Abstract: A method for filtered peer-to-peer business communication in a distributed computer environment includes accessing offers associated with one or more offerors and requests associated with one or more requestors, each offer and each request including a set of filter components. Filter components of offers are compared with corresponding filter components of requests to determine whether one or more offers match one or more requests. A match is determined between an offer and a request if the filter components of the offer match the corresponding filter components of the request. In response, at least a matching portion of the offer and request is replicated and communicated to both the offeror associated with the offer and the requestor associated with the request to provide filtered peer-to-peer communication between the offeror and requestor.

Abstract: Operationalizing a goal includes receiving the goal and execution rules associated with the goal, where one or more execution rules correspond to an execution system operable to initiate execution of the execution rules. The goal is represented in a representation language that includes a set of operations. An operation of the set of operations is applied to the goal to partition the goal into subgoals. For each subgoal, an operation of the set of operations is applied to the subgoal to derive and configure one or more execution rules associated with the subgoal. The goals, the applied operations, the subgoals, and the execution rules are recorded as operationalized knowledge to operationalize the goal.

Abstract: A system for generating market pricing information for a non-fungible target item includes one or more databases containing historical pricing information for at least one reference item, historical pricing information for at least the target item, and market pricing information for at least the reference item. A pricing engine determines a pricing differential between the target item and the reference item that reflects historical pricing information for the target and reference items. The pricing engine applies the pricing differential to the market pricing information for the reference item to generate market pricing information for the target item. The market pricing information for the reference item may include a substantially real-time current market price for the reference item, and the market pricing information for the target item may be generated in the form of a substantially real-time current market price quote for the target item for communication to a market participant.

Abstract: A method for distributed inventory management includes receiving information regarding a number of participants in a value chain and information regarding one or more items relevant in the value chain. The method also includes modeling relationships between two or more of the participants based on the received information and modeling the one or more items based on the received information. The method further includes receiving inventory data from the participants relating to the one or more items, evaluating the received inventory data according to one or more business rules associated with an agent, executing a business process associated with the agent based on the evaluation of the inventory data and the models of the relationships and the items, and communicating output of the business process to one or more of the participants.

Abstract: A method of valuing products based on demand probabilities. Products are designed by identifying product components, and combining the components in various combinations to provide standard and non-standard products. Components are valued using an algorithm that considers demand probability as well as known prices of standard products. The component values are added to determine product values and may be used to make pricing and order fulfillment decisions.

Abstract: A method of multi-enterprise optimization at a buyer computer (20) includes accessing a forecasted demand for at least one item and generating one or more proposed flexible trade contracts (500, 530, 560) using the forecasted demand for the item. The proposed flexible trade contract (500, 530, 560) is communicated to a seller computer (40) and subsequently executed after acceptance of the proposed flexible trade contract (500, 530, 560) at the seller computer (40) to create a flexible trade contract (500, 530, 560). Each proposed flexible trade contract (500, 530, 560) may be a forward contract (500), an option contract (530), or a flexible forward contract (560).

Abstract: A system (10) for managing a capacity extreme at a first entity (12) in a supply chain includes a planning application (36) that receives status data for at least the first entity (12) reflecting the capacity extreme at the first entity (12) and generates a plan (34) according to the status data. A manager application (44) receives the plan (34) and, according to the plan (34), automatically initiates at least one service in an attempt to resolve at least a portion of the capacity extreme through interaction with one or more other entities (12). The manager application (44) selects the service from among a plurality of available services based on a monetary value to the first entity (12) of a resolution expected to be available using the selected service relative to other services.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for generating a risk assessment regarding a software implementation project includes accessing a previously specified importance value and maximum score for each of a multiple of risk factors. The importance value for each risk factor reflects experience of an implementing entity regarding the extent to which the factor may negatively impact a software implementation project if the factor is not adequately addressed, the importance value and maximum score for each factor being multiplied to define a potential weighted score for the factor. An actual score for a particular software implementation project is received for each factor based on an analysis specific to the particular project. An actual weighted score for the particular project is generated for each factor by multiplying the importance value and actual score for the factor, and a relationship between the potential weighted score and actual weighted score for each factor.

Abstract: A system (10) for managing a value chain includes a planning application (36) that receives planning data from a number of entities included in a value chain and automatically generates a plan according to the planning data. At least two of the entities do not directly communicate planning data to one another. The system (10) also includes a manager application (44) that receives the plan and automatically identifies one or more exceptions in the plan, communicates planning data relating to the exceptions to one or more of the entities, receives instructions from one or more of the entities regarding how the exceptions are to resolved, and automatically modifies the planning data in response to the instructions.

