Tools & Automation

How MRP and Production Planning and Scheduling Software Differ

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:30:00 EST

Without a doubt, one of the most difficult stages of manufacturing production is the planning stage. Minor errors in predicting demand or planning materials can lead to costly mistakes such as producing too much or carrying excess inventory. To drive out waste and produce at the most efficient levels, manufacturers increasingly rely on information technology during the planning stages. Two of the most popular planning applications on the market today are material requirements planning (MRP) software and production planning and scheduling software. While it’s generally understood that both of these applications are broadly about manufacturing planning, there remains considerable confusion about what each application is actually capable of doing. I recently decided to break down their capabilities as part of my work over at the Software Advice Manufacturing Blog. I thought it would be worth sharing the knowledge here.

Tips for Making the Right Decision for Your Organization

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:00:00 EST

Executing change management and version control for applications like Oracle E-Business Suite can be a daunting challenge, especially when you’re talking about upgrading Oracle E-Business 11i to version 12, commonly called “R12.” Your choices to achieve this change include a traditional upgrade to EBS R12, or reimplementation, a rip-and-replace of the current version with R12. Each approach has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, and the path you take to R12 also can depend on whether your organization has EBS 11i, or an older version. In the long run, upgrading is less expensive, but carries a higher technical risk. Reimplementation, which rebuilds your existing Oracle E-Business Suite based on existing data, presents lower risk and requires less technical effort by an experienced DBA, but is more expensive. An EBS R12 upgrade can be challenging and complex, but, with knowledge of a few key fundamentals, you will survive, regardless of whether you’re perspective is technical or functional.

Choosing the Best Testing Tools to Increase Project Productivity

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 15:15:00 EST

The primary mission of information technology is to improve business processes and increase profits. Companies are constantly rethinking and struggling with how to use IT to a competitive advantage, reduce IT operating and maintenance costs, and reduce the total cost of ownership... all while attempting to deliver increased value.

Building a Portal Using Web Services

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST

The combination of portal technology, service-oriented architecture (SOA), and Web services provides customers with a powerful approach to developing, assembling, and deploying portal-based composite applications. Recent improvements in composite application development tools, coupled with a maturing portal market and a set of standards, provide customers with increased flexibility, promoting the reuse and repurposing of existing investments.

Beyond SOA Platforms and Tools

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST

Software reuse process and infrastructure are key enablers for SOA success. Software engineering spent the better part of the 20th century stubbornly resisting standard engineering disciplines. Project introspection and peripheral management activities accepted by all other engineering fields as mandatory have frequently been avoided by many software development organizations.

Delivering, Administrating, & Tracking Distributed Web Services

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST

Companies that adopted and deployed early implementations of Web services primarily focused on three fundamental areas: These early implementations were driven by a need for greater efficiency in integrating systems, data and business processes, and in development.

Sleeping with the Enemy

Fri, 02 Jul 2004 00:00:00 EDT

People often assume that .NET and J2EE are locked in some kind of life and death struggle. In fact, they can co-exist very well as I proved on a recent project. Both .NET and J2EE are based on open standards; these are Web Services Definition Language (WSDL) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), both of which are built on Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Deploy Web Services - Double Your Servers?

Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST

The recent explosive growth of transactional information and applications over the Web has led to a very real concern for IT managers - how to address the processing bottleneck in Web and application servers. For service-oriented architectures (SOAs) that use XML to bridge the transfer of information across disparate technologies, this processing bottleneck may hinder the deployment and adoption of XML standards and Web services.

Web Services - They're Here, but We're Not There (Yet)

Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST

Web services have been touted as a really 'big thing' in the software industry the last couple of years, and that is for good reason: they promise technical interoperability between platforms from different vendors, an hitherto unheard-of thing in an industry plagued by proprietary non-compatible solutions.

Wrapping the Perfect Web Services Package

Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST

Web services have been touted as a really 'big thing' in the software industry the last couple of years, and for good reason: they promise technical interoperability between platforms from different vendors, an hitherto unheard-of thing in an industry plagued by proprietary non-compatible solutions.

Building the Foundation for a New Breed of Enterprise Applications

Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST

More than ever, midsized businesses face the challenge of operating in a global economy, where nothing stands still. Product life cycles that once might have been measured in terms of years, are now measured in months or even weeks. From development to service, successful companies are leveraging process improvement and technology to continually reduce time to market and improve operating efficiencies.

The Tools Landscape

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Web services products have matured rapidly over the past 12 months, to the point where it's become acceptable to utilize the technology in major projects. However, though improving, the currently available toolkits can't be considered complete.

Web Services Orchestration

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 00:00:00 EDT

In the past decade 'workflow' has become one of the most overloaded terms in the software industry. Almost every application is tagged as 'based on workflow.' While this doesn't always mean a lot, there is good reason for it; it involves recognition among software architects that the business process is the application.