Modelling the Top Floor: Internal and External Data Integration and Exchange

Abstract

Digital representations of top floor entities are inherent in higher level software suites such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems or manufacturing execution systems (MESs). Typical implementations utilise proprietary conceptual models that lead to a plethora of both import and export filters between different systems. In this chapter we will highlight the modelling of top floor entities by adopting international standards and discussing arising interoperability issues.With the selected standards, we outline an approach for vertical integration between the ERP and MES levels as well as horizontal integration among organisations in a value added network.We complement our structural, model-based and data-driven perspective with business process stencils that are to be customised to specific business case needs.With that, we establish a purely model-based perspective on the coupling of top floor internal and external data exchange matters.