System and Method of Root Cause Analysis of Objective Violations and Query Analysis

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for solving a hierarchy of objective functions using one or more hierarchical optimizations using explanation data stored in a database according to the one or more hierarchical optimizations, retrieving the explanation data, generating a response to a query for a goal violation by parsing the retrieved explanation data, and displaying the response.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 a computer, comprising a processor and a plan explanation datastore, the computer configured to:
 formulate one or more constraints of a multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization; 
 in response to formulating the one or more constraints, gather one or more flexible input parameters and store the one or more flexible input parameters in a machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore; 
 formulate one or more objectives of the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization; 
 in response to formulating the one or more objectives, store one or more variables and one or more parameters in the machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore; 
 solve the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization; 
 in response to solving the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization, store one or more optimal objective values and one or more optimal variable values in the machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore; 
 receive a query to the plan explanation datastore; 
 analyze and parse the received query to identify one or more variables relevant to the received interactive query; 
 generate a machine readable query for the identified one or more variables; 
 analyze the machine-readable log with the machine-readable query to locate the identified one or more variables; and 
 generate a response identifying one or more reasons corresponding to the received query. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable query further comprises a multigrep log search process. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the machine readable log further comprises one or more records, each of the one or more records further comprising an index number, the index number corresponding to a variable of the one or more variables. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the identified one or more variables comprise one or more of:
 one or more dates, one or more time periods, a demand satisfaction, a resource violation, a demand lateness, a sourcing violation, a safety stock violation, one or more stocking points, one or more resources and one or more items.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the received query is a natural language query. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the machine readable log further comprises one or more supply chain exceptions or one or more solving errors. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer is further configured to:
 add one or more additional variables for plan explanation, wherein the one or more additional variables do not affect the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization.   
     
     
         8 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 formulating, by a computer comprising a processor and a plan explanation datastore, one or more constraints of a multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization;   in response to formulating the one or more constraints, gathering, by the computer, one or more flexible input parameters and storing, by the computer, the one or more flexible input parameters in a machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore;   formulating, by the computer, one or more objectives of the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization;   in response to formulating the one or more objectives, storing, by the computer, one or more variables and one or more parameters in the machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore;   solving, by the computer, the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization;   in response to solving the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization, storing, by the computer, one or more optimal objective values and one or more optimal variable values in the machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore;   receiving, by the computer, a query to the plan explanation datastore;   analyzing and parsing, by the computer, the received query to identify one or more variables relevant to the received interactive query;   generating, by the computer, a machine readable query for the identified one or more variables;   analyzing, by the computer, the machine-readable log with the machine-readable query to locate the identified one or more variables; and   generating, by the computer, a response identifying one or more reasons corresponding to the received query.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , wherein the machine-readable query further comprises a multigrep log search process. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , wherein the machine readable log further comprises one or more records, each of the one or more records further comprising an index number, the index number corresponding to a variable of the one or more variables. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , wherein the identified one or more variables comprise one or more of:
 one or more dates, one or more time periods, a demand satisfaction, a resource violation, a demand lateness, a sourcing violation, a safety stock violation, one or more stocking points, one or more resources and one or more items.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , wherein the received query is a natural language query. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , wherein the machine readable log further comprises one or more supply chain exceptions or one or more solving errors. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:
 adding, by the computer, one or more additional variables for plan explanation, wherein the one or more additional variables do not affect the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization.   
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with software, the software when executed is configured to:
 formulate, by a computer comprising a processor and a plan explanation datastore, one or more constraints of a multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization;   in response to formulating the one or more constraints, gather one or more flexible input parameters and store the one or more flexible input parameters in a machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore;   formulate one or more objectives of the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization;   in response to formulating the one or more objectives, store one or more variables and one or more parameters in the machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore;   solve the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization;   in response to solving the multi-objective hierarchical linear optimization, store one or more optimal objective values and one or more optimal variable values in the machine-readable log in the plan explanation datastore;   receive a query to the plan explanation datastore;   analyze and parse the received query to identify one or more variables relevant to the received interactive query;   generate a machine readable query for the identified one or more variables;   analyze the machine-readable log with the machine-readable query to locate the identified one or more variables; and   generate a response identifying one or more reasons corresponding to the received query.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the machine-readable query further comprises a multigrep log search process. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the machine readable log further comprises one or more records, each of the one or more records further comprising an index number, the index number corresponding to a variable of the one or more variables. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the identified one or more variables comprise one or more of:
 one or more dates, one or more time periods, a demand satisfaction, a resource violation, a demand lateness, a sourcing violation, a safety stock violation, one or more stocking points, one or more resources and one or more items.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the received query is a natural language query. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the machine readable log further comprises one or more supply chain exceptions or one or more solving errors.