Real time inventory issues

[mlc37]

Hi. New to the board and fmp. I was wondering if any of you know if fmp is capable of automatically adjusting my inventory. We make small devices that consist of several parts. When I remove one of the devices from my inventory I would like to have all of it's component parts removed as well. Hopefully I explained that well. Thanks for any help and for letting me join.

[Søren Dyhr]

You need to learn about recursive relational structures, which is best explained in:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1556228597/chrismoyerconsulA/

...although it's made for fm5.5!! So yes it's possible indeed, but it's perhaps a little complicated if this is your first move into filemaker, a lot of developers would cheat and stuff their solution with event trigger plugins instead - opening a vulnerability front elsewhere. The plugin developers are 3rd party, and might get bored with the lack of income such things really can throw off.

--sd

[Genx]

Wouldn't it just be a simple matter of appropriate structure

e.g.

Devices

DeviceID

Components

DeviceID

ComponentID

Then you just link everything directly to the devices table... when the device is removed, everything related to that device via the primary key can also be removed (either deleted, or "hidden")

[Søren Dyhr]

But if you wish to list the possible combinations of whats possible by the present status of the warehouse - are recursive structures the name of the game. My focus is biased here towards a point-of-sale rather than a book-keeper'ish.

Survivalwise, is it more important to have some kind of rock solid indication of whats is posible, than records of what have happened. Information systems based on databases should be vessels om meaning, rather than raw data to interpret to certain whims or fads.

Steering entirely on interpretation of the information the dashbord provides, can't substitute eyeballing real obstracles you have to avoid.

This means that allthough you can mark each of the sold components, doesn't it mean that if a component originally belonged to a certain device can't be used elsewhere in a tight situation - can your model cope with it? You would be wrecking a device if one of the component's are sold as part in another device.

Until quantum mechanics lets us have the presense of the exact item at two locations simultaneously, are you likely to have merchandice stored somewhere regarded as an expense until sold. Warehouse storage hardly comes free!!!

Think if your approach was valid, then would we all be millionaires, running a business only takes to hire an expensive accountant to tell you what have happened in the past. To hell with nieches or sudden openings in the marked, changes in demand etc.

--sd

[Genx]

Devices

DeviceID

DeviceInfo

DevToComponent_Join

DeviceID

ComponentID

ComponentNumber

Components

ComponentID

ComponentInfo / Stock Etc.

TotalComponentsAvailable

ComponentsUsed ( = Sum(DevToComponent_Join::ComponentNumber) )

Then just enable referential integrity between devices and the join table. If a device is "pulled apart" and / or removed, The components can be freed up.

Edited February 21, 2007 by Guest

[Søren Dyhr]

Yes but then should you autopopulate the join table with all thinkable combinations, a cartesian product actually!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relation_%28mathematics%29

One more thing what if some devices are assembly of other devices, do they then belong to both tables ...or??

--sd

[Genx]

I'm not sure the issue is that complex in this case.

[Søren Dyhr]

I have meanwhile stumbled over an article covering recursive structures with a solid filemaker focus, eventhough it not might be required, back then when this thread dealt with it. But say someone accidentally stumble over this thread later and just wish to know all there is about running a factorys flow???

http://jonathanstark.com/recursive_data_structures.php

--sd