Master Data Segmentation for Process Control Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of master data in business software often leads to inconsistencies in process controls, causing failed consistency checks that prevent other process controls from being used, making it difficult to maintain accurate data and execute transactions.
Innovation Solution
A status management module is implemented to manage the lifecycle statuses of process controls, including 'in preparation', 'active', 'blocked', and 'to be archived', which ensures data consistency and enables or restricts transaction execution based on the status, with warnings or errors displayed for inconsistencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all process controls are maintained as a single integrated master data collection, then data completeness is improved, but data consistency deteriorates due to complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments master data into multiple independent process controls, each with its own consistency checks and status management. This allows individual process controls to be validated and activated independently, preventing failures in one from affecting others while maintaining overall data completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces status indicators and consistency check mechanisms as intermediaries between the raw data and transaction execution. These intermediaries verify data integrity without requiring direct intervention in the core data structures, enabling reliable transaction processing despite data complexity.
2Measurement precision
If consistency checks are performed on all process controls, then data accuracy is improved, but transaction execution speed deteriorates due to validation overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs consistency checks and validates process controls before they are activated or used in transactions. By conducting validation in advance rather than during transaction execution, the system ensures data accuracy while maintaining fast transaction processing speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses temporary status indicators and validation states that are created, checked, and then discarded or updated. These lightweight validation objects enable thorough consistency checking without creating permanent overhead that would slow down transaction execution.
3Reliability
If a process control fails consistency checks, then data quality is maintained by blocking execution, but system versatility deteriorates as other process controls become unusable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent isolates failed process controls into separate segments with individual status flags. When one process control fails consistency checks, only that specific control is blocked while others remain available for transaction execution, maintaining system versatility without compromising data quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts failed process controls from the active transaction pool by setting their status to inactive or blocked. This separation allows the system to continue processing transactions using valid process controls while excluding only the problematic ones, preserving both data quality and system availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of controlling transactions includes segmenting master data into separate process control data for a particular business process of a business organization, such as for example, materials to be the subject of transactions. A status may be set for each process control data. The method includes controlling storing of the process control data into the master data as a function of the status. Transactions may be processed using process control data as a function of the status of the corresponding process control data status.