Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-23
2001-06-19
Amsbury, Wayne (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249789
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and computer program for calculating time sensitive algorithms to be used in business process planning and, in particular, to those algorithms used for planning manufacturing processes based on time-sensitive data.
2. Description of Related Art
Business planning application systems typically deal with a similar general data architecture. In a relational database environment, the information is stored with two characteristics: first, a key structure made up of a combination of one or more key fields to uniquely identify records, and second, the information identified by the key fields is effective for one or more future time periods. For example, a manufacturing organization can gather and process sector yield information which is uniquely identified by a plan identification, product identification, process center, and sector. The yield information and other parametric data, e.g., operational parameters such as productivity, labor rates, cost of materials, overhead costs and the like, can take on different values in different time periods. The time periods over which such parametric data changes may not be the same for each data component.
In storing and accessing planning application information, it is important to optimize the data storage of constant or varying parametric data over future time periods. The problem is particularly important in the connection with time-sensitive parametric data of the types mentioned above. It would be useful to be able to extract discrete time-period information from a continuous variable time period interval which preserves the storage optimization and permits parametric data in different variable time period intervals to be combined in an algorithmic computation.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of dealing with time-sensitive parametric data in business planning applications.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and computer program for calculating work algorithms which permits parametric data in different variable time period intervals to be combined in an algorithmic computation.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and computer program for calculating work algorithms which does not require restricting time-sensitive data to the same rigid, fixed intervals for each parametric data record.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and computer program for calculating work algorithms which permits use of variable time intervals, and overcomes the difficulty of combining parametric data stored in variable intervals which are not necessarily the same.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects and advantages, which will be apparent to one of skill in the art, are achieved in the present invention which is directed to, in a first aspect, a method of combining parametric data from a first record having data values for a plurality of time intervals and a second record having data values for a plurality of time intervals, the time intervals of the second record not all corresponding to the time intervals of the first record. The method comprises comparing the time intervals of the first record with the time intervals of the second record and determining which time intervals of each of the first and second records do not correspond with time intervals of the other record. The method then includes subdividing one or more time intervals of the first record or the second record into subdivided time intervals so that time intervals of the first record correspond to time intervals of the second record and determining parametric data values for the subdivided time intervals of the first record or the second record. The method finally includes selecting a start date and an end date of desired data based on the first and second records and determining combined data for the first and second records by applying an algorithm to the parametric data of the first and second records for corresponding time intervals between the start date and the end date.
In another aspect, the present invention includes a program storage device readable by a machine, wherein the device has a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of determining time sensitive values for multiple parametric data having different variable effective intervals, the program adapted to access a database containing a first record having data values for a plurality of time intervals and a second record having data values for a plurality of time intervals, the time intervals of the second record not all corresponding to the time intervals of the first record. The method performed by the program comprises comparing the time intervals of the first record with the time intervals of the second record and determining which time intervals of each of the first and second records do not correspond with time intervals of the other record. The method then includes subdividing one or more time intervals of the first record or the second record into subdivided time intervals so that time intervals of the first record correspond to time intervals of the second record and determining parametric data values for the subdivided time intervals of the first record or the second record. Finally, the method includes the steps of designating a start date and an end date of desired data based on the first and second records and determining combined data or the first and second records by applying an algorithm to the parametric data of the first and second records for corresponding time intervals between the start date and the end date.
Preferably, at least one time interval of both the first and second records is subdivided into at least two subdivided time intervals so that the time intervals of the second record correspond to time intervals of the first record and parametric data values of both the first and second records are determined for the subdivided time intervals. The start and end dates correspond to the time intervals of the first and second records.
More preferably, the method includes the steps of determining parametric data values of additional records for a plurality of continuous time intervals, at least one time interval of the additional records being different from a time interval of the first record and the second record; determining parametric data values of additional records for the subdivided time intervals and applying the algorithm to the parametric data of the additional records for corresponding time intervals between the start date and the end date.
In a related aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the medium for determining time sensitive values for multiple parametric data having different variable effective intervals. The program is adapted to access a database containing a first record having data values for a plurality of time intervals and a second record having data values for a plurality of time intervals, the time intervals of the second record not all corresponding to the time intervals of the first record. The computer program product includes computer readable program code means for practicing the aforementioned method steps.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of determining time sensitive values for multiple parametric data having different variable effective intervals comprising determining parametric data values of a first work factor for a plurality of continuous time intervals; determining parametric data values of a second work factor for a plurality of continuous time intervals, at least one time interval of the second work factor being different from a time interval of the first work fa
Delia Wayne M.
Diehl Wayne
Havko Francis X.
Amsbury Wayne
Anderson Jay H.
DeLio & Peterson LLC
International Business Machines - Corporation
Peterson Peter W.
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