RE: Time and Attendance

Keith wrote:

> I'm afraid you are Bang on the nose Dave..

Oh dear. You are never going to convince the consultants - they already had
the solution they liked before they walked in the door. It's your
management that you need to bang some sense into. The PC server solution is
more expensive in terms of TCO. But as you already have a 400 it will be
more expensive in terms of entry costs too.

> We are currently in the middle of a change management program and more
> and more decisions are being left up to the all powerful consultants

What do I know? I'm only a techie. But the way I see it consultants are
meant to advise your management not do their thinking for them. If you let
them have a free hand they will bleed the company white in fees, destroy it
with lunatic restructuring, then move in as administrators and mop up a
second time when it is put into receivership.

> who think that the era of the PC and Server is the best thing since
Sliced
> bread...

As I said, they had the solution before they ever looked at the problem.

> The only thing that you missed out on is that our 400 Payroll application
> is also being upgraded but this could be taken off the 400 as well...

If they're only looking at PC solutions then you're going to end up with a
PC solution. Why is the payroll being upgraded? Does it not do the job, or
is it simply not a Windows app?

As far as swipe card input goes, I've worked with a system that was
integrated into J.D. Edwards World (for meal accounting rather than payroll
though). Basically the badge readers build ascii files that you then import
into your 400 through Client Access, ftp, or whatever. It's not a big deal.
You can have more sophisticated systems that send wireless data transaction
by transaction, but I can't imagine you'd need that for payroll which is a
batch process if ever I saw one.

Dave...

"The sooner we get behind schedule, the more time we will have to make it
up." -- Anon Construction Superintendent

=======================================================
The opinions expressed in this communication are my own and do not
necessarily reflect those of my employer.