Scenario 41 - Forecast Exchange - Update

41.0 Overview

Scenario #41 describes the integration for managing forecast, planning, shipping and sequence scheduling information flows.

The purpose of this scenario is to enable the visualization of the participants in the process and the dialogs between them for this specific integration. This scenario is not meant to be the only model for integrating general ledger applications to a budget applications. This is simply one model that may be used to guide one’s own integration efforts.

The following diagram shows the context of the Forecast Scenario.

To Do List

41.1 Scenario Diagram

The scenario below contains the participants involved in the interaction, the dialog flows or conversation between them, certain assumptions about the sequence of events, and assumptions about the technical approach, for example, publish and subscribe.

This is a model to be used as a design recommendation, not a required approach.

41.2 Assumptions

This scenario assumes a loosely coupled, asynchronous approach with transaction management required but not explicitly defined.

The environment for this integration may be within a single enterprise, or across enterprises.

41.3 Component Definitions

This scenario contains two major components, the supplier scheduling application, and the buyer release management application.

The definitions and details of these applications are left to the designer but are assumed to contain the functionality as defined by what is commonly sold in the commercial market place today. This definition is broadly accepted by the scenario designers and is a direct result of the decision not to define how the processing takes place within any individual application.

Each application must be able perform the services defined by the message BOD (business object document), but the internals of the application are not required or desired to be exposed at this level of standardized abstraction.

The following assumptions are made regarding these application.

  • The supplier scheduling application maintains schedules regarding planned demand, shipping and sequence of delivery.
  • The release management application drives the MRP, the shipment and the sequence schedules in the suppliers ERP application.

41.4 Business Workflow (Sequence)

The business workflow is graphically represented by starting at the Scenario top and reading from top down and from left to right.

The events involved include:

  • Sync PlanningSchedule - This event is the publication from the supplier scheduling application of a Planning schedule to the buyer release management application.
  • Sync ShipmentSchedule - This event is the publication from the supplier scheduling application of a Shipment schedule to the buyer release management application.
  • Sync SequenceSchedule - This event is the publication from the supplier scheduling application of a Sequence Schedule to the buyer release management application.

41.5 Exception Handling

Exception handling is highly localized as the result of an implementation’s infrastructure, management and business rules. As such, this section of the Scenario documentation is planned to be used as a guide to help understand the additional intent of these Scenarios. If no exceptions are noted here, then it can be assumed that the Scenario designers agreed that the Scenario is straight forward and has no additional needs:

  • Note that the Confirm BOD is not shown in the scenario and that it is the most obvious method for providing an application level exception and feedback mechanism between business software components. Full Confirm BOD use is described in other OAGIS documentation in detail, but it should be noted that the specific use of the Confirm BOD may vary significantly from scenario to scenario and from integration to integration.

  • The Confirm BOD is typically intended to be used by the original receiving application to communicate to the sending application that the information it sent in the message BOD (business object document) was received and understood and can be processed.

  • If the information was not received or nor understood, or contained errors of any type, it is accepted practice for the OAGIS users to presume that the data was not acted on and in the absence of a Confirm BOD within a partnership previously agreed to time limit to resend the original message again.

  • As errors and assumptions are the bane of any implementation, it is strongly recommended that the Confirm BOD be used to prevent any potential problem although it is not a requirement by OAGIS use.

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