Sap Ag

Sap Aktiengeselleschaft

Mathias Goebelt

Thomas Kasper

Andreas Sandner

An explanation device operates to generate explanatory information for a user regarding the cause of any demands that could not be satisfied by an automated supply chain optimizer. The explanation device identifies the cause for any unsatisfied demands by successfully relaxing various supply chain constraints while controlling the supply chain optimizer to re-optimize the supply chain subject to the relaxed constraints. If a previously unsatisfied demand is satisfied during re-optimization by relaxing a given constraint, then that constraint is deemed to have been a factor in the original, unsatisfied demand. If so, explanatory information is output to the user regarding the constraint. The amount by which the constraint was originally violated during the initial optimization may also be determined and provided to the user as further explanatory information.

Re-optimization technique for use with an automated supply chain optimizer

Methods, systems and computer-implemented architectures are provided for performing supply chain planning. In one implementation, a system is provided that comprises a database configured to store master data descriptive of supply chain items, a model generator coupled to the database and configured to derive a master data-based core model representative of a supply chain planning problem, and a solver configured to translate the core model into a mathematical model and determine a solution to the mathematical model. In addition, the system may comprise a preprocessor configured to preprocess the core model by subjecting the core model to a set of rules to derive a preprocessed core model, wherein the solver establishes the mathematical model from the preprocessed core model. By applying a set of preprocessing rules to the core model, where the business logic of the supply chain planning problem still exists, the solving process of the planning problem can be improved and the performance of the solver can be enhanced. Moreover, meaningful results obtained from the preprocessing can be reported to a customer.

Growing community of inventors

Heidelberg, Germany

Mathias Goebelt