Re: Implementation of E-Commerce over BPCS 405CD- -- BPCS-L

Ardi:

Of course I am grateful for the kind words from Mr. Kolstedt and am very
pleased that he has had success with our product.

I wanted to clarify the point about NexgenCommerce's ability to run when
the AS/400 is down. There are two answers to the question of off-line
processing and I will describe both.

Flagship Product: NexgenCommerce - External Order Entry, Customer Service
Inquiries, NexgenCSR
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NexgenCommerce provides tailored web interfaces (not green-screen over web)
to BPCS information and transactions using a web server that is independent
from the BPCS system it is serving. It can run on Windows NT/2000, Unix,
Linux or AS/400 (ISeries) equally well. In fact it can run natively on the
same AS/400 that BPCS is on. Even in this case, the core web serving
function is separate from BPCS so this means that, as an interface server,
NexgenCommerce can function without BPCS being up.

At the same time, the flagship NexgenCommerce product is a real-time
transaction processor and inquiry engine. This means that it pulls all of
the information it uses (item lists, order statuses, customer records,
inventory availability, etc) directly from the BPCS database at the time it
needs it. Likewise, when NexgenCommerce needs to update BPCS such as in
the case of new customer orders, new inventory allocations, even shop order
postings, then these transactions are updated in BPCS in real-time.
Managing complex BPCS transactions is complicated enough. Add-in the
synchronization complexity of off-line processing and it becomes next to
impossible to control. For example, what happens when one sales rep takes
an off-line order for the last case of Item # 1234 when at the same time, a
different rep does an off-line inventory availability check on that same
item and sees that there is one case yet available for order? Most of our
customers have had clear intentions of staying away from these types of
conflicts and have preferred our real-time, "connected" approach.

However . . .

New Products -- PocketCSR - Customer Service Information/Remote Order Entry
in On or Off-line Mode and Plant Transactions Module
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There is quite a bit of interest in remote laptop and PDA (handheld device)
connectivity to BPCS. In many cases, this can involve a wired or wireless
connection to a NexgenCommerce web server, which facilitates the type of
real-time capabilities described above. However, especially for the mobile
workforce, many times there is no connection available yet there is still
the need to access BPCS (and other) information and even create
transactions that could be "uploaded" at a later time when a connection is
available. It is for these situations that we have created special
versions of NexgenCommerce products for the mobile "detached" environment.
These are "PocketCSR" and our "Plant Transactions Module - Batch Mode"

PocketCSR takes the information and role that customer service
representatives typically provide over the phone to field service
personnel, and places it in a self-contained software application that can
run "disconnected" from any network on a PC, laptop or handheld PDA-type
device. Users can do immediate inventory lookups, consult order statuses
and even create BPCS customers orders WITHOUT requiring a real-time
connection to the host system. Information on the user's systems will get
synchronized whenever he/she is able to make a connection (dial-up,
wireless, sync cradle) to the network. Of course, there is no getting
around the synchronization challenges imposed by a replicated data
environment - I've discussed that point above. Nonetheless, for companies
who can live with the facility of data updated on a periodic basis, this
product provides a nice solution.

We have done the same thing in our Plant Transactions Module.
NexgenCommerce Plant Transactions allow for the entry on INV500-type
transactions but uses a refined, web-based interface that works well either
on handheld, bar-code equipped data collection devices or on PCs/laptops
equipped with a web browser.

(* * * Please let me digress/re-iterate: NexgenCommerce interfaces to BPCS
ARE NOT web renditions of the confusing 5250 green screens we have learned
to love/hate after all of theses years - - direct green screen-to-web
approaches do not deliver the ROI benefits organizations are looking for --
such as significantly streamlining the user experience, reducing data entry
errors and reducing training costs ! ! ! * * *)

Now the Plant Transaction Module has been fitted with an offline (Batch)
transaction collection capability. This is especially important in 24 x 7
data collection environments that include AS/400 downtime. The Batch
transaction feature allows disconnected devices (with barcode readers, if
required) to collect and validate shop transactions and then upload them
through the CIM600 job flow when it is convenient to connect to the
network. This allows uniterrupted data collection, even when the AS/400
goes down.

There are also other NexgenCommerce modules available such as the web-based
"Distributor Forecast Management" application. Others are in development
such as the web-based Purchasing Requisition / Approval subsystem.

Ardi, I hope to speak with you soon on more details of your requirement.
Thanks-to the rest of you for the opportunity to clarify this point.

Very Best Regards,

Daniel J. Mitchell, CTO
Nexgen Products
email: mitchell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

www.nexgencommerce.com

+ 1 . 630 . 300 . 6040 Office Direct
+ 1 . 630 . 300 . 6000 Office Main

NexgenCommerce NexgenCSR and PocketCSR are all registered trademarks of
Nexgen Products, Inc. Naperville, IL USA
BPCS is a registered trademark of SSA-GT, Chicago, IL USA

BPCS Version 6.04 MM

Dear Ardi:

We've been using NexgenCommerce for over a year now and have been very
happy with our choice.

I can tell you that Nexgen meets all of the criteria you listed, but I am
not sure about the ability to function when BPCS is down. When we went
shopping for an e-business software we knew that we were not interested in
synchronized or an off-line solution. So this really meant we needed a
real-time solution with the data driving directly from BPCS, not a
duplicated database.

Observations:
- easy to install, maintain
- nice interface (no applets)
- Framework allows non-programmers to customize site
- bulletproof transactions with AS/400 (BPCS)
- simple, clean architecture
- reasonable price

Let me also comment on your point about significant configurability vs
need for customization. This is where I think Nexgen has really gotten it
right and we've had very minor customizations to use the product.

We found that Nexgen's product truly had the features you listed ready to
go, out-of-the-box.. At the same time, we were able to easily tweak the
features we needed to change using the toolset as well as build entirely
separate web functions in very little time using the training Nexgen
provides at installation. In my opinion, Nexgen has created an ideal blend
of "tool" vs "solution". I'm including a link to their website:
http://www.nexgencommerce.com/

My final point is that Nexgen has been in the BPCS community for along time
(I think since the early '90s). It is clear that their products are
designed around BPCS rather than BPCS being an "afterthought". I have also
found
the Nexgen people to be very easy to work with in "tweaking" the product to
accomodate
some customizations with most work resulting in a very low number of
billable hours because
the product was so close to our needs right out of the box.

Best of luck in your pursuit,

Dave Kolstedt
Pall Corporation
David_Kolstedt@xxxxxxxx
www.pall.com

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Dear Colleagues and Friends

We are embarking on a project to bring web connectivity to BPCS 405CD
for a major pharmaceutical client.

The intention is to support:

? Web order entry
? Order history and status inquiry
? Package tracking
? Significant configurability VS need for customization
? Ability to function while BPCS is temporarily "down"
? Personalization of web features by customer
? Strong Security

Our goal is to purchase existing solutions and minimize custom coding.
Because this is an FDA regulated business, validation and vendor's
quality practices are signification issues.

I am looking for any guidance, recommendations, cautions or experiences
you may be willing to share. Phone calls are welcome, but please be
aware that this is not an opening for consultants to create the web
programming.

Best regards and thanks in advance.

Ardi

Ardi Batmanghelidj
Principal -?Business Development
Innovatum, Inc.
ardibatman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Direct Line: 978 443 1304
Main Office: 877 277 3016