or replenishment durations, codes, material sold, planning information, grouping of materials supply planning, warranty information and other terms and conditions of sale may be included among other information. The information may be different for different countries or sales organizations as indicated at 130.
Thus, each sales organization has a different instance of a process control for the sale of each product 135 or service 140. For instance, a sales organization may have different internal material identification numbers, different value added propositions, such as rebates, or different terms and conditions depending on jurisdictional differences, which may be based on country, state, or local regulations or preferences. In one embodiment, the process controls are represented by software objects.
Once a process control 135, 140 is finalized or otherwise ready for use, it may be used by product data processing 150 to actually sell products and services for the corresponding materials and service products for the corresponding organization.
In one embodiment, each process control is an object that has a current status. The status determines the actions that can be performed. The status may be set by a user or by the system. Various lifecycle statuses are one example. A status of “in preparation” means that the object is a preliminary version, for example, embodying the plans for a distribution channel to distribute material, such as a product or service. The object data may be incomplete and/or inconsistent. It would thus fail a consistency check. It is not possible to execute transactions on an object have an in preparation status.
A further status of a process control object is “active”. This status means that an object is currently usable, object data is complete and consistent, and it is possible to execute transactions. In other words, where master data is related to the example of a product or material, the sales organization may sell the material or service product corresponding to the control object. An object having a status of active may have a validity period, but the status may not be set on core level.
A further status include a “blocked status”. For the product or material example, this may be used for seasonal materials, or for materials currently experiencing a technical problem or for any other business reason where sales may not currently be desired. The status blocked means that an object is currently blocked and not usable, but may be used at a later time. It is not possible to execute new transactions on an object with a blocked status, but already existing transactions may be finalized. To have a blocked status, in one embodiment, all object data should be complete and consistent. This status may not be set on core level.
A still further status may include a “to be archived” status. This is meant to indicate that the object has been marked for archiving. It is not possible to execute new transactions on an object to be archived, but already existing transactions may be finalized. Once related business transactions are completed, the object may be archived. This status may only be set on core level.
When modifying process control objects with a status of in preparation, inconsistencies in the process control data may be presented as warnings. Using the limited example of master data related to a product, product master data may also be saved. When the status is not equal to in preparation, which may itself be referred to as a status, inconsistencies in process control data are presented as errors. Master may not be saved and the status may not be set to in preparation if this status has already been saved, as data can be already used in transactions.
An example is provided where a material has an ID of MCF-0002 that is assigned to two different distribution chains. A first process control object is exists for a US Southern Region. In this example, the first process control object is still in preparation as illustrated in an example user interface screen shot shown in
The user interface of
In a US Northern Region, a second process control is already active as illustrated in an example user interface screen shot shown in
A block diagram of a computer system that executes programming for performing the above algorithm is shown in
Computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium are executable by the processing unit 402 of the computer 410. A hard drive, CD-ROM, and RAM are some examples of articles including a computer-readable medium.
The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b) to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
