Vineyardsoft aptly refers to Knowledge-Sync 2000 as a business 'smoke
detector.' KnowledgeSync's major function is to alert the proper
personnel when data conditions reach pre-determined criteria. This is
accomplished by monitoring company data stores, scanning and processing
incoming e-mail and generating and distributing Crystal Reports. Professing
the ability to enhance any database-centric application, KnowledgeSync 2000
can be used, for example, to alert an account manager via pager that the
company's (and his) largest account just e-mailed tech support. Or, it can
be used as a human resources tool to e-mail a supervisor that an employee is
out sick and automatically append a Crystal Report detailing that particular
employee's attendance record over the past year along with a company
attendance policy file.
Put simply, KnowledgeSync 2000 is an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
solution designed to synchronize and filter information from disparate
sources by alerting the proper personnel when data meet specific criteria or
conditions. This provides a tool for all staff to address and respond to
time-sensitive issues without having to spend their time unnecessarily 'putting
out fires,' when a neglected situation is conveyed by an angry customer,
rather than through an alert from KnowledgeSync.
Via an EventPAK (a software add-on), KnowledgeSync 2000 is capable of
using VB (Visual Basic) scripting to interface with operating systems. The
Event Log in Windows XP, 2000 and NT can be monitored by KnowledgeSync to
identify events such as security breaches, network problems and low disk
space. In addition to alerting MIS personnel, KnowledgeSync can be
programmed to take corrective action when certain conditions occur by
restarting a server or deleting log files to recover disk space.
Implementation
A software based solution, Knowledge-Sync 2000 is sold through resellers and
partners such as SalesLogix and FrontRange Solutions. If a customer opts for
alert functionality only, Vineyardsoft says their solution can be up and
running in one or two days. Implementing more complex data-pushing
functionality for checking, creating and generating records, such as lead
management, may take up to seven days. Additionally, resellers have started
developing EventPAKs such as Integrated Service Alerts and Opportunity
Minder, both created for SalesLogix. Integrated Service Alerts, for example,
provide pre-configured queries and events for monitoring support-related
events and incoming e-mail to generate support calls. EventPAKs for other
KnowledgeSync 2000 partners can be found on Vineyardsoft's Web site: http://www.vineyardsoft.com/html/eventpaks.html
KnowledgeSync is licensed per connection. A connection is defined by
Vineyardsoft as monitoring one application database, monitoring incoming
e-mail or monitoring a server's operating system. A KnowledgeSync license
allows one copy (iteration) of the KnowledgeSync Event Manager,
KnowledgeSync Monitor and KnowledgeSync Administrator to be run only from
the server on which the KnowledgeSync database is installed. A license for
one connection is $1,995 with an annual maintenance cost of $399. More than
three connections are categorized as an unlimited license with a fee of
$4,995 and $999 for annual maintenance. Separate upgrade licenses are also
available starting at $1,250 with a $250 annual maintenance fee.
Alert Messaging
Since the purpose of Knowledge-Sync 2000 is to synchronize information, its
backbone is based on queries able to traverse different databases and
applications. Part of the 'ease of use' of this solution is weighted
heavily upon the interface design. The Query Definition interface, for
example, allows a database administrator to define any data condition
desired. The process to define a condition, or query, is broken down into
different tabs, allowing a user to quickly set up and define a query using
multiple tables in disparate databases. SQL script is then generated, and
can be edited manually if desired.
Once data conditions are defined, creating an Event is the next step to
effectively using the data selected by the query. Queries are kept separate
from events so a single query can be used in multiple events. We created an
Event that was triggered when shipping charges reach seven percent of the
order total for the previous week of business using a sample database. In
addition to sending out an alert via e-mail, fax or pager when an Event is
triggered, KnowledgeSync is also capable of automatically generating one or
more Crystal Reports using the Crystal runtime engine 8.5. The reports can
also be automatically appended to an outgoing Alert e-mail message, can be
Web cast or can be posted to an FTP site. Files can also be added to an
outgoing message; for example, appending a freight calculation worksheet to
the Shipping Supervisor along with an e-mail alert.
