Abstract: An electronic commerce system includes one or more seller databases that store product data for one or more products. The system further includes a seller selection interface operable to receive seller requirements from a user and generate one or more custom global content directories based on the seller requirements. The custom global content directories include a plurality of product classes organized in a hierarchy with the product classes categorizing a number of products from sellers satisfying the seller requirements and associated with attributes of the products categorized in the product class. At least one of the product classes has associated pointers that identify the one or more of the seller databases. The system further includes a search interface that communicates a search query to the seller databases for product data.

Abstract: Generating an order plan is disclosed. Data describing priority levels including at least one item request is accessed. Data describing a supply chain network (10) including network components (11) that supply one or more items to satisfy an item request is accessed. For each priority level, and for each item request of a priority level, an order for an item request of a current priority level is planned according to recorded unplannable network components (11) that are unable to satisfy an item request, and the unplannable network components (11) for the current priority level are determined. For each priority level, the unplannable network components (11) are validated for the current priority level, and the validated unplannable network components (11) for the current priority level are recorded. An order plan including the orders planned for the item requests at each priority level is provided.

Abstract: A system for watermarking data associated with one or more products includes one or more software components that collectively generate an algorithm for creating a particular pattern in data associated with one or more products available from one or more sellers. The data is stored in one or more databases accessible to one or more buyer computers for search queries for data associated with certain of the products. The pattern facilitates identification of a copy of the data and does not substantially affect authorized use of the data by the one or more buyer computers or users associated with the buyer computers. The software components collectively apply the algorithm to the data to create the particular pattern in the data.

Abstract: An electronic commerce system for third party document reuse includes one or more document repositories that store a plurality of transaction documents. The system also includes a global content directory that includes a plurality of product and document classes organized in a hierarchy where each class categorizes a number of transaction documents and is associated with one or more attributes of the transaction documents categorized in the class. At least one of the classes has one or more associated pointers that identify the document repositories. The system further includes a search interface to search the document repositories for the transaction documents. An intelligence module segments the transaction documents into one or more sections to create generic documents from the transaction documents to allow buyers to reuse the transaction documents and still protect the confidential information contained in the transaction documents.

Abstract: A product development scheduler uses a distributed, constraint based system for modeling allocation of resources. All resources for all active development projects are provided at a central location, so that resources are not allocated twice across different projects. Real time availability of resources allows accurate modeling, and changes in resource status are reflected by the scheduler. Availability of materials are tracked through the supply chain to ensure true availability for planning purposes.

Abstract: Automatically classifying product description information includes selecting a first word from the information and determining whether the word is defined as a prefix within one or more keywords, each keyword being associated with one of a plurality of classes, each class being associated with one or more keywords. If the word is defined as a prefix, then for each keyword for which the word is defined as a prefix, determine whether all suffixes of the prefix within the keyword are found among all remaining words in the information in sequence. For each keyword for which this is true, generate a new result for each class associated with the keyword.

Abstract: A system (100) for inventory management includes memory (116) containing a cumulative demand value (252) for each of a plurality of time windows (204) within a planning horizon (200). The cumulative demand value (252) for a time window (204) represents a cumulative demand for at least one product over the time window (204) and all previous time windows (204) in the planning horizon (200). The memory (116) also includes a cumulative production value (254) for each time window (204). The cumulative production value (254) for a time window (204) represents a cumulative quantity of the product that can be manufactured over the time window (204) and all previous time windows (204) in the planning horizon (200). The system (100) also includes one or more processors (114) collectively operable to determine a lean buffer stock value using the cumulative demand values (252) and the cumulative production values (254).

Abstract: A method for deploying software includes selecting one or more pre-defined business models applicable to a business entity in which the software is being deployed. The business models are associated with particular business functions. The method further includes creating an entity model using the one or more selected business models. In addition, the method includes gathering information from the entity relevant to the selected business models and inputting the information into the entity model. The method further includes specifying functional requirements of the entity using a business modeling tool and configuring the entity model using the specified functional requirements. Moreover, the method includes automatically generating one or more specification files according to the configured entity model. The specification files identify the data to be input to the software after the software is deployed.

Abstract: An order promising system (10) includes a commerce module (16) that receives a product inquiry from a user. The product inquiry includes a product configuration that includes a product identifier, one or more option values, and the delivery location for the product. The system (10) also includes one or more inventory engines (12) that receive the product configuration from the commerce module (16) and identify one or more products in the inventory of one or more sellers that exactly or partially match the product configuration based on one or more matching rules. The inventory engines (12) also determine a delivery date for each matching product and communicate the matching products and associated delivery dates to the commerce module (16).

Abstract: A distributed software system (10) includes at least one server component (22) that supports one or more server objects having associated data and at least one client component (24) that is distributed from the server component (22). The client component (24) accesses data associated with one or more of the server objects according to a scheme making it substantially transparent to the client component (24) whether the server component (22) is local to or remote from the client component (24).

Abstract: A method for distributed automated software GUI testing includes maintaining a centralized queue, which stores test instances to be executed by distributed test execution computers (“test computers”). Each test computer includes a client platform and is connected to one or more server platforms, the client and server platforms collectively providing client-server combinations against which the tests may be executed. For each test computer: (1) a request for a test instance is received from a test computer in response to completion of a preceding test by the test computer; (2) in response, a test instance is retrieved from the queue and communicated to the test computer for execution using a testing component supported by the test computer; (3) the component performs automated software GUI testing and produces test results; and (5) in response to execution of the instance, a test result for the executed instance is received and stored.

Abstract: An electronic commerce system for storing and classifying documents includes one or more document repositories that store documents. The system also includes a global content directory that includes a plurality of product and document classes organized in a hierarchy where each class categorizes a number of the documents and is associated with one or more attributes of the documents categorized in the class. At least one of the classes has one or more associated pointers that identify the one or more document repositories. The system further includes a global content directory interface that facilitates retrieval of the documents. A security module encrypts the documents to protect confidential information contained in the documents and decrypts the documents when a buyer has a required permission level.

Abstract: A system (10) for optimization using multi-dimensional data includes a server (12) that uses a multi-dimensional data model to organize data stored at one or more data storage locations (14). The multi-dimensional data model includes a number of data dimensions (50, 70) that each include a hierarchy of members (54, 74). The server (12) receives input from a user specifying a problem instance to be solved using an optimization engine (20). The problem instance is specified by the user in a multi-dimensional format and the optimization engine (20) is unable to solve the problem instance in the multi-dimensional format. The system (10) also includes a transformation module (22) that receives the problem instance in the multi-dimensional format, transforms the problem instance into a format appropriate for the optimization engine (20), and communicates the transformed problem instance to the optimization engine (20) to be solved.

Abstract: In one aspect, a computer-implemented method is provided for aggregating and scheduling product batches in a manufacturing environment. Using a batch aggregation engine implementing a mathematical programming strategy, one or more product demands are allocated to one or more product batches having suggested sizes and suggested starting times. The mathematical programming strategy includes evaluating a number of time-based penalties relative to one another in allocating the demands to the batches, the time-based penalties being based on relationships between suggested starting times for batches and times of demands being considered for allocation to batches. The suggested sizes, the suggested starting times, and feedback relating to the suggested sizes and suggested starting times are communicated from the batch aggregation engine to a scheduling engine to assist the scheduling engine in scheduling starting times for the batches.