Configuration¶

The layouts of different warehouse sites are configured in a SQLite3 Database.

The configurations are called projects, which have a Project-Id as primary key.

The so called Project-Id is specific to each configuration, it is the primary key for all tables in the database.

FTSim comes with a number of different configurations, but please feel free to create your own ones.

I usually do it step by step using the command line tool sqlite3. In between I run ftsim just to check if the layout looks as intended.

The basic configuration is read only once in the beginning when the program is started. Only the order-tables, if in use, are changed during runtime.

Basic - Tables¶

Most tables have foreign keys, which can be looked up in the database. The foreign keys will help to keep the configuration consistent.

The central Configuration Table:

CREATE TABLE project(
    prjid INT,
    fieldx INT,
    fieldy INT,
    fieldpx INT)

prjid stands for the project-id, und fieldx/y is the overall size of the layout.

The areas:

CREATE TABLE ft(
    prjid INT,
    ftname VARCHAR(2),
    fttyp VARCHAR(2),
    PRIMARY KEY (prjid, ftname))

ftname is the name of the area, fttyp may have these values:

FT = automatic conveyor belt

LB = storage area

KP = picking area

DB = Database
if orders are used, a area of type DB needs to be configured (because of the seperate database thread).

Each Area consists of a number of Locations:

CREATE TABLE lf(
    prjid INT,
    lfname VARCHAR(6),
    ftname VARCHAR(2),
    lftyp VARCHAR(2),
    xkor INT,
    ykor INT,
    leid VARCHAR(3),
    PRIMARY KEY (prjid, lfname))

ftname is the Area the Location belongs to. xkor/ykor define the coordinates in the layout and lftyp is either NULL or KP for a picking place.

If a Location is occupied with a Transport Unit (LE), the Databasefield leid needs to be set. Locations of a certain Area form a sequence, which ist determined by the order of the location names.

The Transport Unit also called LE:

CREATE TABLE le(
    prjid INT,
    leid VARCHAR(3),
    lfname VARCHAR(6),
    ftziel VARCHAR(2),
    PRIMARY KEY (prjid, leid))

ftziel is the target area of the LE. lfname is only for documentation, the Location of the LE must be set in table lf.

If a Location is connected to a Location of a different Area, or the last Location is connected to the first Location of the same area an alternate Location has to be configured:

CREATE TABLE lfalt(
    prjid INT,
    lfname VARCHAR(6),
    altlf VARCHAR(6),
    PRIMARY KEY (prjid, lfname))

lfname is the source Location and altlf is the name of the alternate Location.

If a Location is the entrance to a certain area, a list of target areas can be configured. The first area will be the Area of that Location , further areas will be used for routing:

CREATE TABLE lfziel(
    prjid INT NOT NULL,
    lfname VARCHAR(6) NOT NULL,
    ftname VARCHAR(2) NOT NULL)

lfname specifies the Location, ftname contains the target area.

Order - Tables¶

A Task contains the LE with the imaginary inventory, that needs to be picked at the Picking Place / the Workstation.

A Taskorder consists of one or more Tasks, which have to be picked at the same Workstation. Taskorder and Tasks are updated during runtime.

If there is a open Taskorder it will be assigned to a free workstation. After all Transport Unit’s have been processed (virtually picked) the Taskorder is closed and the workstation can by used by the next Taskorder:

CREATE TABLE tasko(
    prjid INT NOT NULL,
    taskoid VARCHAR(3) NOT NULL,
    wsid VARCHAR(6),
    taskostat INT NOT NULL,
    startt VARCHAR(23),
    endt VARCHAR(23),
    seq INT,
    PRIMARY KEY (prjid, taskoid))

If a Taskorder is assignet to a Workstation wsid contains the name of that Workstation. Seq is used internally, it is a randomized sorting key. Startt and endt contain time information. Taskostat is the state of the Taskorder and can have these values:

0 = ready to be used

20 = started, assigned to a workstation

95 = closed, all LEs picked

The task contains just the Transport Unit and the taskoid it belongs to:

CREATE TABLE task(
    prjid INT,
    leid VARCHAR(3) NOT NULL,
    taskstat INT NOT NULL,
    ftziel VARCHAR(2),
    taskoid VARCHAR(3) NOT NULL,

Taskstat is the state of the Task and can have these values:

0 ready to be used

20 Tasko started

60 LE at workstation

95 LE picked and left the workstation

The table le is not changed during runtime, all information about the LE is stored in the table Task.

The remaining tables are about statistics, the times for each Taskorder are written into table zeiten:

CREATE TABLE zeiten(
    prjid INT NOT NULL,
    taskoid VARCHAR(3),
    startt VARCHAR(23),
    endt VARCHAR(23),
    seq INT)

and the times for the complete batch is summarized in the table summen:

CREATE TABLE summen(
    prjid INT NOT NULL,
    startt VARCHAR(23),
    endt VARCHAR(23))