eSCA: a thin-client/server/web-enabled system for distributed supply chain simulation

eSCA is a client server, web-enabled architecture and front-end system for IBM's Supply Chain Analyzer (SCA), a new 'best-of breed' software tool and methodology for measuring, analyzing, and reengineering complex supply chains. eSCA extends the capability of SCA through a computing network with server-based and web-enabled functionality. eSCA consists of two distinct versions: eManager and Web-enabled SCA. The eManager version provides model catalogs, interactive modeling, seamless model/file transfer, batch experiments, and post-simulation data analysis. The web-enabled version provides a rapid way for users to access SCA through the web. The software development process for eSCA adopted the unified process: use-case driven, architecture-centric, iterative, and incremental. This paper focuses on the eSCA use cases and the application architecture. It is shown that eSCA is a reusable architecture for many different applications.