10 AIP Daily Process

The AIP product suite is designed with an online user interface and an overnight and Intra-day batch process. In the online interfaces, the planners log in to the workbooks, DM Online, or OM online, and then set up the parameters for replenishment across the stores and warehouses. The period of time during the day that the planner can access the online interfaces is called the online day. At the end of the business day, users are locked from making changes to data that is used by overnight batch and the batch process execution starts. The overnight batch process performs all the replenishment plan calculations and generates alerts before the next online business day begins.

AIP Online Day

During the online day, AIP users log in to the SRP, WRP, DM, and OM client interfaces to maintain all the parameters and supply chain information for the replenishment and allocation calculations across the stores and warehouses.

Figure 10-1 AIP Online Process

Table 10-1 AIP Acronyms

Acronym	Definition
SRP	Store Replenishment Planning
WRP	Warehouse Replenishment Planning
OM	Order Management
DM	Data Management
RETL	Retail Extract, Transform, and Load

The SRP and WRP users log in to the respective workbooks to maintain the parameters for the calculations, and also to resolve the alerts that were raised during the previous nightly batch process.

Data Management users log in to maintain the supply chain across the warehouses and stores. Order Management users log in to work on the orders created during the nightly batch process. Any modifications to the orders are immediately communicated to RMS.

Once these online users are done with their activities, they can submit all the planning parameters to the AIP-RPAS or Oracle database. Later, during the batch execution process, this data is imported for the replenishment and allocation calculations.

AIP Batch Process

The AIP batch processing takes two paths of execution. They are:

• Initial Batch Run

• Daily Batch Run

Initial Batch Run

After AIP is installed, the RPAS and the Java/Oracle databases must be populated with foundation data before the supply chain setup can be completed. A limited run of the batch scripts is used to accomplish this task on both the RPAS platform and the AIP Java/Oracle platform. Foundation data is first populated on the RPAS platform. Then, the data is copied into the Oracle database. Using this data, the DM user logs into the client application to configure the supply chain. The user must also log in to the AIP workbooks to define the replenishment parameters. Once this is done, the AIP system (across both the platforms) is ready for the daily batch run. More information on the first day process can be found in the Oracle Retail Advanced Inventory Planning Implementation Guide.

Daily Batch Run

This batch run is executed on a daily basis. Before executing this batch run, confirm the successful execution of the initial batch run and the DM configurations.

The daily batch run is the process that is outlined in this chapter.

After the online day ends, the daily batch process begins. The entire overnight or Intra-day batch process for AIP is defined in three phases:

Table 10-2 AIP Batch Process

Order	Batch Phase	Description
1	Pre AIP-Batch	Pre AIP batch includes all processes that occur in the integrated Oracle Retail applications (that is, RMS), as well as those processes that occur in custom integrated systems, for the purpose of providing data to AIP. These processes extract the necessary data that is loaded into AIP.
2	AIP Batch	AIP batch is executed in a series of scripted steps that occur on each of the two AIP platforms. To begin, the data required to perform AIP replenishment must be available in a loadable format. This involves extracting data from the Oracle database as well as massaging data files from RMS. Once the data has been loaded the replenishment and replenishment related setup commences. At various points of completion data is moved/extracted from the RPAS database and readied for the Oracle database. This includes data from other systems as well as AIP data created or modified by the AIP on RPAS batch processes. The data is loaded into the Oracle database as it becomes available. During overnight batch, automated supply-chain setup commences in the Oracle database after the merchandise and organizational hierarchies have been loaded. Once replenishment is complete the plan is exported from the RPAS database and loaded into the Oracle database. The overnight plan is passed through the Supplier and Container Scaling modules, when enabled, and then POs and Transfers that have met their lead time are released to RMS or an order execution system. Finally at the end of overnight batch post replenishment activities are performed on the RPAS platform which includes generating receipt plan alerts and automatically building workbooks.
3	Post AIP-Batch	Post AIP batch occurs as soon as the POs and Transfers have completed the AIP release process. The post AIP batch processes must retrieve and load the AIP POs and Transfers that must be executed or communicated to sending and/or receiving entities.

Figure 10-2 AIP Daily Batch Processing Steps

Pre AIP Batch

In the pre AIP batch process, the data for AIP is extracted from the external systems and copied or transferred through FTP into the inbound AIP directory.

