"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." Alan Kay, inventor of the Smalltalk object oriented computer language
Thank you for your interest in 21st Century Technologies, Inc. We hope you find this information helpful. Please call if you have any questions regarding Internet custom database software development, search engines, or web design. Best Regards, -- Michael A. Cordova, President 21st Century Technologies, Inc. Denver, Colorado, 80210 (303) 744-2178 Voice/Fax http://www.21stsoft.com michaelc@21stsoft.com "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Arthur C. Clark, The Lost Worlds of 2001 -------------------------------------------

Services - New System Checklist

1. What is the main purpose of the system? This is the motivating factor that brought it to the table and prompted you to seek a solution.
2. What are the principal expected results of implementing it? We can design metrics and build them directly into the system to ensure these expectations are met.
3. List the primary features desired in the system. For example:
   • special database access requirements - cell phone, wireless, etc.
   • automated email notifications based on certain events
   • online reporting capability for special logged on users
   • exports required - to external accounting systems, image processing systems, etc.
4. How many reports are needed? These can be easily prototyped using tools like MS Word to save time and money.
5. Does data exist that must be converted into the new system? See the Data and Volume section below for more on this subject.
6. If known, how many data entry forms are needed?
7. If known, how many data tables are estimated for the system?
8. Do you want a Windows application, an Internet application, or do you want the database to be accessed by both a Windows and Internet (browser based) application?

1. Desired delivery date or proposed project schedule.
2. Business reason for, and urgency of project.
3. What are the cost constraints?
4. Have you determined success and failure criteria?
5. Use cases - description of how each group of users will be using the system.
   1. General business process - web user will buy a product, web user will add a customer, web user will add contact information, etc.
   2. Input/Output - web users will enter data into forms, administrator must run many management reports, administrator needs to export to Excel and text, etc.
   3. Frequency of activity - many times each day, daily, weekly, etc.
   4. Cycles of activity - weekly sales reports to all sales managers, close books at end of year, etc.

