Development of a responsive logistics workflow system: An OLAP-based hybrid approach

Inefficient data interchange and analysis obstruct the accomplishment of enterprise integration in terms of bidirectional interchange of information, coordination of decisions and enhancement of assimilation of subsystems within and outside of the relevant organisation. An efficient information exchange mechanism requires appropriate tools for data mining, thereby allowing the transformation of clusters of data into organised information. In particular, a data-mining approach that provides a solution to accomplish enterprise integration is needed. This paper proposes a generic roadmap for the design and implementation of a multiagent model which integrates the data-mining technique called On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) and Genetic Algorithm (GA), which is incorporated to achieve optimisation of workflow, thereby providing essential supports in enterprise integration. To validate the feasibility of the generic roadmap for such a model, a system prototype has been developed for managing workflows in a company.