Sourcing controller

US8135713B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• SAP AG · DE

Inventors

• Simon Chen · San Jose, US
• Fred F. Chen · Boston, US
• Anna Zhang · 安丰镇, CN
• Tian Xu · Beijing, CN
• Jay Xiong · Shanghai, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 31, 2006
• Grant date: Mar 13, 2012
• Expiry date: Dec 10, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/00
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An intelligent sourcing controller for sourcing potential suppliers from external sources such as the Internet as well as internal sources such as a local data server. The intelligent sourcing engine controller provides a supplier appraisal to the buyer as decision support. The intelligent sourcing controller integrates its supplier appraisal criteria with the buyer's sourcing criteria, classifying the collected information in the same way a buyer configures his requirements for the suppliers. The intelligent sourcing controller synchronizes the Internet sourcing results with the local data server after each search to renew data in the local data server in time and the sourcing criteria can be reused in future for decision support.