The Pre-AIP Batch Process in External Systems

The following table describes this phase of the process as shown in Figure 10-2.

Phase	Description
1A	During the RMS batch process, RETL scripts extract data from the Oracle database. The files must be copied or transferred through FTP into the Inbound directory.
1B	The RDF data for AIP is extracted and loaded into the common directory. During the RDF batch process, the batch scripts are executed to extract information from RDF and place it in the Inbound folder.

AIP Batch

The AIP batch process is executed on both the AIP RPAS and AIP Java/Oracle platforms.

The AIP Batch Process on the RPAS Platform

The following list describes this phase of the process as shown in Figure 10-2.

1. Transforms the RMS data files into AIP loadable format.

2. Runs the AIP batch scripts for all daily batch steps:

   • Formats and loads the RMS data files and other externally generated files from a directory (Inbound folder)

   • Merges and loads the DM online files from a directory

   • Loads the forecast data files from a directory

   • Runs the replenishment and reconciliation logic

   • Exports the AIP RPAS batch output data into a directory (Outbound folder)

   • Loads a modified AIP-scaled order plan

   • Generates alerts

   • Builds SRP and WRP workbooks configured for auto-workbook builds

The AIP Batch Process on the Java/Oracle Platform

Time wise the AIP batch processes that run on the Oracle platform straddle the AIP processes that run on the RPAS platform. Before any of the replenishment planning calculation preparation can begin in AIP RPAS the data must be extracted out of the AIP Oracle database. The cron_export script is used to accomplish this.

After the replenishment plan has been generated the plan is exported to an outbound data directory in the form of orders (purchase orders and transfers). The planned orders, along with the RMS enterprise data, and any DM data that was created or modified in the AIP RPAS batch processes is retrieved and loaded by the AIP Oracle batch process. Use of the cron_import and cron_import_order scripts accomplish this process.

An alternate approach to importing DM data into AIP Oracle can be used to maximize CPU utilization and shorten the nightly batch window. DM data can be imported into AIP Oracle immediately after it has been exported from AIP RPAS. Specifically, the cron_import DM step can be executed immediately after the export_dm_data step is complete. For detailed information on these steps, please refer to Chapter 4, "AIP RPAS Batch Processing." This process improves performance by executing the import of DM data at a time when the AIP Oracle server may otherwise be under little or no load.

After the necessary DM data is imported the cron_import script then initiates a number of processes that automatically set up the supply chain for new hierarchy data. These processes also automatically default some supply chain data when missing, and replaces some supply chain data when invalid.

The planned warehouse purchase orders, once loaded, are then passed through a module which pulls-forward future POs in order to achieve supplier minimums and/or container minimums on a particular day.

After the necessary minimums have been applied to the POs all planned orders that have met their lead time are released en mass to RMS for execution. The orders are communicated to RMS by using the RIB integration tool. The cron_release.sh perform the necessary steps to post orders to the appropriate RIB publication tables. The methods of interfacing purchase orders and transfers are dictated by separate system parameters which are stored in the database. In the event that the RIB is not used, AIP Oracle can extract purchase order and transfer data into text files.

The tsf_po_export script is used to accomplish this. However, it is important to note that RMS supports RIB-based purchase order and transfer subscription only.

In addition to regular data load, order load, data export, order export, order scale and order release processes, there is a process to remove closed orders in order to keep database table space available. The Order Purge process is used to purge orders that have been closed for more than their configured purge age (as defined in order_purge_period table). This process should be executed daily considering the volume of orders loaded and processed every day. It however is a non-critical process.

Post AIP Batch

The RIB publication of the AIP purchase orders and transfers to RMS completes the batch processes related to AIP.

Environment Variables

Before any batch scripts are run, the basic environment information must be globally defined for use in all the scripts. Environment variables and implementation parameters need to be set up for both the RPAS and the AIP Java/Oracle platforms.

• For information on the environment variables, refer to the, System Configuration chapter in the Oracle Retail Advanced Inventory Planning Implementation Guide.

• For information on the implementation parameters, refer to the AIP RPAS Configurations chapter in the Oracle Retail Advanced Inventory Planning Implementation Guide.