Abstract: A system for publishing and subscribing in event systems is disclosed. The system comprises a logical event manager. A physical event manager communicates with the logical event manager and a first and a second event producer-consumer. The physical event manager includes a first mapper that translates between the logical event manager and the first event producer-consumer and a second mapper that translates between the logical event manager and the second event producer-consumer. A method for publishing and subscribing in event systems is disclosed. A logical event manager receives a logical event from an event producer. The logical event is communicated from the logical event manager to a physical event manager. The physical event manager uses a first mapper to translate the logical event to a first signal, and a second mapper to translate the logical event to a second signal. The first and second signals are published to first and second event consumers.

Abstract: A system providing seller pre-qualification during the matching phase of an electronic commerce transaction includes a directory structure 44 comprising multiple hierarchically organized product classes, each product class categorizing multiple products and defining one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class. The system also includes one or more pointers for each product class, each pointer identifying a seller database 32 in which product data enabling a product transaction is stored for products categorized in the product class. Each seller database 32 is associated with a seller 30 having values for one or more seller attributes.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a computer-implemented system for protecting from unauthorized reproduction data associated with one or more products that is communicated over a communications network includes one or more servers. The servers collectively receive data associated with one or more products matching search criteria specified in a search query received from a buyer computer, the data having been collected in response to communicating the search query to one or more databases in which data associated with one or more products is stored. The servers collectively communicate to the buyer computer the data for the matching products and communicate a software component to the buyer computer, the software component operable to provide a user associated with the buyer computer access to the data for the matching products, the software component further operable to disable one or more tools supported at the buyer computer for reproducing the data.

Abstract: Generating an optimized supplier allocation plan includes identifying parts and suppliers associated with an allocation problem, where each supplier can supply at least one part. One or more objective functions are selected. Each objective function has part variables, and each part variable represents a quantity of a part to be procured from a supplier. At least one constraint constraining at least one part variable is received. The one or more objective functions are optimized with respect to the at least one constraint to yield a value for each part variable. A quantity of each part to be procured from at least one supplier is determined according to the values to generate the optimized supplier allocation plan.

Abstract: Calculating price elasticity includes accessing a number of demand models and demand data describing a number of items. The demand models are evaluated in accordance with the demand data. A demand model of the evaluated demand models is selected in response to the evaluation. A price elasticity is calculated according to the selected demand model.

Abstract: A method for deploying parts is disclosed. Locations that include supply locations and demand locations are defined. A supply location supplies parts to a demand location. A demand is computed for each part at each location. An availability lead-time is estimated for each part at each location. A lead-time demand is computed for each part at each location using the availability lead-times for the part. A stock level is computed for each part at each location. A completely filled demand is determined from the lead-time demands and the stock levels, and a partially filled demand is determined from the lead-time demands and the stock levels. A coverage function for the parts at the locations is generated from the completely filled demand and the partially filled demand.

Abstract: An electronic commerce system (10) providing market feedback to sellers includes a server (40) operating on one or more computers. The server (40) records query information associated with a search query for a buyer (20) of one or more databases containing product data. The server (40) also records presentation information associated with presentation of multiple search results to the buyer (20), each search result including data for a product matching one or more search criteria specified in the search query, the search results including one or more search results reflecting product data for a particular seller (30). The server (40) also records selection information associated with selection by the buyer (20) of a particular search result from among the multiple search results.

Abstract: A method for selecting members in a hierarchy includes determining a sequence of one or more actions associated with a member selection tree. The actions collectively selecting one or more members from a hierarchy of members. The hierarchy of members is associated with a particular dimension of an organization of data. The method further includes recording the sequence of actions in a member selection script. In addition, the method includes executing the member selection script to select one or more members after the hierarchy of members has been modified.

Abstract: A method for generating a sales volume forecast includes receiving user input specifying a hypothetical asking price and a future date and accessing, for each of multiple past time periods, historical data reflecting a sales volume for an item over the past time period and a corresponding price difference between an asking price and a coinciding market price for the item, the price difference also being associated with the past time period.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system is provided for managing a centrally managed master repository for core enterprise reference data associated with an enterprise. A centralized master repository contains the reference data, the reference data being associated with multiple schemas, each schema including one or more data models for reference data, each data model including one or more fields. A data management services framework coupled to the repository provides services for managing the reference data in the repository. The services framework supports a master schema including a union of multiple models and associated fields in the multiple schemas. The services framework also supports a thesaurus including, for each field in the master schema, a set of synonyms each representing a mapping between the field in the master schema and a corresponding field in a particular one of the multiple schemas.

Abstract: A method for migrating product data within an electronic commerce system (10) includes monitoring requests for products by users (20) of a global content directory (42). The global content directory (42) includes a directory structure (44) including a number of product classes organized in a hierarchy. Each product class categorizes a plurality of products and defines one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class. The directory (44) also includes one or more pointers associated with each product class. Each pointer identifies a seller database (32) in which product data enabling a product transaction is stored for products associated with the product class. The method further includes identifying the location of a user (20) and determining that product data associated with a product requested by the user (20) should be migrated from a seller database (32) to a storage location closer to the user than the seller database (32).