The Declarative Framework Approach to Decision Support for Constrained Search Problems - Efficient Decision Support Systems: Practice and Challenges from Current to Future - page 163

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The Declarative Framework Approach
to Decision Support for Constrained
Search Problems
Paweł Sitek and Jarosław Wikarek
Technical University of Kielce
Poland
1. Introduction
Decision making supported by task-oriented software tools plays a pivotal role in modern
enterprises; the commercially available ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems are not
able to respond in an interactive on-line/real-time mode.
A new generation of DSS (Decision Support System) that enable a fast prototyping of
constrained search problems (e.g. layout planning, production routing, batch-sizing,
scheduling, transportations, distributions, flow in supply chain, ) is needed. In that context
for constrained search problems, the CLP (Constraint Logic Programming) (Apt et al, 2007)
techniques allowing declarative representation of a decision making problem provide quite
an attractive alternative. Constrained search problems are usually characterized by many
types of constraints, which make them unstructured and difficult to solve (NP-complete).
Traditional mathematical programming approaches are deficient because their
representation of constraints is artificial (using 0-1 variables).
This paper discusses declarative framework for decision support in outbound logistic (Fig.1)
of SCM (Supply Chain Management) ( Simchi-Levi et al., 2003) (Douglas et al., 2000) as an
example of use. It will focus on potential areas and processes where decision support or
optimization is reasonable, and it will also introduce the concept and an outline of decision
support system structures for the SCM in the form of an additional layer of information. The
solutions are developed not to substitute, but to be integrated with SCM and with the
broader sense Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.
2. Supply chain management
Increasing competition in today's global market and the heightened expectations of
customers have forced enterprises to consider their supply chains more carefully. A supply
chain (SC) can be considered as a network of stages that represent functionalities (including
suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers) that must be provided to convert raw
materials into the specified end-products and deliver these end-products to retailers or
customers (Simchi-Levi et al., 2003). A supply chain system (SCS) is usually composed of a
series of organizations and/or independent companies. A supply chain system is the set of
approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses,