Red Snapper Database Template

The pace of technical innovation is such that any software that takes more than 9-months to develop is very likely to be out-of-date by the time it is launched. This applies not only to new products, but existing software must also constantly undergo redevelopment in order to remain competitive.

Companies employ teams of skilled IT staff to enable them to rise to the never-ending software development challenge; staff who are both difficult to recruit and costly to retain. The need for ongoing training to enable developers to use current tools and techniques puts additional pressure on project deadlines and budgets, and the effects of missing deadlines and overspending on budgets can be far-reaching at best, catastrophic at worst.

[Click here to download Word document, 55KB]

The Red Snapper Template is designed to provide an effective alternative to the endless pressure of in-house software development.

Overview

Save time and money on development

Overruns, both from the perspective of deadlines and budgets are the all-too-often ridiculed weakness of IT projects. Using the RS Template as the corner stone of a company’s software development is one clear way to address this problem.

The RS Template is designed to enable even moderately skilled developers to produced professional applications in weeks rather than in months or years. A major software project commissioned recently by a leading UK software supplier was conceived in August, agreed in October, written in November, and delivered before Christmas. While in-house estimates for the development of the system had been in excess of 3 man-years, the development actually took fewer than 60 days to complete. Extensive features and benefits are provided by this system and each sale generates around £8k in revenue.

Configure a system that exactly meets your business needs

The screen and report design tools provided with the RS Template enable developers (and end users) to produce a data-management system that exactly meets the needs of a business. Using the in-built security functionality, each member of staff can be given access to (and responsibility for) those parts of the system appropriate to their role. This means that companies can automate key business processes from beginning to end, from purchasing to invoicing, empowering staff with the information they need to make decisions, and improving efficiency and communication.

The cost of ownership

The cost of ownership of a piece of software is an ongoing issue; completing the initial development of a product is often only the beginning as far as investment is concerned. There will always be a need for additional functionality and features (as well as compatibility with new innovations in IT technology). The RS Template provides a solution to both of these problems. While customers are able to add functionality and features quickly and easily using the standard design tools, Red Snapper’s commitment to incorporating new technology into the RS Template provides an up-to-date framework to build from.

Key Features

The RS Template is a multi-database Windows application framework. Each copy of the RS Template enables the user to manage one configuration of database (and screens), however data can be recorded and managed in multiple copies of this database.

The data managed by RS Template applications is stored using Microsoft SQL Server 2000, providing reliability, accessibility, scalability and data security. Where 5 concurrent users (or fewer) require access to the system, users can use MSDE to record and manage data (a copy of MSDE is included with the RS Template system).

The system includes a screen designer that enables users to modify the system data screens (and the underlying database configuration). Each system screen corresponds to a table in the database and screens (and therefore tables) can be added at any level (main screen, sub-screen, sub-sub-screen etc.). Multiple links can be made between data recorded in all data tables.

A fully featured report designer is included in the system enabling users to run, add and modify report templates. Using the report designer, users can generate reports comprising data from all areas of the database. These reports can be previewed, printed, exported in a variety of file formats (including PDF), sent b e-mail, and published on a web server (additional web-server software required).

Template letters (created as MS Word documents) can be defined within the system incorporating data from all areas of the database. Letters can be generated from these templates (for example to clients or employees) and a full correspondence history is retained. The letters can be sent via e-mail (using MS Outlook) if required.

User management tools enable administrators to define user accounts and user-access profiles for individual users. Access to system functions can be restricted, as can access to individual fields in data tables. An integrated filter tool enables users to define reusable filters to use with data screens. These can be set as default filters to improve usability in larger databases.

Any Windows files can be embedded or linked to individual records in the database. Embedded MS Word documents (and other text-based documents) can be indexed and searched using key-word searches.

The system enables users to associate actions with individual records in the database, and these can be viewed from the record in question. The actions recorded in the system can also be displayed (or printed) globally, for example to produce a user-specific or date-specific action list. Actions can be exported to MS Outlook if required (either manually or automatically).

To assist with the redistribution of software, Red Snapper can also provide a licensing tool to control distribution of software, and a full set-up wizard for product system installation on end-user’s computers

Services

Application development service

For those who do not wish to develop systems themselves, Red Snapper BV offer a full application development service. This service is designed for companies who have a need or a concept, but no means to develop it into a product, or for companies who have an existing product, and a need to produce a new version of it within a short timeframe or budget.

Building on a proven track record of success

Recent ‘development service’ projects undertaken using the RS Template include a contact management system for a software re-seller, a payroll data-collection system for a financial software company, and a recruitment management system for an HR software supplier. In addition to these, powerful end-user systems have been developed by Red Snapper to manage training and staff development, and to manage the outsourcing of personnel.

Support

If required, Red Snapper BV can offer a help desk support service for end-users.

System Requirements

Server computer

The RS Template is designed to record data using Microsoft SQL Server 2000. A copy of SQL Server 2000 (known as MSDE 2000) is included with the system; we recommend that access to the database via MSDE 2000 is restricted to a maximum of 5 concurrent users. Where customers require that more than 5 concurrent users have access to the database, a separate licence for MS SQL Server 2000 is required.

In addition to the operating systems listed for MS SQL Server 2000, the use of MSDE 2000 with the RS Template is supported when used with the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows 98 (SE), Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 (with Service Pack 6 or later), Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional and Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

A server computer comprising an Intel Pentium 2 (or compatible) 300 MHz (or higher) processor, and 256Mb of RAM is recommended for running MS SQL Server 2000. MS SQL Server 2000 runs on the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server (or higher) operating system, and on Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 Service Pack 6 (SP6) or later. MS SQL Server installations require up to 200MB of hard disk space and for planning purposes, we recommend that users allocate 100Mb per system for databases.

Client computers

The following operating systems are supported for computers running the client software: Microsoft Windows 98 (SE), Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, and Microsoft Windows XP Professional. It is recommended that computers running the client software comprise an Intel Pentium 2 (or compatible) 300 MHz (or higher) processor, and 128Mb of RAM. Each client system requires 200 MB of disk space.

Networks

It is possible to configure the RS Template to run on a single computer, or to run across a local area network (running at a minimum speed of 100MHz). For access to a server via a LAN, we recommend that the TCP/IP protocol is used. For further details of networking requirements, please see the MS SQL Server documentation.

Where remote access to the server is required, it is recommended that Microsoft Windows Terminal Services (or similar technology) is used. Only the highest specification wide area networks will provide sufficient power to connect users directly to the server (i.e. without using Terminal Services).

MS Office

To generate letters and e-mails, the RS Template uses MS Office applications (MS Word and MS Outlook). The system can link to MS Office 97, MS Office 2000 and MS Office XP applications.

About us

About Red Snapper BV

Red Snapper BV is a software development company based in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The company was established in 1998 and our development team have been working together on the RS Template product for the past 3 years. While Red Snapper’s core business is software re-engineering, they have also recently provided one-off database software tools for Clifford Chance, for the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and for Houthoff Burma.

More Information

For more information contact Joop Bruinzeel in Rotterdam on +31 (0)10 278 4870, e-mail: , or visit www.pasoftware.co.uk