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From: jgb@prism.gatech.EDU (James G. Baker)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: scheduling software
Message-ID: <30248@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: 31 May 91 02:32:07 GMT
References: <1991May30.135005.2616@macc.wisc.edu>
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 37

In article <1991May30.135005.2616@macc.wisc.edu> btheisen@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Barb Theisen) writes:
>If anyone has any ideas about products, or any advice about developing
>such software (ie any notable publications I can reference or algorithms
>I should look into) I can be reached via email at:

I recently attacked a consulting job involving scheduling.  Although it
pales to what Delta airlines has to do, it was quite involved:  It was
to schedule a two-day "career fair" so that 30 companies and 60 people could
all see each other for different interviews, lengths of interviews, company-
defined schedules, each candidate with about 12 interviews, etc (ad nausium)
:-).  

Does your application approach an "NP-complete" problem?   You can quickly
reach the "lifetime of universe" run-times if not careful.  Often, it
is reduced to letting the computer to the "best it can" and then allow
for some manual playing.  My scheduling gets it down to about a 6/200 
ratio of problems.  The computer "could" do it, but would have to try
all combinations potentially.  It also does it in about 45 seconds (a 
nervous 45 seconds, that is :-).  Mine was on a PC for cost's sake.

If it is simple precedence, the computer should be able to attack it
and assign times, etc and allow a change to one item and automatically
changing others.


Just some thoughts....
Good luck.

-J Baker



-- 
BAKER,JAMES G - Undergraduate Lab Instructor, School of Electrical Engineering
____  _    _    Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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