Method and System for Monitoring a Supply-Chain

Abstract

A method of monitoring supply chain activity throughout a plurality of supply chain sites includes extracting, at each supply chain site, supply-related data to be monitored. The data is maintained in plural formats at the supply chain sites, and translated the data to a common format. The extracted data is then uploaded to and collected, from each supply chain site, to a data collection center or site. Upon a user request, a portion of the collected data is formatted, at the data collection site, into one of a plurality of views, responsive to criteria selected by the user, for presentation to the user, the portion of formatted data being dependent on access rights granted to the user's supply chain site. Finally, the formatted data view is published to the user's supply chain site. The data collection center comprises a data collector in which the uploaded data is stored, and a publisher for publishing data from the data collector upon request. Each supply chain site has a data storage device for maintaining its own supply-chain data, a data transfer engine (DTE), for transferring the supply-chain data to the data collection center, input means for allowing a user to query the data collector, and a display for displaying data published by the publisher in response to a query. The inbound data received from the multiple supply chain sites is monitored at the data collection site. If a problem condition is detected, such as a forecasted or present shortage or surplus, an alert is asserted, for example, by highlighting an Alert indicator, such as an Alert tab, on a user screen. Upon selection of the highlighted Alert indicator by a user, details of the detected problem condition are displayed.

1 . A data integration and presentation system comprising:
 a module configured to define user access rights to a business information database;   a publisher configured to present data from the business information database, comprising:
 a plurality of presentation views associated with the access rights; 
 a monitor configured to display alerts conditioned on data in the business information database and the user access rights; and 
 analysis filters configured to query data in the business information database and populate the views with data; and 
 an extractor configured to communicate with the business information database and a second information source, comprising: 
 a translator configured to translate data to an XML format; and 
 a communication channel between the business information and the second information source. 
   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , where the business information database comprises proprietary data of a first entity and the second information source comprises proprietary data of a second entity. 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , where the second information source comprises proprietary supply-related data of the second entity and the business information database comprises demand related data of a first entity. 
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an alert e-mailer module configured to e-mail alerts conditioned on results of the analysis filters. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4 , where the analysis filters are configured to monitor supply and demand related data. 
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 4 , where the analysis filters are configured to determine a shortage or excess in supply. 
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising an encryption module configured to encrypt data transferred over the communication channel. 
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7 , where the publisher is accessible over the Internet. 
   
   
       9 . A data integration and presentation system comprising:
 a publisher configured to present data from a business information database, wherein the publisher comprises:
 means for defining user access rights to the business information database; 
 a plurality of presentation views, where the presentation views are associated with the access rights; and 
 means for displaying alerts conditioned on data in the business information database and the access rights; 
 means for filtering data and populating the views with filtered data; and 
 an extractor configured to communicate with the business information database and a second information source, where the extractor comprises: 
 means for translating data from the format of the second information source to the format of the business information database; and 
 means for exchanging XML messages between the second information source and the business information database. 
   
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising means for emailing alerts populated by the means for filtering. 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10  further comprising means for encrypting the extractors communications between the business information warehouse and the second information source. 
   
   
       12 . A data integration and presentation system comprising:
 a publisher configured to present data from the business information database, comprising:
 a plurality of presentation views associated with the access rights; 
 a monitor configured to display alerts conditioned on data in the business information database and the user access rights; and 
 analysis filters configured to query data in the business information database and populate the views with data; and 
 an extractor configured to communicate with the business information database and a second information source, comprising an XML translator. 
   
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12 , where the business information database comprises proprietary data of a first entity and the second information source comprises proprietary data of a second entity. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 12 , where the second information source comprises proprietary supply-related data of the second entity and the business information database comprises demand related data of a first entity. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising an alert e-mailer module configured to e-mail alerts conditioned on results of the analysis filters. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , where the analysis filters are configured to monitor supply and demand related data. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 15 , where the analysis filters are configured to determine a shortage or excess in supply. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising an encryption module configured to encrypt data transferred over a communication channel between the business information database and the second information source. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 18 , where the publisher is accessible over the Internet.