Client: Manufacturer of Capacitors and Electronic Components
Project
For more than 40 years, a manufacturer of capacitors, RC networks, and transformers has been providing quality products and services to their customers. Our client purchased a smaller electronic parts manufacturer. Their historical information needed to be integrated into our client’s existing business application. The major hurdle for this project was that both computer systems were old and proprietary closed systems. Neither system was Windows nor UNIX based!
Solution
The small manufacturer that our client purchased ran an antiquated computer system and the backup media was not compatible with our client’s system. To make matters more challenging, there was no Ethernet connectivity, only serial connectivity, and the two computers were on opposite coasts (Pacific and Atlantic).
In order to transfer the data from the old, proprietary system to our client we wrote software that transmitted the data over telephone lines using a modem on each end. The data was first converted into structured XML and then transmitted over the phone lines. Included in the data was a checksum that was used to determine if the data arrived without error. If the checksum didn’t match the data received, the data was retransmitted. After the data was verified as being correct it was then inserted into our customer’s database. Although the process was slow and the technology was outdated, it was the most efficient and cost effective way of incorporating the data into our client’s database.
Results
Transferring the data via modem, while difficult, was significantly faster and cheaper than having the data re-entered manually through the existing data entry screens. Additionally, our solution eliminated all potential errors in a data entry process. Now that the data from the small manufacturer has been restructured and integrated into our client’s database and they have access to the smaller manufacturer’s customer base as well as the ability to sell an entirely new product line all from within their existing sales order software.