Reports
The reporting feature of Knowledge-Sync 2000 allows its owners to
pre-define, automatically generate and distribute Crystal Reports. Reports
can be distributed via e-mail, fax, FTP and by linking the reports to a Web
page. Similarly, reports can be generated based on a variety of criteria
such as specific data that trigger a report, or an on-request report via
e-mail. Since the Crystal runtime engine is backwards compatible, existing
enterprise reports can be appended to an event by pointing KnowledgeSync
2000 at the existing report.
Via NetMeeting, we interacted with a Vineyardsoft representative and
reviewed an Event in which a report was generated if more than 20 people
sign up for a particular CRM Training course in a particular month (in a
sample database). Similar to appending a report to an Alert e-mail,
KnowledgeSync can also attach files to include with corresponding reports.
Additionally, report distribution can also be achieved in a variety of ways.
A report can be attached to an e-mail message, faxed, or, to reduce network
traffic, can be Web cast or posted to an FTP site and e-mail and pager
notification can be generated to both alert employees the report is complete
and also convey its whereabouts.
E-mail
In addition to employing APIs to interface with Microsoft, Lotus Notes and
other e-mail solutions for the purpose of alerting company employees,
KnowledgeSync 2000 is also very capable of processing and responding to
incoming e-mail based on content. Using the E-mail Response System is
similar to defining queries to identify conditions in database stores, only
using the electronic mail medium instead. Funneling the contents of an
e-mail (directed by the addressing) into a KnowledgeSync e-mail database,
the e-mail data is then separated into database fields. Although basic
fields are standard, such as inbox account, inbox address, etc.,
administrators also have the ability to create their own, site-specific
fields within the KnowledgeSync e-mail message database.
Using filters and sub-filters, an administrator can employ KnowledgeSync
2000 to check for e-mail from specific clients, or specific conditions
within the body of a memo. Consider this example (also demonstrated to us
via NetMeeting) of a real-world implementation to further illustrate E-mail
Response System capabilities: In addition to sending a canned response to
the sender, a tech support manager wants to be alerted each time a support
inquiry is submitted via e-mail to the general support@company. com mailbox.
After specifying the application to use (E-mail Response) and naming the
query, we were finished completing the Alert portion of the Event. Since the
query is designed to look at all the mail sent to that e-mail address, there's
no need to add additional trigger parameters. If certain statistics were
required, we then had the option to append a report after 'X' amount of
e-mail support requests were received. The report could contain information
such as who handled the support calls or turn-around time; or automatically
generate a report of past support calls for that particular client '
perhaps identifying and allowing the support team to prioritize responses to
high-cost, low-revenue clients. Also, we could have opted for pager
notification, fax transmittal or the automatic posting of [email protected]
mail to a Web page; or we could have added an incoming message to the
appropriate area in a customer contact database. This would make the account
manager aware, for example, that a client is experiencing some difficulty.
Conclusion
Vineyardsoft is in the business of helping companies patrol and constantly
monitor their data to report important business conditions. Although you
must be familiar with database architecture and your company's own data
stores to efficiently pilot the product, the GUI makes it a far cry from
writing your own script. Along the same line, the application interaction is
provisioned via an embedded VB scripting module, which allows the addition
or updating of existing fields in an application database. A small learning
curve exists when becoming familiar with the GUI; however, patterned to
allow the same sort of interaction when developing queries for e-mail
response or Alerts, the tab-orientated GUI is very intuitive.
Although this First Look is not an in-depth product review, my experience
with KnowledgeSync 2000 has revealed what appears to be a comprehensive
product that allows an enterprise to fully utilize existing data stores.
Additionally, Vineyardsoft has employed the sound business strategy of
interoperating with legacy software, which only increases its value as a
business investment. Ever the office watchdog, when applied and used to its
potential, KnowledgeSync 2000 can provide the means to make many areas of an
enterprise run more efficiently, and therefore is deserving of an Editor's
Choice award.
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July 2002 Table Of Contents ]
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