Nature of Application

1. Do you have a desired development tool in mind?   You may want to split the application into some parts that can be run on a Windows workstation computer, while other parts (like reports, or timecard entry screens) are accessed via a web browser on your local intranet.  Web applications and reports can be viewed on all computer types and operating systems that are capable of viewing web pages.  Some tools currently available to build the system are listed here:
   1. Visual Basic,
   2. ColdFusion,
   3. Active Server Pages,
   4. .NET,
   5. JavaScript - for cross browser compatibility,
   6. VBScript - for server scripting, and client scripting if Internet Explorer is the only client browser,
   7. SQL Server,
   8. MS Access,
   9. Dreamweaver - for higher ended client functionality,
   10. FrontPage for simpler Web applications,
   11. Crystal Reports - for Windows and Web based reports,
   12. ActiveReports
   13. Excel,
   14. PowerPoint,
   15. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems - dial 1 for English, 2 for Spanish...
2. If other applications are involved (MS Word, MS Excel, QuickBooks, etc.), what version will be used?
3. If Access is the desired target development tool, is Access runtime desired instead of full copies of Access to reduce cost for many workstations?
4. Desired screen resolution (800x600, 1024x768, etc.),
5. Screen Size (15", 17", 21")
6. Preferred Font and size (Arial 10, Times New Roman 12, etc.)?
7. Target Windows version for each client computer in the system (XP, 2000, NT 4.0, 98, etc.)
8. Target computer Operating System if not a Windows Platform - Apple, Unix, etc.
9. Target workstation hardware for all client stations,
   1. Processor - Pentium, AMD K6, etc.,
   2. Clock speed - 800, 1000, 1333, 1500, 2000, etc. MHz,
   3. Hard drive space - 10...40, etc. Gbytes,
   4. RAM - 128, 256, 512, etc. Mbytes.
10. If a network application, which network and version? - XP, Windows 2000, NT 4.0, Novell 3.1, Novell 4.11, etc.
11. What are the drive letters for the networked back end databases if a network application? F, G, H, etc.?  This reduces the deployment effort by developing in the same environment as the target workstations.
12. If available, please provide a network configuration diagram with paths to server (where database will reside) and all clients, security/user groups, etc.
13. Is 24x7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) uptime required?  If so, please explain the business need.  We will discuss this further.  The cost goes up as more uptime is required.  More resources are needed - various personnel on pagers, redundant computers or components like power supplies RAID or mirrored hard drives, etc.
14. Is Internet/Intranet data access desired?
    1. For data entry?
    2. For report reviewing only?
    3. To disseminate existing documents?
    4. To email notification of pre-determined business trigger events (project milestone met and approved, employee appraisal ready for approval, etc.)?
15. Is Security desired?
    1. Extremely high network (Internet) security - firewall, proxy server, etc.
    2. Database level security - MS Access has security, but SQL Server has a much tighter security model tied in with the Win 2000/NT operating system.
    3. Application level security
    4. Minimum (pseudo) security algorithm.
    5. Please specify User Groups that may have special Security needs requiring different levels of security:
16. 1. Administrative Assistants
    2. Analysts
    3. Engineers
    4. Managers
    5. Company Owners
    6. System Administrators
17. Are Backup Scenarios currently in place?   Backups will be an integral component of the system.  The importance of this cannot be over emphasized.
    1. Daily, Weekly, Monthly onto tape
    2. Daily, Weekly, Monthly onto CD or other optical drive
    3. Onto another computer
    4. Regular backups located at a remote site
18. Are Anti-Virus protection and policies in place?   It is an important part of ensuring that a system stays up and running.
19. Will remote troubleshooting be desired?  The addition of Error Processing and Logging software will facilitate remote support and troubleshooting.
20. Desired Documentation?
    1. None,
    2. Installation,
    3. User,
    4. Administrator,
    5. Software,
    6. On-line help - popup or video,
    7. Special - tutorials,
    8. All of the above.
21. What is the proficiency level of all users for the target tools and environments - Excel, Windows, etc.?
22. Will interfaces to other systems (accounting, payroll, another database, GIS, truck routing, etc.) be required?  This will affect the data model and system configuration, so early planning for these interfaces is critical to their successful inclusion into the system.
23. Is an audit trail function desired for changes to existing data? What parts of the system will need to be audited?
24. Number of Reports. A sample hardcopy or at least hand drawing of each will significantly help in determination of report commonalties (Company headers, formats, etc.). Important items are:
    1. Number of sections including sort groups,
    2. Definition of the source data for all fields in each section and their calculation method,
    3. Summaries,
    4. Desired output format:
       1. Windows screen preview,
       2. Internet/Intranet,
       3. EMail,
       4. Delimited Text,
       5. Excel spreadsheet, etc.
25. Is an ad hoc user-defined reporting, data retrieval, or analysis (On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP), Data Mining, etc.) capability desired?
26. Is an installation program needed for distribution of an application to many users?
27. Is an automated network or internet installation desired?
28. Are custom point to point modem communications desired?  This may also include automated faxing.
29. Special Considerations:
    1. Unique business rules, calculations, desired warnings, etc.
    2. Significant text parsing
    3. Known or possible issues and problems that may be alleviated with testing
    4. Voice driven
    5. Multiple databases (Access and SQL Server, Oracle, etc.)

Data and Volume

1. How many users are expected on the system in the near (first 6 months) and long (1 - 3 years and past) term?
2. How many users are expected to use the system at the same time during peak periods in the near and long term?
3. What type of data traffic will be on the network for the near and long term - numbers, text, images, multi-media, etc.?
4. What is the volume of traffic for the near and long term?
5. What is the estimated number of data records to be stored for the near and long term?
6. Do we need to import data from existing files or systems?  
   1. No.  Example data must usually be provided in database, text, or spreadsheet format.  This helps significantly in system testing and allows for error discovery and trapping before the system is delivered.
   2. Yes.
      1. Is all or part of the existing data needed?  What parts?
      2. Can use of the existing data be stopped while we convert the data into the new system?
      3. Is this a one time data conversion, or will we have to import data from existing systems regularly?
      4. Are some fields mostly blank?
      5. Are some desired fields missing?
   3. Characters like ' " # have special significance in data processing and conversion, and require special handling in code. Names (D'Joy) and other data fields may contain these characters.

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