OPSI Systems Announces Update of its Reporting Tools
Johannesburg, South Arica, June 13, 2007:
OPSI Systems today announced two exciting developments regarding reporting that have taken place over the last few months.
The first is the introduction of Centralised Reporting; a paradigm which allows data from several different FLO or PLATO databases (usually at different depots) to be collated and stored in a single, central database, providing a powerful resource for managerial reporting.
The second is a new, user-accessible development environment for editing and viewing reports for both FLO and PLATO. Based upon the free SQL Server Express Reporting Services, the system provides extensive report-building functionality using an array of powerful expressions – all without requiring a line of source code. This ease of report editing also makes it possible for end users to modify both the structure and content of these reports, without assistance from OPSI.
I. Centralised Reporting
OPSI currently offers two solutions for taking advantage of centralized reporting. The first is a push-based application – which is installed and configured on each FLO or PLATO system – which, via command-line execution, can be set to automatically export data from the current system into the central database at a specified time.
The second, more powerful solution is pull-based. This application is installed and configured on a single, central system. Each remote depot’s FLO or PLATO database is then specified within the application, and - using a single button - the desired data from each database is extracted and stored centrally for the specified date range. This application can also be executed from the command-line, allowing automatic, unattended exporting at pre-defined times.
With centralized report exporting set up, complex reports can be built based on the combined depot data in order to provide detailed, regional management information.
II. General Reporting System
OPSI has adopted Microsoft’s SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) 2005 to provide a powerful, easy-to-use, web-based reporting solution. And with no-cost licensing for the fully functional Express edition, no financial layout is required to experience its benefits.
For products based on non-SQL-Server databases (such as FLO), SSRS support is provided through an automated data exportation system, which extracts the necessary reporting data and places it in a central SQL Server Express reporting database. The report then runs normally, obtaining its data from this database. Once again, no costs need be incurred as SQL Server Express is also free. The new FLO installation can also be instructed to perform this set-up automatically.
Reports created through SSRS offer extensive functionality - including charts - and are modified via an easy-to-use, expression-based editor. Using drag-and-drop, new controls may be added to a report; and modifications to tables within the report are performed in an intuitive manner, much like table editing in Microsoft Word.
Once the desired modifications are made, the report may be deployed. Reports are then launched by FLO or PLATO using Internet Explorer. These reports can then be printed or effortlessly exported to a variety of formats – including CSV, XML, PDF and even Excel.
For more information, please contact:
OPSI Systems
David Lubinsky
Tel: +27 11 8807951
Email: david.lubinsky@opsi.co.za
About OPSI Systems
OPSI Systems is a software development and consulting house based in Johannesburg, South Africa. We focus exclusively on tools and services related to the supply chain, with a specific focus on vehicle logistics and demand prediction. We supply off-the-shelf routing and scheduling tools but also welcome work on custom projects for individual clients.
Key customers:
Barloworld Logistics, ABI (Coca Cola), Unitrans, UPS Logistics, Value Logistics, Tibbet and Britten, SAB Miller, Clover and Reckitt Benkeiser.
About FLO™ (Fleet Logistics Optimiser)
The flagship of our product line is FLO (Fleet Logistics Optimizer). FLO is a multi-drop fleet routing and scheduling tool with many unique features. These include the ability to model a rich set of real world constraints including delivery windows, vehicle exclusions, product exclusions, multiple shifts, individual working hours by vehicle, multiple-container vehicles, trailer and associated constraints, as well as many others. FLO also features deep integration with GPS tracking to learns travel and stop times, to give updated ETA’s, and to detect unauthorized stops. On the accounting side, FLO has strong stop cost calculations and a complete delivery de-brief module this means that complete delivery contracts can be run using only FLO to handle all aspects of the planning and execution of the delivery .
OPSI Systems® and FLO ™ are trademarks of OPSI Systems CC. All other trademarks and registered trademarks referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners.
