A simulator prototype for an ERP system | Oscar Alfonso Caceres Mendoza
| | Abstract | The following document presents an investigation based on the idea of improving the value of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems by adding a discrete event simulation application to the ERP framework.
First, I conducted a brief investigation to assess whether discrete event simulation is alread included in most (or an ) ERP applications. I found that this type of simulation is not common to ERP systems, and is particularly lacking in systems designed for small- and mid-sized organizations.
Perceiving an opportunit to enhance the functionalit of existing ERP systems, I decided to develop a simulation prototype for an ERP application. This project is the subject of my Master thesis.
To achieve the goal of developing a simulation tool, I conducted research on the structural and functional requirements for my protot pe, placing emphasis on ease of use and the interaction between the data-fitting and modeling phases of simulation. I chose to develop this simulation prototype for The Microsoft Navision ERP software solution, with which I have several ears of experience as a software developer.
In the course of developing the prototype, I found that Navision lacked certain desired functions for performing statistical operations and designing graphical models. I solved this problem by creating external components that can be used within the Navision development environment. Basic testing was performed in order to provide reasonable assurance that the external components would function correctly.
In the end, my efforts to develop simulation capabilities within the Navision ERP system proved successful. As often occurs during the development process, I was inspired to create new functionality that I had not included in my original requirements. I attribute this creative inspiration, in part, to the wide scope of simulation modeling as a concept. I found that my simulation prototype has the potential to add value to man areas of the modular and integrated framework of an ERP s stem for a result that is greater than the sum of its parts.
In conclusion, I believe that simulation modeling can add significant value to existing ERP systems, and that future research should be done in order to automate the data analysis process so as to enhance the adoption of simulation techniques for the current users of ERP applications. | | Type | Master's thesis [Academic thesis] | | Year | 2005 | | Publisher | Informatics and Mathematical Modelling, Technical University of Denmark, DTU | | Address | Richard Petersens Plads, Building 321, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby | | Series | IMM-Thesis-2005-87 | | Note | Supervised by Bo Friis Nielsen, IMM | | Electronic version(s) | [pdf] | | BibTeX data | [bibtex] | | IMM Group(s) | Mathematical Statistics |
|