RE: E-commerce Architecture

Just MHO.

We have outsourced a couple e-comm projects.  They weren't really even
outsource.  Just another company under our umbrella that does "cold fusion,
and stuff."

How was the experience?  Let's just say 4 out of 5 projects the end users
are hand keying orders in from emails.  Really great solution.  (That's
sarcasm in case you didn't catch it).  The 1 that is working went from "a
simple online order form" to 6 months of programming on my end to accept the
data they were sending me.  This order form that the web experts made is
nothing more than an HTML form that makes sure they enter their name and
address.  No item number verification, no price verification, nothing.  The
user enters all that information (item number, page number, price, color,
etc...).  I do all of that on my end after I get the data.  Needless to say,
about 50% of the orders have to be researched.

The weak links in these projects are:
1) Web developers who don't or don't think they have to know the business
and it's rules.
2) The platform in which these web developers program.  Ie windows, SQL DB,
Cold Fusion.
3) Data replicators that must be used to get the data from the SQL/NT DB to
the AS/400.  
4) If you want the data to be replicated back (for order status, etc), then
you have an even bigger problem.

What has come about because of this?  An AS/400 that will be dedicated to
web serving.

My advice, hire more, keep it in the "family".  These experiences were from
people who should have known our business.  Outside contracters would be
even worse.  I would advise against outsourcing something that you obviously
think is a key factor to your business.  Building a good web presense is
more that fancy graphics.  The guts and methods used is the key.  Just think
back to the IBM "flaming logo" commercials.  "But I want to integrate
shipping with inventory".  "I... I don't know how to do that."

Where to start?
<*SP ON*>
e-RPG.  My new book!  (actually came about because of the troubles listed
above)
http://www.bvstools.com/erpg.html
<*SP OFF*>

If you have an RPG staff, it's a good place to start.  You may find that you
have a "closet" web programmin in your staff already somewhere.  Find them.


Bradley V. Stone
e-RPG! - www.bvstools.com/erpg.html
BVS/Tools - www.bvstools.com
Netshare400 - www.netshare400.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Reger, Bill [mailto:breger@levitz.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2000 8:19 AM
> To: 'Midrange-L'
> Subject: E-commerce Architecture
> 
> 
> Our plans for e-commerce are to outsource the development and 
> hosting of our
> web site to a third-party firm.  This will allow our inhouse staff to
> concentrate on handling the interface data going to and from 
> the web site,
> and to develop and run the  backend transaction processing on 
> our AS/400's.
> 
> My feeling about the transaction processing is that we must 
> make sure that
> they perform well and that we should try to save every 
> possible second,
> otherwise the customer will move on to another web site.  I 
> am considering
> processing the interface data with data queues and using 
> "never-ending" RPG
> IV (ILE) procedures to both modularize the processes and 
> optimize the work.
> We are also looking to use a "canned" product such as 
> MQSeries to handle the
> interface data.
> 
> Any feedback (positive and negative!) about this approach would be
> appreciated, since I feel that we must architect our 
> e-commerce application
> correctly.  Any other approaches that might be better would 
> be appreciated
> also.
> 
> Thanks,  Bill
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