Interactive Mapping Brings Information to Life
February 29, 2008
What is Interactive Mapping?
Interactive mapping is a visual display medium which allows graphing, mapping, and even conversion to PDF of any type of information. This technology is used by national government agencies, airlines, chambers of commerce, ski resorts, and countless corporations to make information accessible and interactive to whomever they present the information.
Phone and credit card companies use interactive mapping to show billing information. Companies use it in reporting, forecasting, sales and marketing, and display retirement plan information to its employees, using Dashboard, PopChart, Optimap, and Highwire features for interactive and simple information presentation and utilization, even on a pocket PC.
What can Interactive Mapping Do for You?
Interactive mapping involves so much more that just maps. Dashboard, Popchart, Optimap, and Highwire provide interactive information in virtually any format: charts, graphs, pie charts, tables, etc.
In addition to the examples given above, here are additional ways to use interactive mapping.
Retail stores can track revenue, returns, and customer information across geographical demographics.
Manufacturers can track processing times along the supply chain.
Electric companies can track overall usage in geographic regions.
Can Group Collaboration Software Meet Business Needs?
February 29, 2008
According to a survey conducted by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures entitled "Content-Centric Collaboration," 51 percent of businesspeople utilizing technology such as Microsoft Office and e-mail collaborate almost daily as a part of their business operations and need group collaboration software to support electronic collaboration.
The report indicated that the need would continue to grow over the next year. This stat is not surprising because technology can be very valuable in improving business operations. However, two challenges seem to stand in the way of supporting electronic collaboration: "convincing users to consistently take advantage of capabilities" and "encouraging users to contribute information into the system." One of the questions that has arisen from these challenges is "Is there a group collaboration software that is simple for users to adopt?"
Since two-thirds of businesses collaborate using e-mail, one of the biggest tests for group collaboration software is whether it can integrate with e-mail. When considering the type of collaboration that takes place with e-mail, businesses see that e-mail collaboration includes attachments created mostly in Microsoft Office applications. This means there is another test for group collaboration software, "Can it integrate with Office applications.
User Friendly Group Collaboration Software
Daffodil DB: Web Database
February 28, 2008
What is a Web Database?
A web database is a database for the internet. You can get access to your data via the internet from anywhere in the world. Or, you can create a database driven website by using such databases. A web database stores large amount of information in an organized format that is easily accessible from scripting languages (like PHP).
In web databases, modifications, like the ones constantly used by e-commerce sites, for example, can be performed without any hassles .That makes the dense editing of the html code obsolete. Repeated types of data, like contact information, can be generated automatically in your website through a web database.
Daffodil DB: A web database
Daffodil DB is a J2EE-certified, SQL-99 and JDBC standards compliant Java RDBMS. It is the first java database which is compatible with PHP. With the release of PHP extension module, Daffodil DB has joined the select list of Java enabled web databases.
Daffodil DB is an ideal for anyone who is looking for a web database. It can be embedded within any application and delivers high performance with minimum system resource usage - thereby striking the right balance between size, features and performance. At less than 3 MB, Daffodil DB is a small/compact database.
HelpDesk & Asset Management Software - Choosing The Right One
February 27, 2008
If you are to buy a HelpDesk & Asset Management software, see the following checklist before you decide on one.
Comprehensive Help Desk Functionality
A good Help Desk product can dramatically rise the productivity of the Help Desk Personnel (which in turn will rise the organisation’s productivity as a whole). Computer users can be made to submit their requests by mail, phone or through the web interface provided by the product. These requests gathered centrally will be attended to by technicians (who already are automatically notified about the request). Adding memos/notes to the requests & viewing the history of Requests can help too.
Buildable Knowledge Base (KB)
Even before a complaint is registered, Users can be made to search a prebuilt KB which will result in time savings for the Help Desk Personnel. The KB will also result in increasing the first call resolutions. The Help Desk personnel should be able to add on to, edit & delete from the existing KB.
Asset Managenment
Selecting Microsoft Great Plains Partner/VAR/Reseller: ERP Implementation & Customization ? Overview
February 26, 2008
In the case when you represent mid-size or mid-size-to-large business, it is not a surprise that you have to do ERP selection and switch to new technologies, doing your own research. If you a trying to stay with Microsoft technologies and try Microsoft Business Solutions products: Microsoft Great Plains, Microsoft Navision, Solomon, Axapta with integration to Microsoft CRM, you should know the history of Great Plains Software and Navision partners over the last 10 years.
? Great Plains Dynamics VAR of earlier 1990th. These companies were a mix of CPAs, received application consulting training. Second feature ? these companies were concentrating on the local market, the preferred method was on-site visit, sales technique ? cold calls with following hard pressuring sales.
? Great Plains Dynamics C/S+/eEnterprise VAR of 1995-1999. This time, due to the fact of increasing competition on Graphical OS market and Microsoft aggressive market take over, consulting firms had to hire more technical consultants and programmers. These employees were engaged into data conversion, data repair, Great Plains Dexterity interfaces, VBA, ReportWriter, Crystal Reports customizations and web development. This was the time of technology diversification and golden time for programmers. At the same time the importance of application consultant CPA was in the decrease, one of the explanations could be ? universities picked up in educating future controllers in basic CPA, standard ERP and financial reporting
Managing Stress in the Computer Industry - Five Steps to a Stress-free Life
February 25, 2008
It would be easy to think, like most people apparently do, that stress and the computing (and especially programming) industry were unlikely bedfellows. The habitual image of long-haired young “geek” programmers churning out ’software’ from their teenage bedrooms is one that many still associate with mainstream programmers. Stereotype or not, this image is still commonly held, and the armies of deadline-bound, overworked and stressed-out programmers in the real World are all but forgotten in the melee that is the result of the technological age.
