SUMMIT ELECTRIC LIGHTS UP WITH A NEW ERP SYSTEM

Assignment 3: Big Data, Big Reward

BIG DATA, BIG REWARD

Second Assignment After Prof Comment

 

LEGO :

COMBINING BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE WITH A FLEXIBLE INFORMATION SYSTEM

 

 

LEGO Company Background

The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well".

 

The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. The company has passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, a grandchild of the founder. It has come a long way over the past almost 80 years - from a small carpenter’s workshop to a modern, to a global enterprise that is now, in terms of sales, the world’s fourth-largest manufacturer of toys.

The original Lego toys started with a wooden duck. But the first LEGO automatic binding brick is their most important product. The products have undergone extensive development over the years – but the

foundation remains the traditional LEGO brick.

The Lego Group began in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, in Billund, Denmark. In 1916. In 1961, Lego wished to expand sales to North America, but did not have the logistical capabilities to do so. Lego made an arrangement allowing Samsonite to begin producing and selling Lego products in the United States and Canada.

On 7 June 1968, the first Legoland Park was opened in Billund. This theme park featured elaborate models of miniature towns built entirely from Lego bricks. The three acre (12,000 m²) park attracted 625,000 visitors in its first year alone. During the next 20 years, the park grew to more than eight times its original size, and eventually averaged close to a million paying visitors per year. More than eighteen million Lego sets were sold in 1968.

In 1969, the Duplo system went on sale. This was a newly developed system, targeted

towards younger children; Duplo bricks are much larger than Lego bricks, making them safer for very young children. The 1960s were such a period of major growth for the Lego Group that by 1970, one of the biggest questions they faced was how best to manage and control its expanding market. A Lego production plant was opened in Enfield, Connecticut in the United States. A packing and assembly factory opened in Switzerland, followed by another in Jutland, Denmark. In 1982 Manaus, Brazil gained a Lego factory as well, followed by Canada in 1988 and Malaysia in 1990. Lego continues to expand its business operations with the setting up of Legoland in various locations all over the world.

With such a vast international expansion, Lego needs to keep track of its operations efficiently. Lego uses the SAP business suite system for this purpose. SAP Business Suite is a bundle of business applications that provide integration of information and processes, collaboration, industry-specific functionality, and scalability. SAP Business Suite is based on SAP's technology platform called NetWeaver.

Explain the role of the database in SAP's three-tier system

SAP’s business suite is based on a flexible three-tier client-server architecture that can easily be adapted to the new Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) available in the latest versions of the software.

In the first tier, a client interface-a browser-type graphical user interface (GUI) running on either a laptop, desktop, or mobile device-submits users’ requests to the application servers. The applications servers send the processed requests to the database system-receive and process clients’ requests to the database system-the third tier-which consists of one or more relational databases

The main role of the database is as an information storage system. The relational database contain the tables that store data on LEGO’s products, daily operations, the supply chain, and thousands of employees.

Using the SAP query tool, users are able to toggle and tabulate data and extract reports from the database. Therefore the database’s role is also as a reports generator.

Explain why distributed architectures are flexible

A distributed architecture system is a software system in which components located on networked computers communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages. The components interact with each other in order to achieve a common goal. Data may be stored in multiple computers, located in the same physical location; or may be dispersed over a network of interconnected computers. A distributed database can reside on network servers on the Internet, on corporate intranets or extranets, or on other company networks.

Because they store data across multiple computers, distributed databases can improve performance at end-user worksites by allowing transactions to be processed on many machines, instead of being limited to one. Users from different parts of the world may access the same data. Therefore they are more flexible in terms of availability to users.

They also bank on an improved performance of the machines, as data is located near the site of greatest demand, and the database systems themselves are parallelized, allowing load on the databases to be balanced among servers. A high load on one module of the database won't affect other modules of the database in a distributed database

They are also more flexible for purposes of expansion of the database and transparency, as the data can be monitored on site of the specific computers as the data is potentially stored within the departments they relate to. There is local autonomy or site autonomy, where a department can control the data about them (as they are the ones familiar with it).

They are economically flexible and may cost less to create a network of smaller computers with the power of a single large computer. Systems can be modified, added and removed from the distributed database without affecting other modules (systems).

