Abstract: A system, computer-implemented method, and software for automatically planning and scheduling ocean-going vessels for oil distribution is provided. The scheduling of the vessels is based on a filtered beam search and greedy heuristic. A server can be used for receiving a schedule request and one or more constraints for scheduling one or more vessels from one or more users. An optimization engine can be used for generating a schedule based at least in part on the one or more constraints using a beam search algorithm.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for distributing consumer demand upstream in a supply chain includes receiving, at a current time, an indication of consumer demand for a product that a consumer may be willing to receive at a future date rather than the current date in exchange for an incentive. The method also includes determining a particular incentive based on an order lead time for the product and conveying the particular incentive to allow the consumer to choose whether to receive the product at the particular future date rather than the current date in exchange for the particular incentive.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for allocating products to one or more sellers. The system includes a database operable to store data associated with one or more enterprises. The system further includes an order promising system coupled with the database and operable to model the flow of the products through the one or more enterprises and allocate resources to the one or more sellers based on the modeled flow of the products.

Abstract: A system providing seller pre-qualification during the matching phase of an electronic commerce transaction includes a directory structure 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 in which product data enabling a product transaction is stored for products categorized in the product class. The system further includes a search interface configured to communicate a search query for product data only to one or more seller databases associated with sellers having seller attribute values matching the specified seller attribute criteria, these seller databases being identified by the one or more pointers associated with the selected product class.

Abstract: A system, computer-implemented method, and software for automatically planning and scheduling ocean-going vessels for oil distribution is provided. The scheduling of the vessels is based on a filtered beam search and greedy heuristic. A server can be used for receiving a schedule request and one or more constraints for scheduling one or more vessels from one or more users. An optimization engine can be used for generating a schedule based at least in part on the one or more constraints using a beam search algorithm.

Abstract: One embodiment includes a computer-implemented system for incorporating a repair vendor into repair planning for a supply chain. The system accesses a logical representation of the supply chain and identify one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations in the supply chain. The system accesses information indicating a replenishment requirement at a particular identified controlling location resulting from safety stock at the particular identified controlling location dropping below a predetermined threshold. In response to the information indicating the replenishment requirement at the particular identified controlling location, the system identifies every primary network in the supply chain connecting the particular identified controlling location to one or more identified staging locations.

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: 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 of optimizing multi-enterprise supply chain agreements using an electronic scenario based option contract includes creating at a buyer computer a plurality of scenarios of forecasted demand for one or more products and communicating from the buyer computer to a seller computer an offer to enter into an option contract for the supply of the one or more products, the option contract including an option corresponding to each of the plurality of scenarios of forecasted demand. The method further includes executing the option contract, receiving at the buyer computer an indication of current buyer demand for at least one scenario associated with the one or more products, and exercising at least a portion of the option in the option contract based at least in part on the indicated buyer demand.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for centrally managing core enterprise reference data associated with an enterprise. A centralized master repository includes the core enterprise reference data. An internal services framework coupled with the centralized master repository provides a business process toolkit for managing models. The business process toolkit includes a model library comprising data models and one or more modeling services for modeling the system. The internal services framework also provides internal services for managing the core enterprise reference data, one or more of the internal services having direct access to the core enterprise reference data for management purposes. An infrastructure services layer coupled with the centralized master repository provides bulk data transfers of core enterprise reference data according to one or more enterprise-level business workflows, the external operational systems permitted indirect access to the core enterprise reference data for operational purposes.

Abstract: A system for performing a business process includes a first version of a business application executed by a first client to perform a particular business process and a second version of the business application executed by a second client to perform the business process, wherein the first client is coupled to the second client using a communication link. The first version of the business application is identified using a first version identifier and the second version of the business application is identified using a second version identifier. One of the first version of the business application and the second version of the business application is selected to initiate the business process based upon the first version identifier and the second version identifier.

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 and system that facilitates communication between demand and supply side trading partners of the consumer goods industry in the electronic transmittal of extended data attributes for product items, pricing and trade promotions. The method includes the steps of establishing a connection to a program, which provides for the definition and establishment of extended data attributes specific to the user. The method also includes inputting extended data into the program and outputting the information to a designated trading partner in the form of an XML-based message as communicated through the Internet. The system incorporates the transmittal of the extended data attribute information by attaching it to a standards-based determined transaction message for item introduction, pricing and promotions, thus allowing ease of integration of both standards-based and extended data attribute information on product items, pricing and promotions to trading partners' respective ERP or legacy systems.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system is provided for executing bulk data transfers between persistent data stores. Programmatic source interfaces are each associated with a source store, defined according to a source interface specification, and exposed during a transfer to enable extraction from its source store of data entities for loading into any selected target stores during the transfer. Programmatic target interfaces are each associated with a target store, defined according to a common target interface specification, and exposed during a transfer to enable loading into its target store of data entities extracted from any selected source stores during the transfer.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system is provided for executing bulk data transfers between persistent data stores. A data integration server is coupled to persistent data stores. Programmatic source interfaces are each associated with a source store, defined according to a source interface specification, and exposed within the server during a transfer to enable the server to extract from its source store data entities for loading into any selected target data stores during the transfer. Programmatic target interfaces are each associated with a target store, defined according to a target interface specification, and exposed within the server during a transfer to enable the server to load into its target store data entities extracted from any selected source data stores during the transfer.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method for on-demand repair planning includes modeling for a repair location: a good parts buffer; a first buffer for unserviceable parts determined to be serviceable without repair; and a second buffer for unserviceable parts determined to be repairable. A forecasted demand, for a specified quantity of serviceable parts, is accessed. Parts available in the first buffer to help satisfy the forecasted demand is estimated. If a part is available, an operation plan is generated for a use-as-is operation. If the forecasted demand is not fully satisfied, a quantity of parts available in the second buffer to help satisfy the forecasted demand is estimated and, if one or more parts are available: the latest time at which a repair operation can begin is estimated; a repair order is planned; and an operation plan is generated for the repair operation.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system is provided for executing bulk data transfers between persistent data stores in connection with an enterprise-level business workflow. A data integration server is coupled to one or more stores. Programmatic source interfaces are each associated with a source store, defined according to a source interface specification, and exposed within the server during a transfer in connection with an enterprise-level business workflow to enable the server to extract from its source store data entities for loading into any selected target stores during the transfer. Programmatic target interfaces are each associated with a target store, defined according to a target interface specification, and exposed within the server during a transfer in connection with an enterprise-level business workflow to enable the server to load into its target store data entities extracted from any selected source stores during the transfer.

Abstract: One embodiment includes a computer-implemented system for planning a supply of items to a first location associated with a supply chain from one or more second locations associated with the supply chain. The system accesses a logical representation of the supply chain and identifies one or more controlling locations and one or more staging locations in the supply chain. The system selects one or more of the identified locations according to a set of rules for selecting one or more of the identified controlling locations and identified staging locations for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations and generates a plan for supplying items to the first location from one or more of the second locations according to the selection of one or more of the identified locations.

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: A schema translation tool (36) includes a mapping module (37) that receives information regarding a source schema (70) and a target schema (80). The source and target schemas (70, 80) each include a taxonomy that includes a hierarchy of classes (72, 82) into which products may be categorized. At least the source schema (70) further includes a product ontology, including one or more product attributes, that is associated with one or more of the classes (72). The mapping module (37) associates one or more source classes (72) of the source schema (70) with one or more target classes (82) of the target schema (80). The schema translation tool (36) further includes an ontology generation module (38) that generates a product ontology for each of the target classes (82) based on the product ontologies of the associated source classes (72).