SCL
gets creative with a knockout solution to modernise
back-end e-commerce procurement
Background
Simply Computing
Ltd's offices lie in the shadow of a stunning
13th century English country church - a high-tech
business solutions company in marked counterpoint
to its ecclesiastical, stone neighbour! Located
near Dunstable, 30 miles north-west of London,
it was formed in 1999 to deliver an impressive
range of highly functional tools and products
to the IBM mid-range user community.
System i users are offered a
wide range of development, application and consulting
services by SCL, with a clear focus on the 'user'
perspective. This user orientation significantly
enhances SCL’s understanding of its clients’
problems and needs, not just traditional issues
but the many new challenges - and opportunities
– that face businesses today.
Application modernisation (increasingly
with looksoftware!) is an exciting
area for SCL, a great opportunity for businesses
to reinvigorate existing applications without
the disruption and costs of replacement. SCL’s
service line-up also includes: multi-platform
software configuration management, System i portal
management and application re-engineering, data
distribution, transmitted and stored data encryption/decryption
and code version conversion tools (RPG 3 to modern
syntax/free form). Other quality partners include
Arcad (France), Linoma (USA), CVSI and Palmarium.
Ian Harris, founder and Managing
Director, has shaped his career around the mainframe
and System i evolutions of midrange hardware and
has seen many changes, mostly for the better.
Ian is passionate about IBM’s midrange market,
“Most midrange user companies have had to
live with drastic IT manpower downsizing over
the past 5-10 years. SCL’s mission is to
support their customers and to utilise 21st century
tools and techniques to create affordable, modern
and effective solutions that thoroughly complement
the great strengths of the System i and help safeguard
the major investment it typically represents.”
SCL’s client list indicates
the strength of Ian’s business and hints
at the wide range of application experience gained
by his team. His client base includes such high
profile organisations as the famous Triumph Motorcycles,
Universal Music (division of Universal Pictures),
Focus (major UK DIY & gardening retailer),
HSBC (Top 5 global bank), Castrol (oil & petroleum
products), Manpower (suppliers of contract labour),
William Blythe Chemicals and the UK’s No1
workplace clothing supplier Alexandra.
Alexandra
– the first success using looksoftware
It was the major challenge and potential at Alexandra
that brought SCL and looksoftware
together early in 2007. With many corporate buyers
accessing their e-commerce website from diverse
locations, and using a variety of procurement
applications, Alexandra urgently needed a solution
that would enable buyers to seamlessly access
their website. They wanted these remote users
to be able to select and order product –
from within their own procurement application
– in one simple, uninterrupted operation.
Communications between the buyers’ applications
and the e-commerce website would need to be maintained
transparently, in the background, via ‘commerce
XML’ (cXML).
Solution
Working with SCL, Alexandra developed ‘Punchout’,
an enhanced version of existing RPG code which
SCL used as the basis for the new Web Services
modules that form the core of the Web application.
Developed with looksoftware’s
soarchitect, and powered by lookserver,
the modernised, web-enabled interface was developed
quickly and efficiently. The non-invasive integration
approach and re-use of existing back-end modules
has driven rapid delivery of the new front-end
Web service.
Applying looksoftware’s
modernization technology to enhance a back-end
process with ASP.net as a front-end, has delivered
a highly effective, open-ended solution that has
also generated an excellent investment payback.
Improvements
Dramatic improvement of the customer interface
means Alexandra’s customers are now benefiting
from a greatly streamlined and simplified procurement
system. Punchout’s design means all the
necessary transactions like quotations, orders,
purchases etc, can be automatically processed
by the customers’ own procurement applications
and within Alexandra’s fulfillment application,
with little or no human intervention. Indeed that
is only required where there is a need for approvals
or authorizations etc.
The benefits are enormous to Alexandra and its
customers alike. Procurement and fulfillment processes
are simplified, automated and accelerated –
and of course the opportunity for error is significantly
reduced, thereby improving accuracy and productivity.
Next cab off the rank is ‘EXdocs’
Following success at Alexandra, Ian is already
pursuing new opportunities to deliver major business
benefits via looksoftware tools.
Export document automation is another high-value
application that SCL is now installing at William
Blythe Chemicals in the UK. With further intensive
development planned, SCL has created a packaged
solution, “EXdocs”, to deliver efficiency,
cost-saving, customer service and regulatory compliance
benefits to any exporting business. looksoftware’s
web services enablement and application data integration
capabilities are proving a surefire solution to
ever more business operations needs.
“The System i marketplace has traditionally
been a very difficult place in which to get attention
for your product; but looksoftware
is making such a big difference because its web-enabling
and application integration strengths are so instantly
evident. Combined with our ‘Punchout’
and ‘EXdocs’ customer application
focus, I just know we can deliver exceptionally
robust and high value solutions to our customers,
and we can do it very quickly,” said Ian.
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Critical
issue
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With buyers accessing their
e-Commerce website from many diverse
locations and using different procurement
applications, Alexandra was keen
to develop a solution that delivered
a customised, streamlined procurement
process
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Solution
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Working
with SCL, Alexandra developed ‘Punchout’,
an enhanced version of existing
RPG code
Using looksoftware’s
soarchitect, the key RPG functions
were service-enabled, making this
functionality available to any other
application, development tool or
device that supports web services
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Results
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As a result
of this improved customer interface,
Alexandra’s customers have been
provided with a greatly streamlined
and simplified procurement system |
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Procurement
and fulfillment processes are simplified,
automated and accelerated –
and of course the opportunity for
error is significantly reduced, thereby
improving accuracy and productivity.
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