![]() ![]() The Fraunhofer colleagues are the perfect fit – they have the know-how required for developing state-of-the-art algorithms for challenging topics and for providing the highly efficient implementations. The key insight here is that computation times can often greatly be reduced, as key syntax elements like “(not) equal”-comparisons or table statements can be evaluated directly on the much more compact integer representation without invoking the more expensive string operations.Īfter almost 4 years of collaboration, we are convinced that partnering with the ITWM was the best thing SAP could do to streamline the development process of SAP S/4HANA for advanced variant configuration. ITWM has implemented a library for constraint solving over string variables, making use of a dictionary which is mapping string literals to integer keys, similar to the approach within SAP’s HANA database. However, Gecode comes with no support for such variables. In Advanced Variant Configuration object dependencies can use characteristics of type string. For example, one can write “X < Y + 2”, where X is an integer variable and Y is a floating-point variable. A further key feature developed by ITWM is the possibility to seamlessly mix floating point and integer variables in expressions. It also employs advanced algorithms for keeping rounding errors under control, like the ones being used in Gecode. The floating-point library developed by ITWM supports such generalized variable domains. the set “0.7 – 0.9”), or a mixture thereof. Another key difference to Gecode’s floating point library is that in Advanced Variant Configuration domains for floating point variables both can be discrete (for example, the set “0.1, 0.3, 0.5”), continuous (e.g. In binary floating points, of the decimal numbers from 0.00 – 0.99, only 0.00, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 can be represented exactly. A key advantage of this is that master data and user entered values can always be represented exactly. ITWM has developed a whole new library for constraint solving over floating point variables using decimal floating-point arithmetic, instead of the binary floating-point arithmetic which is used by Gecode’s floating point library. In real-life configuration models, the extensive usage of variant tables, enables performance improvements for table processing of up to two orders of magnitude. ITWM has developed cutting-edge algorithms for handling all the mentioned cases. Variant tables can freely mix the different characteristic types of the Advanced Variant Configuration, such as integers, floats, and strings. Both table types can also be used in conditions in object dependencies, for example in the IF part of a constraint restriction. They contain the allowed combinations of characteristic values (positive case) or the disallowed combinations in negative variant tables, which have been newly introduced by Advanced Variant Configuration. Variant tables in Variant Configuration are a key modeling tool for configuration models. This collaboration covers a whole number of areas. ITWM and SAP together are developing modular extensions to the library to cover the full functional scope of the Advanced Variant Configuration. Since its foundation in 1995, the ITWM has shown great success in building mathematical bridges between applied sciences and concrete applications.Īt the core of the Advanced Variant Configuration engine lies the open source constraint solving library Gecode ( ). The core competence of the ITWM is industrial mathematics: developing and implementing highly efficient mathematical models and algorithms for topics such as combinatorial optimization, stochastics, and simulation. ![]() ![]() The goal of this journey is to develop a new state-of-the art configuration engine for SAP S/4HANA for advanced variant configuration. In 2015, the SAP Variant Configuration development team and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM, ) in Kaiserslautern embarked on a common journey. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |