# "Complex" scheduling problem model structure

So, I'm modelling a job assigning problem in OR-Tools CP-SAT. I want to maximize rescheduled jobs based on some constraints. Right now jobs in my model look like this:

jobs = [(1, 1, 1, 3, 1),           # job id, job type, start time, length, worker id
...
(7, 5, 9, 1, 4)]


And the way I initialize data looks like this:

for h in range(horizon):
...
for w in workers:
...
for jt in job_types:
...
for job in jobs:


The data on top level is stored in smth like:

 List<List<List<List<IntervalVar>>>> intervals_by_hour


Based on all of this I find it pretty hard already to initialize everything and select some of the data ranges to make constraints. Next, I would like to widen a job definition a bit, so I feel that I'll have another layer of for loops and a hard time isolating entities from them.

So the question is: Am I doing something wrong or is it some acceptable way of doing so? I've looked through examples and some books, and rn I dont feel neither those examples fit my needs well, nor some of them feel better in modeling part

Initial task: I get some jobs from the ERP system that (in this example) can overlap each other by the workers attached to them. (E.g. Alex can be assigned to job1 and job2 at the same time), so I want to reschedule such jobs. Every job consists of job ID, job type, start time, length, worker id. Right now in my model I use BoolVars to indicate that job exists and OptionalIntervals for a job to exist if BoolVar exists. Basically I want jobs of one type to not overlap, jobs of one worker to not overlap and to maximize the sum of scheduled jobs

performed_at = model.NewBoolVar("performed by %dh %dw %dj %dt" % (h, w, job[0], jt))
start = model.NewIntVar(h, h, "start of %dh %dw %dj %dt" % (h, w, job[0], jt))
end = model.NewIntVar(0, horizon, "end of %dh %dw %dj %dt" % (h, w, job[0], jt))
optint = model.NewOptionalIntervalVar(start, job[3], end, performed_at, "interval of %dh %dw %dj %dt" % (h, w, job[0], jt))


Full source code of working model: Model

• this is much too vague to be useful. Please post a complete standalone small example that describe what your are doing, what you want to achieve. Feb 6 at 12:58
• Thanks, updated the task and linked a source code Feb 6 at 15:31
• I do not understand why you need 4 loops to create intervals. Look at the flexible jobshop example, you have one loop per task and one loop per worker that can perform this task. Feb 6 at 20:51
• I get what you mean, but for example I looked at ortools github - and yet they basically use FOR loop to initialize every entity (of every entity) present (like I do). In my case I have constant horizon for rescheduling + I want to maximize the number of possible planed jobs (theres possibility that it would be impossible to plan as desired in ERP system), that's why I iterate with horizon - workers - types - jobs, and my variables basically say - "Can job (and its interval) start at that minute" Feb 7 at 15:06
• why don't you have 1 interval per task to schedule with a variable start ? Feb 7 at 20:11