Integrating with IBM Sterling Intelligent Promising Optimization service

You can integrate IBM Sterling® Order Management System with the IBM® Sterling™ Intelligent Promising Optimization service by seamlessly using an inbuilt adapter. This integration eliminates the need for custom implementations.

Overview

The Sterling Order Management System integrates with the Sterling Intelligent Promising Optimization service to enhance fulfillment decisions through cost-based optimization. By using the Rank API and Optimization API, this integration refines the node selection and helps to derive the most cost-efficient sourcing solutions. As a result, enterprises can improve customer experience and operational efficiency by selecting fulfillment choices that balances cost and service levels.

Sterling Order Management System continues to manage core functions such as order processing, scheduling, and fulfillment. It calls the Sterling Intelligent Promising Optimization service to improve fulfillment by evaluating shipping nodes and fulfillment options based on cost, constraints, and operational parameters.

Scope

The integration applies to the SHP delivery type and the sales order – 0001 document type. The Sterling Intelligent Promising Optimization service does not support other delivery and document types.

Also, the Procurement, Substitute, and GTIN use cases are not supported because the Sterling Intelligent Promising Optimization service does not support these use cases.

The following Sterling Order Management System APIs are supported to call the Optimization APIs as part of this integration.
  • findInventory
  • scheduleOrder
  • reserveAvailableInventory

Optimization APIs

The integration uses the following Optimization APIs to integrate with the Sterling Intelligent Promising Optimization service.
Idle API
The Idle API that is referred to as the idle mode in the integration enables asynchronous order optimization.
It does not return any response to Sterling Order Management System. The best solution that is generated by Sterling Order Management System is used for the transaction. For more information, see Idle API.
Rank API
The Rank API returns ship nodes that ate ranked in increasing order of cost and they are limited to the rank nodes limit that is passed. The Rank API filters the ship nodes before ranking them. This is based on the inventory availability of the item that is provided during the promising process.
When the integration is set up in Idle mode, Rank API is not called.
For more information, see Rank API.
Optimizer API
The Optimizer API that is referred to as the live mode in the integration enables synchronous order optimization.
The Optimizer API returns the choices to Sterling Order Management System. These choices are based on cost-based optimization. Sterling Order Management System generates the best, new solution that is based on these choices. For more information, see Optimizer API.

Error handling

Depending on the integration mode, the errors are handled by using the following process:
  • When the integration is set up in the idle mode, if any error occurs while calling the Optimization APIs, those errors are printed in the error log. The transaction continues according to the default Sterling Order Management System flow.
  • When the integration is set up in the live mode, if any error occurs while calling the Optimization APIs, an error is displayed and the transaction ends.

Enabling and disabling inbuilt integration

To enable or disable the inbuilt integration, contact your system administrator.

Migrating from custom integration to inbuilt integration

If you implemented the custom integration by using the Sterling Order Management System user exits, you can migrate seamlessly to the inbuilt integration. For more information, see Migrating to inbuilt integration.

After migration, you can continue to use the OMPGetSourcingCorrectionsUE and OMPGetExternalCostForOptionsUE user exits. These user exits override the ship nodes and filter out the carrier services. They also override per-unit costs for the product choices or reject the product choice.

Order processing during reschedule

In schedule, the Rank and Optimization APIs are called for all orders so that the Sterling Intelligent Promising Optimization service can capture all orders for audits. For unsupported scenarios such as PICK or DEL method, the Optimization service sends the eligibleForOptimizer attribute as N in response to Sterling Order Management System. Then, the order details are updated in Sterling Order Management System. Subsequently, if these orders are rescheduled, Sterling Order Management System does not resend the same orders again to the Sterling Intelligent Promising Optimization service.

Additional information

  • In the scheduleOrder API, the OrderNo attribute is passed to the Optimization APIs.
  • In the findInventory and reserveAvailableInventory APIs, there is no order number. Therefore, a {tenantId}-{uniqueId} unique identifier is generated and passed to the Optimization APIs. For example, us-f9aeb8a7-7b0ca9e3.