Patent ID: 7444295

Claim:
A system for determining product availability, comprising: one or more order-entry system(s) comprising at least one demand source for inputting demand information; and a server having software modules stored thereon and having a processor operable to execute the software modules, the modules comprising a demand configurator for receiving demand information from each said at least one demand source and coordinating product requests responsive to said received demand information according to customer request rules and priorities, said rules and priorities including assignment of customers to a plurality of forecast groups; a supply configurator for receiving manufacturing and planning data from a planning source and manipulating said received manufacturing and planning data to a single level bill of material to create new supply data, supply being allocated by forecast group; a material resource engine for providing material supply information responsive to said new supply data, said received demand information and according to product supply rules and priorities, satisfaction of said product requests of a customer being restricted to supply allocated to the customer's forecast group; and a solver for optimizing product availability information to produce Profit ATP (Available To Promise) schedules for a plurality of forecast groups responsive to the material supply information and product supply rules and priorities, wherein the supply configurator creates said new supply data from a last regenerative run of said material resource engine.