All,

I have a problem where I need to assign tasks:
1.) Times
2.) Resources based on a Resource Type

I've used the nurse rostering problem as an example and come up with a planning entity ResourceAssignment that looks like:

Facts:
Task
ResourceType

Variables:
Time
Resource

For example:
1.) Lets say there are two resource types Type1 & Type2
2.) A pool of resources: Resource1(type1), Resource2(type1), Resource3(type1), Resource4(type2), Resource4(type2), Resource5(type2) ...
3.) Task A: that requires 1 resource of type1 and one resource of type2

My program creates two PlanningEntities
ResourceAssignment1
Fact:
Task=A
ResourceType=1
Variables
Time
Resource

ResourceAssignment2
Fact:
Task=A
ResourceType=2
Variables:
Time
Resource

I've created a rule that is designed to keep tasks starting at the same time:

//tasks need to be in the same timeSlot

rule "taskInTimeSlot"

when

$ra1 : ResourceAssignment ( task != null, time != null, $id : id, $task : task, $time : time)

$ra2 : ResourceAssignment ( task != null, timeSlot != null, id != $id, task == $task, time != $time )

then

insertLogical(new IntConstraintOccurrence("taskInTimeSlot", ConstraintType.NEGATIVE_HARD,

                1,$ra1, $ra2));

end


*PROBLEM*


This results in: Cancelled step index (7), time spend (2848): there is no doable move. Terminating phase early.


If I change the constraint to a NEGATIVE_SOFT the problem is solved, but it doesn't scale. Any more that a few tasks and it doesn't seem to be able to find solutions.


What I need is for swaps and moves to change the time on multiple ResourceAssignments together.


Am I going about the problem the right way? Do I need something other than the generic move/swap factories?


Thanks in advance,

Jason