Case Studies

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB)  www.rpsgb.org.uk is the professional and regulatory body for pharmacists in England, Scotland and Wales. It also regulates pharmacy technicians on a voluntary basis, which is expected to become statutory under anticipated legislation. The primary objectives of the Society are to lead, regulate, develop and represent the profession of pharmacy. Smart Data Studio brought True Clarity in to review the existing data and applications structure of an existing database which was established several years ago using Access as a repository for staff in the field to enter and amend information on visits to pharmacy premises throughout the UK.

Over time the database had become less effective as additional demands were placed on it. Also as the original application had been written by staff who had subsequently left the organisation it was difficult for new members of staff to maintain and manage.

Problems were exacerbated due to additional functions being written in an attempt to resolve issues. As a result the users were finding it increasingly difficult to work with the data base and this in turn brought about issues with data synchronisation and reporting problems.

RPSGB was anxious to ensure the database was brought back into line with the original functional requirements and able to integrate with other contemporary applications and databases. The ability for field-based staff to be able schedule, visit and record information relating to inspections effectively was a key requirement.

The initial phase required an in-depth audit of the existing database.

The solution
This 15 day True Clarity Discovery™ phase started with the RPSGB Technical Team providing a snap shot of the system which was uploaded to the True Clarity servers. An exhaustive process commenced to thoroughly audit the database.

Using the True Clarity Framework™ solution, we proposed a bundled replacement solution comprised of several leading industry recognised technologies. These included an SQL Database, C# Web Service, C# Application, MSDE database and XML data transfer.

A SQL database was created to hold all of the information within a central repository. Local MSDE database copies were also created for each user. The database was designed in accordance to standard database design and replaced the many tables used by the original system.

This application allows the synchronisation of information between the MSDE databases and the central database. This is done through the use of XML datasets extracted from each database. It is this step which minimises the amount of data transferred during synchronisation. Users are notified that synchronisation is taking place through the use of an icon on the taskbar. The process is initiated automatically during connection to the RPSGB network.

This application allows remote access to the data within the new IROV SQL database. The Web Service is used by the Synchronisation Application to extract and update XML datasets from the IROV database.

The site launch date meant that pressure was put on the development team and change management activities were also carried out with the users to minimise any issues related to the replacement of the established system.

With these priorities in mind the development team at True Clarity worked closely with the Technical Staff at RPSGB to address any issues that might arise. Where issues did arise the diligence and the determination of both technical teams meant that they were quickly overcome.

The result
The new system has now been in operation for several months and running smoothly with the Inspectors experiencing the benefits of a more robust and easy to use database. The next phase of development is now being planned.

Case Study 1 : Major London Museum

The Museum not only exhibits a staggering array of items in London, but also around the world. The logistics of putting on one, let alone several, exhibitions is daunting. Many departments need to work together at various stages of preparation before the exhibits can be put in place.

An extraordinary degree of planning is required and for this an “Estimator” database is used. This database, from humble Excel beginnings, has recently struggled to perform to the ever increasing demands of the Heads of Departments responsible for the vast resources needed to prepare and lay on exhibitions with thousands of different items.

Smart Data Studio has evaluated the associated problems to identify the best way to make selected data available to managers and planners. The existing database must remain stable whilst a browser interface is developed, extracting management data quickly and reliably.

Finally, the solution has to be simple for up to 200 users within the Museum to use. Staff and management cannot commit to a training programme so the interface must be simple to use and intuitive. Also, the implementation of the interface could not effect the daily operations of the Estimator.

Once implemented, the new interface will allow Heads of Departments to more precisely estimate what resources are required to stage, for example, an exhibition in Mexico in a years time. The accuracy of this information is key so that resources are not wasted; neither does an occasion arise where an exhibition has to be cancelled due to lack of resources due to poor planning.

Case Study 2 : Delux Travel Company

Established some fifteen years ago, the Delux Travel Company provides individually tailored holidays and expeditions for discerning clients. Customer service is key, as is their depth of product knowledge.

Management realised that their databases, some established at the formation of the company, were inefficient and performing poorly.

Smart Data Studio were brought in to look carefully at the problem, to map and audit the existing databases, to understand how management wanted data stored, presented and managed. Drawing on the skills of an alliance partner, a meeting with Delux management team provided a solution using WSDL (Web Services Descriptive Language). This solution is then handed over to a development team who develop and test the new system.

Once installed the entire booking and invoicing process is streamlined, customer experience improved and the extraction of management data far more efficient.

Before any of the work was carried out, the Smart Data Studio team provided a Return on Investment (ROI) model to illustrate the bottom line improvements provided by the integration project.