Logistics information system
The new logistic manner requires the support of the relevant logistics software, for computer provides brand new-manners to process the traditional tasks, such as storage and delivery. For instance, the CPFR strategy makes it possible for both the producers and retailers to compare and contrast separateness the anticipations toward the particular product, and then reach the cooperative agreements! On the production and sales. And besides, the advanced planning& coordinating software supports the dynamic coordination, and the pre-alarming system helps to meet the unfixed market demands and make the in-time inventory adjustment according to orders. And what's more, the Supply-Chain Executing and Planning Software (SCEP) plays the key role in processing the orders collected from the on-line transactions and market on web, while, correspondingly, the suppliers must have the relevant visual inventory software. The middle-and-small-sized enterprises gain benefits of WMS and TMS from the new, web-based software models, for they only need to pay monthly or just the transaction costs for the proper solutions from the Application Service Providers (ASP), rather than pay the much larger expenses on the software installing and using for further software integration.
In e-business times, considering the crucial status of information, the logistics industry must support the continuous, convenient andn0n-mistaken transfer of data, and the real-time and automatic update of data, via the integrated logistics information system, in order to increase the visibility of the whole logistics procedure. And the final goal is to replace the inventory with information. Thus, first of all, we have to answer two questions: The first is, how to build up compatible database. As the basis of the whole information system, database must be of not only the complete compatibility, but also the ability to expand, so as to satisfy the need for business growing. At present, most large-and middle-sized logistics enterprises use Oracle system, while the rest of them use the MS SQL. The second is how to choose the best tools for data transfer. The integrated information system inquires the smooth transfer of data and indications between the varying entities, such as buyers, seller and the 3PL providers, etc. The traditional EDI, used by most large companies, is one of the most effective tools to complete the transfer, however, sometimes, EDI is too complicated to achieve. With the prosperity of Internet nowadays, there comes out several new tools, for example, web-based EDI and the XML. And further more, XML simplifies both the integration process and the data transfer between the databases.
In e-commerce age, the quick response to the customers in global area has been a big challenge with the continuous expansion of the global market, the development of information technology and speed-up of the commercial steps. The logistics task to deliver the goods and information at right time, in reasonable cost and to the designated place has been more and more complicated: Therefore, it also becomes more and more pressing for working out not only the effective and efficient plans toward the global visibility of the whole supply-chain, but also the accurate and speedy supporting systems for decision-making, which ensure the real-time response toward the changes upon the market and the supply-chain. So, in order to stay competitive in the area, logistics industry has begun to employ the opening, systematical and technical structures, so as to form the consecutive logistics procedures for the enterprises, and then, realize the seamless, multi-placed integration of the full-ranged supply-chain, which not only covering the stock and the on-way inventory, but also including the chain sectors from suppliers to end users. And this integrated logistics strategy holds advantages in solving the problems of fragmentary resources, unnecessary inventory and the lost commercial opportunities.
To achieve the optimization of the supply-chain, more and more enterprises outsource 4PL service providers, and build up their own virtual supply-chain based on web. Via the web-based information platform, the 4PL service providers, together with other service providers and partners in warehousing, transportation and 3PL, choose the best partners, in accordance with the demands of their clients, at each sector within the cycle, and then, collect and transfer the logistics information via internet, and finally, build up the customized, integrated, optimized and subjunctive supply-chain. The virtual supply-chain has outstanding advantages in responsiveness, flexibility and visibility. For example, the enterprises can construct their own logistics network promptly by renting the warehousing space from partners, increase and reduce their space requirements based on demand, and adjust the layout of the sectors in the network; meanwhile, enterprises are also able to make use of the computer-aided management system and the material delivery system, pre-provided by the warehousing partners, to build up their own operating and information systems, and further more, the operating experiences of warehousing partners help to better complete the logistics functions, such as sorting, packaging and delivery, and provide enhanced customer service at relatively low price.
The past two decades have witnessed enormous growth in the number and importance of database applications. Database are used to store, manipulate, and retrieve data in nearly every type of organization including business ,health care, education , government, and libraries. Databases technology is routinely used by individuals on personal computers, by workgroups accessing databases on network servers, and by all employees using enterprise-wide distributed applications.
