Component-Based ERP Design in a Distributed Object Environment

Abstract

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) vendors have seen a dramatic increase in their sales this decade. Even though several vendors are producing great products and making huge profits, there are some problems to be resolved to make ERP applications a continuous success in the next decades. Current ERP applications have the low reusability and interchangeability of various modules among different vendors’ packages. One of the main reasons for these shortfalls is a tight coupling of ERP domain knowledge with the particular implementation tools. Also, efforts in establishing and using the standards in specifications of ERP applications have been inconsequential. In this article, strategic steps to wield a dominant power in the future ERP market are discussed. These steps are as follows: 1. Knowledge Modeling: Abstraction of Domain Knowledge from Tools; 2. Componentization of Domain Knowledge; 3. Implementation of Componentized Domain Knowledge; 4. Marketing Strategies for Domain Knowledge Components.