Product Group Mapping Engine for CRM Hierarchy Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Enterprise software applications, such as CRM systems, face challenges in managing incompatible data organizations between external and internal product hierarchies, leading to compatibility issues during price quotations and order capture processes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a product group mapping system that uses a mapping engine to translate product groups from one hierarchy to another, employing 'Match By Id', 'Match By Content', and 'Match By Approximation' approaches to ensure compatibility between different CRM applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single product hierarchy is used for external sales catalog, then external customer-facing operations are simplified, but internal process compatibility is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mapping engine as an intermediary component that sits between the external sales catalog hierarchy and internal process hierarchies. This mapping engine translates product group identifiers from the external hierarchy to internal hierarchy representations, enabling both external simplicity and internal compatibility without requiring changes to either system's core structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the product hierarchy management into separate components: the external sales catalog maintains its own independent hierarchy structure, while internal processes maintain their own hierarchy structures. The mapping engine creates virtual links between these segmented hierarchies, allowing each to operate independently while remaining compatible through the mapping layer.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple product hierarchies are maintained for different purposes, then internal process compatibility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mapping engine serves multiple functions simultaneously: it translates between different hierarchies, resolves compatibility issues, enables data sharing across systems, and maintains hierarchy integrity. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single universal component, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining support for multiple hierarchies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of product group identifiers through the mapping engine. Instead of maintaining multiple physical copies of hierarchy data throughout the system, the mapping engine generates on-demand translations that act as virtual copies, reducing data redundancy and storage requirements while maintaining hierarchy compatibility.
3Reliability
If product group mappings are implemented to bridge hierarchies, then data compatibility between systems is improved, but mapping and translation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary actions by pre-establishing mapping rules and translation logic in the mapping engine before data exchange occurs. Hierarchy relationships, product group correspondences, and translation patterns are configured in advance, allowing rapid and reliable data translation without complex runtime decision-making, thus improving reliability while controlling complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems, methods, and computer program products to implement product group mappings. In order for different CRM applications (e.g., sell side and internal side applications) to work in cohesive manner, the disclosed approaches provide mapping functionality that can map product groups captured in one system using one hierarchy to be translated to the other system using the hierarchy that the consuming system understands.