Following this period of rapid growth, will the demand for databases and database technology level off? Certainly not. In the highly competitive environment of the late 1990s there is every indication that database technology will assume even greater importance. Managers are seeking to use knowledge derived from databases for competitive advantage. For example, detailed sales databases can be mined to determine customer buying patterns as a basis for advertising and marketing campaigns. Many organizations today are building separate databases, called “data warehouses,” for this type of decision support application.
Historically, the term data referred to known facts that could be recorded and stored on computer media. For example in a salesperson’s database, the data would include facts such as customer name, address, and telephone number. This definition now needs to be expanded to reflect a new reality. Databases today are used to store objects such as documents, photographic images, sound, and even video segments, in addition to conventional textual and numeric data. For example, the salesperson’s database might include a photo image of the customer contact. It might also include a sound recording or video clip of the most recent conversation with the customer. To reflect this reality, we use the following broadened definition: Data consist of facts, text, graphics, images, sound, and video segments that have meaning in the users’ environment.
We have defined a database as an organized collection of related data. By organize we mean that the data are structured so as to be easily stored, manipulated, and retrieved by users. By related we mean that the data describe a domain of interest to a group of users and that the users can use the data to answer questions concerning that domain. For example a database for an automobile repair shop contains data identifying customers (the data items it lists include each customer’s name, address, work phone number, home phone number, and preferred credit card number), automobiles belonging to those customers (the data items include make, model, and year), and repair histories for each of those automobiles (e.g., date of service, name of person who worked on vehicle, type of repair performed, and dollar amount of work performed).
Databases range from a single user with a desktop computer to those on mainframe computers with thousands of users. The range of database applications can be divided into four categories, from simplest to most complex: personal computer (or PC) databases, workgroup databases, department databases, and enterprise databases. We introduce each category with a typical example, followed by some issues that generally arise within the category of use.
Personal Computer Databases
Personal computer (PC) databases are designed to support one user with a standalone personal computer (for example, a desktop or laptop computer). For example, consider a company that has a number of salesperson who call on actual or prospective customers. Each salesperson might carry a laptop computer with a simple database application to record customer information and the details of contacts with each customer.
Personal computer databases are widely used because they can often improve personal productivity. However, they entail a risk: the data cannot easily be shared with other users. For example, suppose the sales manager wants a consolidated view of customer contacts. This cannot be quickly or easily provided from an individual salesperson’s databases. This illustrates a very common problem: if data are of interest to one person, they probably are (or will soon become) of interest to other as well. For this reason, personal computer databases should be limited to those rather special situations (such as in a very small organization) where the need to share the data among users of the personal computer database is unlikely to arise.
Workgroup Databases
A workgroup is a relatively small team of people who collaborate on the same project or application or on a group of similar projects or applications. A workgroup typically comprises fewer than 25 persons. These persons might be engaged (for example) with a construction project or with developing a new computer application. A workgroup database is designed to support the collaborative efforts of such a team.
Consider a workgroup that develops both standard and custom objects (or software components) that are sold to software vendors as well as to end users. Typically one or more persons work on a given object or component at a given time. The group needs a database that will track each item as it is developed and allow the data to be easily shared by the team members.
Enterprise Databases
An enterprise database is one whose scope is the entire organization or enterprise (or, at least, many different departments). Such databases are intended to support organization-wide operations and decision making. Note that an organization may have several enterprise databases, so such a database is not inclusive of all organizational data. A single, operational, enterprise database is impractical for many medium to large organizations due to difficulties in performance for very large databases, diverse needs of different users, and the complexity of achieving a single definition of data (metadata) for all database users. An enterprise database does, however, support information needs from many departments. Arguably the most important type of enterprise database today is called a data warehouse.
Consider a large health care organization that operates a group of medical centers including hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. A shown in Figure 5, each of these medical centers has a separate (or databases) to support the various operations at that facility. These databases contain data concerning patients, physicians, medical services, business operations, and other related entities.
The databases provide adequate support for most functions at each individual medical center. However, the organization has increasing has increasingly realized the need for a single, consolidated view of the entire organization; for example, to see the total activities with a single patient of reasons: corporate decision making, dealing with external suppliers (such as insurance companies), and reporting to various agencies. To satisfy these requirements, the organization has created a data warehouse that is maintained at the corporate office. Data in the data warehouse are derived by extracting and summarizing data from the individual databases on a periodic basis and transmitting those data by means of a telecommunications network to the corporate data warehouse.
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