Web Analytics System for Carbon Footprint Metrics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing database systems, optimized for financial accounting, face challenges in efficiently accommodating additional data for determining carbon footprint metrics, as modifying these systems to include environmental and indirect data can compromise their effectiveness in handling financial tasks.

Innovation Solution

A web-based analytics system, such as SAP Analytics Cloud, is used to generate carbon footprint metrics by importing data from multiple sources, including accounting and environmental compliance databases, without modifying the existing database systems, thereby leveraging their optimized structures for financial data processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If existing database systems are modified to include environmental and indirect data for carbon footprint determination, then carbon footprint metrics can be calculated, but the effectiveness of the database systems in handling financial tasks is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapability to determine carbon footprint metricsVSAvoideffectiveness in handling financial tasks

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides data management into separate specialized databases: financial database systems optimized for financial accounting tasks and environmental database systems optimized for environmental compliance data. The integration layer combines data from both sources without modifying the core financial database structure, thus maintaining financial task effectiveness while enabling carbon footprint determination through segmented, purpose-specific data storage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

An integration layer acts as an intermediary between financial database systems and environmental database systems. This intermediary component retrieves and combines data from both sources to calculate carbon footprint metrics, allowing the system to determine environmental impact without modifying or compromising the reliability of the original financial database systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If additional environmental data is integrated into financial database systems, then carbon footprint metrics can be determined, but the optimized structure for financial data processing is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integration capabilityVSAvoiddatabase structure optimization

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The database architecture is segmented into distinct financial and environmental data storage systems, each optimized for its specific data type. The financial database maintains its optimized structure for financial data processing, while environmental data is stored separately in specialized databases, avoiding structural compromise while enabling comprehensive data integration through the integration layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The integration layer creates virtual copies or representations of data from both financial and environmental databases, combining these copied datasets to calculate carbon footprint metrics. This approach allows data integration without physically modifying or complicating the structure of the original optimized financial database systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Stability of the object's composition

If financial database systems are used for both financial and environmental data, then data consistency is improved, but processing efficiency for financial tasks decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidfinancial data processing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments data storage and processing into specialized financial and environmental components, allowing each database to maintain its own optimized processing pathways. The integration layer ensures data consistency by coordinating between segments without forcing either to compromise its processing efficiency, thus maintaining both consistency and productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The integration layer serves as a universal interface that handles both financial and environmental data operations. This multi-functional component ensures data consistency across different database types while allowing the underlying financial and environmental databases to maintain their specialized processing efficiencies through the unified integration layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12026653B2Database system and method for carbon footprint optimization

Publication Date: 2024.07.02 SAP SE

AI summary

Various examples are directed to using a web-based analytics system to determine a carbon footprint metric for a product. The web-based analytics system may import indirect carbon footprint data from an environmental compliance system and quantity structure data describing the product from an accounting system table. The web-based analytics system may identify, using the quantity structure data, a first constituent component for the product and import first constituent component carbon footprint data for the first constituent component. The web-based analytics system may identify an activity for the product and import activity carbon footprint data describing a carbon footprint for the activity. The web-based analytics system may determine the carbon footprint metric for the product using the first constituent component carbon footprint data, the activity carbon footprint data, and the indirect carbon footprint data.