Stress is widespread within the computer industry, perhaps even endemic. From the assembly-line manufacturers forever looking to increase throughput to the debuggers whose time requirements weren’t in the original production schedule, pressure on those who work in the industry is at an all-time high and it is only going to increase as margins drop and further efficiencies are required.
Even getting into the industry can be stressful ? like private companies, many educational institutions are now usurping control of the code written on their campuses via “ownership” clauses which leave the originators of ground-breaking code with nothing to show for their efforts. Having something to show at interview is becoming increasingly difficult not just for existing programmers, but for the “new wave” just emerging from colleges and universities with excellent qualifications, but nothing they “own” to demonstrate.
10 Ways to Learn a Software
February 24, 2008
Following tips help you to learn a software in lesser time and in an efficient manner:
1. After installing a software package, look for any README file in the installed folder. Besides company and product details, it may give an overview of features, usages and limitations of the software.
2. Next run the software and have a feel of the look of the software. Identify the different parts of its main screen.
3. Look for the information shown in the TITLE-BAR of the main screen. Usually, it shows the product name. If the application is SDI (Single Document Interface like Notepad) or MDI (Multiple Document Interface like MS Word) then title-bar will also contain name of the opened file. Similarly, there may be STATUS-BAR at the bottom that shows the operation being performed.
4. Then comes the main MENU-BAR. Most of the GUI based software have common menu-items. So its better to learn once-for-all. Some of the common menu-items are:
FILE, EDIT, VIEW, TOOLS, WINDOWS, HELP.
Each of these names are intuitive itself.
-The FILE menu will have operations NEW, OPEN, SAVE, SAVE AS, PAGE SETUP, PRINT,CLOSE and EXIT.
Adware and Spyware Blockers
February 24, 2008
The most important things you can do for your computer right now is to install adware and spyware blockers. Everyone is aware of computer viruses and run an anti-virus program to guard your computer against them.
But only a fraction of computer users are running any kind of adware and spyware blockers software. It is believed that 90% of today’s PCs are infected with some form of adware and spyware. Most of the time you are not aware that your computer is even infected.
Adware and Spyware are less noticeable than computer viruses but can be much greater danger to your computer. So what is the danger posed without removing spyware from computers and how do you block spyware and adware on your PC?
If your computer becomes infected, the results range from minor nuisances such as pop up ads to more serious threats including identity theft. Even your passwords and credit card numbers could end up in hacker’s hands and you wouldn’t know it happened until the damage was done.
Spyware and adware files hide in your computer and are loaded down as you browse the Internet. Common culprits include pop up ads, shareware, freeware and instant messaging. However, there are less common ways to become infected.
Free Software - Powerful Alternatives to Budget-Busting Software
February 23, 2008
When you buy a computer, it most likely comes with Microsoft Windows preinstalled. And when you need a word processor, spreadsheet, or other software, you probably buy it from a computer store. That software is vital. Without it, a computer is just an expensive paperweight.
But you can find free and low-cost alternatives to commercial software. Free software has been available for years but has never been so accessible to everyday computer users. These programs have long been the domain of, well, geeks - experts who were willing to download huge programs from the Internet and who knew how to compile the programs from source code. But free software is entering the mainstream, thanks to faster Internet connections and easier-to-use installers that don’t require a degree in computer science.
Free software appeals to those on a budget as well as anyone who simply wants another choice. Examples of free software include GNU/Linux, an operating system that replaces Microsoft Windows; OpenOffice, a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation manager suite; and The GIMP, an image editor that rivals Adobe Photoshop. A PC with GNU/Linux preinstalled can cost hundreds of dollars less than a Microsoft Windows PC.
Freight Forwarding ERP: Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains customization & setup ? overview
February 22, 2008
Microsoft Great Plains may be recommended for international freight forwarding / transportation company. Great Plains has such features as multicurrency (Euro, Pound, Yuan, Yen, Peso, Real), Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese (and if needed Unicode-specific languages such as Chinese, Japanese). If you have operations in East Europe ? you can have Polish version as well as you can have several screens (SOP Entry, Inventory Item Maintenance, Customer/Vendor Maintenance, etc) translated to Russian, Lithuanian, Latvian. Plus ? if you consider Great Plains as a platform for custom tailoring and developing ? you can have reasonably priced solution for horizontal business, such as freight forwarding, cargo delivery, consignment, transportation. Let’s consider industry specifics and the way to implement them in Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains
? Agent Settlement. Freight forwarder usually deploys agents to deliver shipment. And agents are usually paid on the monthly or semimonthly basis. This means that you should have agents as customer.
? Daily Agent MBL invoices/statements. Assuming that agent is handling several shipment with Master Bill of Ladings (MBL) and House Bill of Ladings (HBL) per day ? freight forwarder emails to the agent daily invoices. Then these daily invoices are settled and paid one time per months
