New Developments in Enterprise Scalability

In 1999, the National Science Foundation held a workshop to address the issue of scalability and enterprise systems (www.eng.nsf.gov/sesAVorkshops/ workshops.html). The workshop resulted in NSF sponsoring exploratory research in the area, with the objective to foster the development of a science base for enterprise-wide business automation . As a result of the workshop, there have been several new research initiatives in this area (www.eng.usf.edu/nsf/ conference/scalable/scalable enterprises/ speakers presentations.html). Summaries of several of the research efforts follow. An excellent summary of research in this area (in much more detail than the speaker presentations) is found in Prabhu, Kumar and Kamath [60]. In addition, a good reference for enterprise modeling techniques for scalability may be found in Kamath et al [47]. 

Kamath et al [45] developed a Distributed Integrated Modeling of Enterprises (DIME) framework for modeling of next generation enterprise systems. They created an XML-based markup language and combined it with both a set of Petri net-based representation constructs and a mapping scheme between the 

Kamath et al. s [46] intent for the fiamework was a web-based environment in which enterprise users will define, modify, and analyze business processes using user-oriented modeling applications resident on Web clients. Petri net-based constmcts will be used to translate business process models into formal models. This formal representation of the enterprise s business processes will be stored on enterprise servers. The Web-based clients will address the needs of diverse enterprise users, ranging from the managerial to the technical. Along with storing and manipulating the formal representations, server applications will also perform qualitative and quantitative analyses which can be used to support process improvement initiatives. 

Their research focuses on scalability of the theoretical modeling formalism, the modeled enterprise system, and the Internet-based deployment environment, along with development of scalability metrics. The DIME framework is scalable in several ways. Users from different locations can work the model on independently, it isn t affected by the addition of a new sub-model or group of users, and new sub-models can easily be linked to the existing model. Additionally, the XML-based scalable representation layer allows members of the supply-chain to share and access the model as needed and the need to build new XML documents from scratch is reduced when the size and complexity of the enterprise system increase over time. 

They include the user as an integral part of the supply chain control system in their research test-bed. To this end, the simulation component dynamically generates live data, such as customer orders, to the ERP and SCM components. Then, the user makes decisions about the ERP and SCM systems to manage the supply chain. The system periodically gives feedback to the user and the rest of the model. Ball et al. intend to investigate both the performance of supply chain software and human decision-making. For more information about the model and how it relates to available-to-promise (ATP) decision models, refer to chapter 11. 

---