Sales Performance Management Solutions, Incentive Compensation Software | Enterprise Incentive Software

TECHNOLOGY AND SERVER ISSUES

Does your system provide the ability to update report sorts & execution frequencies without programming changes?
Is the report writer intended for use by non-technical end users?
Which query language does the report writer use?
Can the reporting or query language call routines written in a different programming language (e.g. VB, C++, SQL Server Stored Procedure)
Can the data structure of your system be accessed by external report writing tools?
Can reports be queued to run unattended in batch mode at night, and be able to be dependent on an event such as the existence of a file and not just a time of day?
Does the system warn the user of the number of records selected or the approximate time needed to run the report before processing?
What technology is used to develop CATS?
How much programming is involved in administering an incentive plan in CATS?
Which internet/intranet servers (e.g., Netscape, Microsoft, IBM) can support the CATS web content?
Describe the browsers, database management systems and other software utilized with CATS.
Explain the network/communications infrastructure recommended for CATS (i.e., protocol, media, and standards).
How many servers are required?
For which types and versions of relational databases is CATS certified?
Describe the CATS recovery capabilities.
Does CATS have the ability to input custom logic / code (i.e., java script) for incentive calculation?

Does your system provide the ability to update report sorts and execution frequencies without the need for programming changes?
WebFOCUS reports can be constructed with variables coded for the sort field(s), and default values specified for standard execution. These variables can then be overridden at report creation time if the user wants to change the sort field, without requiring programming changes. Because execution frequencies can be automated using a rules-based scheduling component of WebFOCUS, execution frequencies also do not require programming changes.

Is the report writer intended for use by non-technical end users?
WebFOCUS was in fact originally designed to be used by non-technical end users.

Which query language does the report writer use?
SQL. In addition, WebFOCUS itself, which enables syntax, which performs queries on relational and non-relational data, sources (over 85 in total) with no knowledge of the native data structure required. Either WebFOCUS’ own query capability, or SQL can be used to query data.

Can the reporting or query language call routines written in a different programming language
(e.g. VB, C++, SQL Server Stored Procedure)?
WebFOCUS can call routines written in different programming languages, such as VB, C++, SQL Server Stored Procedures, etc.

Can the data structure of your system be accessed by external report writing tools?
There are no limitations to the accessing the data structure of the system by external writing tools.

Can reports be queued to run unattended in batch mode at night, and be able to be dependent on an event such as the existence of a file and not just a time of day?
These capabilities are provided by WebFOCUS Report Caster. Report Caster is a powerful and flexible solution for scheduling and distributing reports generated with WebFOCUS. It gives incentive compensation administrators exceptional control over when reports are run and how they are distributed. Control over scheduling can be concentrated in the hands of a single administrator, or spread among any number of pre -authorized end users. The content, timing, frequency, format, and even the method of distributing reports can all be easily managed and customized to meet individual needs. WebFOCUS Report Caster has been newly architected for optimum performance, scalability, and end-user functionality.

Does the system warn the user of the number of records selected or the approximate time needed to run the report before processing?
WebFOCUS Resource Governor lets you optimize control over critical areas of your business intelligence system by acting as an intelligent agent for performance management rules. You define the parameters and WebFOCUS Resource Governor will determine which WebFOCUS reports can pass through its preemptive governor – even before the reports run. And, unlike conventional reactive governors that stop requests only after they exceed a certain limit, WebFOCUS Resource Governor stops queries before they reach the database. The bottom line? Problem queries are stopped before they ever start, resulting in better control over resource consumption, prevention of Web browser time-outs, and exceptional system performance and availability.

What technology is used to develop CATS?
CATS was developed using Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft .Net Framework

How much programming is involved in administering an incentive plan in CATS?
No programming is involved in the administration of any incentive compensation plan within CATS. In fact, administration is streamlined within the proprietary 'Administrator' Module providing the incentive compensation manager with a 'click through' processing sequence.

Which internet/intranet servers (e.g., Netscape, Microsoft, IBM) can support the CATS web content?
The CATS Portal will support any commercially viable web servers.

Describe the browsers, database management systems and other software utilized with CATS.
IE 5.0 or higher web browser is recommended for end users, Database management systems can be Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle 8i or higher. The operating system recommended for web server is Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server with Service Pack 2, Windows XP Pro or 64-bit Edition or one of the Windows Server 2003 family products. MDAC 2.7 for Data, IIS 6.0 and ASP.NET is installed along w/ the .NET Framework version 1.1.

Explain the network/communications infrastructure recommended for CATS.
The CATS Portal application is a standard .Net application installed entirely on a web server for internet access. Customer computers access via web browsers through Internet or Intranet depending on their company security. Network TCP/IP protocol is typically installed on networks for access to serving the database.

How many servers are required?
The CATS Portal is a fully scalable and platform-independent solution. The web application hosting, report production, report distribution, and database integration/access can all co-exist on a single platform or can be partitioned to separate platforms based upon security and performance requirements.

A standard solution assumes that a separate NT platform will host the web application. An existing NT – Internet Information Server (ISS) can satisfy this requirement. The CATS Portal server should run on a separate platform. A 4-processor NT machine is recommended to satisfy this requirement.

For optimum performance, the SQL Server database should reside on a separate platform; however, it is feasible to run the database on the same server as the CATS Portal Report Server.

For which types and versions of relational databases is CATS certified?
CATS is certified for Microsoft SQL Server 7.0/2000, Oracle 8i or higher, and Microsoft MSDE.

Describe the CATS recovery capabilities.
CATS relies on the customer's network, software and protocols for backing up data maintained by the application, unless it's hosted by Enterprise Incentive Software.

Does CATS have the ability to input custom logic / code (i.e., java script) for incentive calculation?
CATS uses an extensible business rules language for modifying objects in the CATS Designer. These modifications all reside in the database on top of the source code and are 100% transparent to the incentive compensation administrator. CATS is guaranteed to express any incentive compensation rule inside the application on a "product" basis without the need to create or maintain a separate data mart, use stored procedures, customize the source code or force manual calculations.