Re: A data model for a school project - Model the inventory for computer manufacturing process

I wouldn't use separate tables for component items and finished items. Use an allocation system instead.

We're using Baan here.

I don't think our config is too far off of the norm.

We have an item table. This contains item number as prim key and other attributes such as description, sales price etc. Our I tems are of type manufactured or purchased. Manufactured goods have a BOM that defines its its components. Items that are components can be used to make assys or be sold outright.

Baan uses the safety stock qty to make a planned inventory movement. This is an implementation of the classic kanban system. This planned movement would be a production order in the case of mfg goods or a purchase order in the case of purchased items. (We require human intervention here but it could be automated as well)

When a planned production order is confirmed the system makes an allocation of material for all the component items. Allocated components are unavailable to sell. If the allocation to a comfirmed production order reduces the quantity of a component to below the safety stock level MRP will generate a purchase order for the component (or another production order if the component item is a sub assy).

Another way to handle inventory is to move the harddrives into separate warehouses. Such that sales can't see what production has and vice-versa.

But to re-itterate I would not have items residing in 2 tables. The key is the Bill of Materials. Research kanban too. This seems to bee more of an MFE question but it is a good example of data modelling.

"consultant76" <gguion_at_austin.rr.com> wrote in message news:f4eca69a.0111041217.727ec350_at_posting.google.com...
> I am a student at UT Austin and I have been assigned to a team
> project. Our assignment is to model a computer business that
> manufactures computers and sells them in the retail market along with
> other peripherials and software. Here is my question (I will use an
> illustration to detail):
>
> Lets say you order 10 harddrives from a supplier and our company has
> allocted 7 to be used in assembly of computers and the other 3 will be
> sold via the retail market. How is each item defined in the system?
> Do the 7 go into Raw Materials and the other 3 go directly into
> Finished Goods and skip the raw materials table or do they go into raw
> materials and just move directly to the finished goods? How is all of
> this defined?
>
> Here are the entities we have:
>
> RAWMATERIALS - components used in making a PRODUCT.
> FINISHEDGOODS - a PART that is ready to be shipped as a PRODUCT.
> PART - the type of physical item that goes into a PRODUCT.
> INVENTORYITEM - represents the physical occurence of one and only one
> PART that may be offered as a GOOD.
> GOOD - a subtype of a PRODUCT.
> PRODUCTS - which are inventory items ready to be sold.
>
> I got the above details from a book about data modeling, but I don't
> understand it all either nor do I know what I really need. Since this
> is the first db course I am taking the professor has dummied the
> project up so we only need to model this at a basic level so we do not
> need to get very complex with subassemblies etc.
>
> We really need your help.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Gary Guion
>
> gary.guion_at_bba00.bus.utexas.edu
Received on Mon Nov 05 2001 - 17:43:22 CET