Identify some of the business intelligence features included in SAP's business software suite

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

SAP Supply Chain Management is a complete solution that covers supply chain networking, supply chain planning, supply chain coordination, and SCE (Supply Chain Execution). It includes a collection of planning applications related to Advanced Planning, Optimization, Scheduling and Integration with other SAP execution applications. It basically does a supply chain monitoring and analysis as well as forecasting, planning and inventory optimization.

The software caters to the company’s need to track demand, supply, manufacturing status, logistics (i.e. where things are in the supply chain), and distribution. They also need to share data with supply chain partners at an ever increasing rate.

 

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from inception, through engineering design and manufacture, to service and disposal of manufactured products. PLM integrates people, data, processes and business systems and provides a product information backbone for companies and their extended enterprise.

PLM enables the company to deliver high-quality products and reduce waste, throughout every phase of the product life cycle, to accelerate product development by integrating supply-chain and procurement management. PLM also helps the company to improve operations with tools to plan, measure, and track resources, safety, and maintenance, and to optimize productivity, via an easy-to-use, role-based portal that enables content delivery.

 

Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP)

SAP Enterprise Resources Planning consists of several modules, including utilities for marketing and sales, field service, product design and development, production and inventory control, human resources, finance and accounting. SAP ERP collects and combines data from the separate modules to provide the company or organization with enterprise resource planning.

ERP creates an increased competitiveness with integrated, fast, and flexible business processes. It allows for an accelerated time to market with innovative, individualized products and services. ERP simplifies corporate structure, market channel, and business scenario management and improves corporate resource and asset utilization. ERP provides a consolidated foundation for the latest mobile, cloud, and in-memory technologies.

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of having multiple databases in a distributed architecture? Explain.

Advantages

Multiple database contains the tables that store data on product, daily operation, supply chain and thousand of employees.

Managers can easily use the SAP query tool to obtain reports from the database because it does not require any technical skills

Distributed architecture enables authorized personnel to have direct access to database system from the company’s various location including in Europe, North America and Asia.

 

Disadvantages

The additional overhead of these transactions can be a performance penalty when the total amount of data in the network is small. Users also see slower performance when accessing data that is not local.

Increased the use of database space. Every tables must exist in every database. When the number of tables is very large, the amount of space used can be significant. Administrators must use database storage parameters to size tables and reduce database space consumption.

Administrators must keep the schemas of all database synchronized and ensure that the network is configured to take optimal advantage of the distributed-database environment in term of availability and performance. Although database backups are more flexible in a distributed-database environment, multiple database add complexity to the backup process



ASSIGNMENT 1

My Assignment 1: UPS COMPETES GLOBALLY WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Founded in 1907, UPS is the world's largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of specialized transportation and logistics services. Using advanced technology, access to global resources, and an integrated network of physical, technological, and human assets.

WHAT ARE THE INPUTS, PROCESSING, AND OUTPUTS OF UPS's PACKAGE TRACKING SYSTEM?

Input

Input is capture raw data from organization or external environment. Based on this case study, input of scannable bar-coded label are information about the sender, the destination and time arrival of the package. Input for Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD)are customer signatures and delivery information. 


Processing 

The data is transmitted into the central network. The driver places the DIAD into the UPS truck's vehicle adapter then the package tracking information is then transmitted to UPS's network for the storage and processing in the main computers.

Output

• The UPS can monitor and even re-route packages throughout the delivery process.
• Bar code devices scan shipping information on the package label and feed data about the progress of package into the central computer.
• Customer service able to check status of any package from desktop computer linked to the central computers.
• UPS customers can access information from company's Web site using their own computer or mobile phone.

WHAT TECHNOLOGIES ARE USED BY UPS? HOW ARE THESE TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO UPS'S BUSINESS STRATEGY? 

•  UPS use a Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD), which can access a wireless cell phone network. 
• UPS also use Web-based Post Sales Order Management System (OMS) to manage global service order and inventory for critical parts fulfillment. 
• Cisco system to embed UPS functions, such as tracking and cost calculations into their own Web site.

Those technologies to provide the best service at the lower rate.


WHAT  STRATEGIC BUSINESS OBJECTIVES DO UPS's INFORMATION SYSTEMS ADDRESS?

"Best service and lowest rates" 


WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF UPS's INFORMATION SYSTEM WERE NOT AVAILABLE?

Have higher in cost operation especially at delivery aspect. There is no "smart" label that make customer easy to print from Web site. UPS having difficulty to track the shipment and all the process increase the workload of UPS's staff.    
 






    

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