MetaBase.NET

Case Study - The UPS Store^®

Supporting the Technology Needs of an International Franchise

Most IT departments struggle to strike the right balance between providing for the needs of the many vs. the needs of the few. Standardization of hardware and software is typically the only means of controlling quality, cost and the administrative burden. The downside to standardization is that it often ignores the unique needs of the individual.

This situation is particularly acute within the context of a franchise.  And, when the franchise spans cultural and national boundaries then standardization sometimes fails to address critical needs of the individual franchisee.

The UPS Store^®, the world's largest franchisor of retail shipping, postal, and business service centers recently addressed such issues within its Caribbean region.  The area franchisee recognized right away that the regional franchises had no effective tools for pricing and processing packages, and proceeded to create a customized application to address this need.  Each store needed local versions of shipping rates for each carrier and service and there needed to be some way to maintain the rates without having to manually perform updates in each store. Differences in business rules between the stateside and local operations prevented the standardized system from functioning.  Even without the differences in business rules, the connectivity requirements of the standard system prevented it from being a viable option given the inadequate local telecommunications infrastructure.   Clearly, these issues had to be fixed to maintain the quality and service people have come to expect from the franchise. 

Data Distribution in a Disconnected World

In examining this issue, several key requirements were outlined.  First, for certain carriers, the local store owners must be able to create and maintain their own customized rates outside of the standard set of rates provided.  Second, shipment information must be uploaded to a server every night for backup and billing purposes.   And finally, local stores had to be able to operate if their internet connectivity was extremely slow or down during business hours.

In order to meet these requirements the disconnected data model was used.  Each store would have a local copy of the database used for the manifest system. However, early on it became evident that it would be difficult, without major changes to the manifest software, to keep all the local copies in synch with a centralized master version of the database. This is where MetaBase.NET was utilized. By leveraging the service oriented architecture of MetaBase.NET, the UPS Store^® was able to provide a common, universally accessible, and secure way to synchronize data across the regional franchisees. 

Creating a Data Domain

Using services built into MetaBase.NET, each store was given access to only the data it needed to synchronize its copy with the master database. Also, MetaBase.NET allowed data retrieval to be performed on as 'as needed' and 'as available' basis. If the internet connection was down, no problem.  As soon as it was available, it would try again without any noticeable interruption to the end user and more importantly the customer.

With MetaBase.NET, there were additional improvements made to the software which were not available previously like a regional customer registry and centralized 'shadow' copies of local store data.  Through the use of Metabase.NET, a customer can have access to her personalized address book from any The UPS Store^® in the region.  As an additional benefit to the store owners, their localized rate data and shipment information are automatically synchronized with a remote server.  Not only do they gain the benefit of 'no-touch' rate updates, but they also enjoy the benefit of automatic data backup, ensuring that their data will be preserved even in the event of a catastrophic failure in their store.   All this combines to provide the 'feel' of a customized solution to the franchisee.

Conclusions

Through the implementation of MetaBase.NET, The UPS Store^® was able to quickly obtain the benefit of data customization, synchronization, and access.  Moreover, they were able to keep their standardized set of software while at the same time accommodating the individual user's needs - a balancing act indeed. 

Case Study - 360 Movies & Music

Creating an E-business

Most people are familiar with buying products and services online.  However, despite the popularity and pervasiveness of e-commerce, the concept of an e-business has yet to fully materialize.  Whereas e-commerce primarily deals with electronic transactions between a business and its customers, e-business deals with electronically connecting everyone: suppliers, distributors, employees, and customers.  The same technologies which have driven the adoption and subsequent rapid growth of e-commerce can be applied to the business as a whole.

One company who understands this is 360 Movies & Music, an online broker of used digital entertainment products.  360 had built an inventory of used cd's, dvd's, and video games and was selling them through various online auction sites such as E-Bay and Amazon.com.  While the business was making money, its procurement process had hit a wall.  Most of 360's inventory had been purchased from record stores and video stores going out of business.  Eventually its suppliers, well, went out of business.  360 had to find a new and cost effective way to replenish its inventory or face going out of business themselves. 

Providing the Connections

As with most businesses, the pieces of the puzzle were largely already in place.  They had a website, inventory and fulfillment systems, willing suppliers, motivated employees, and an active marketplace.  It was merely a matter of connecting it all.  However, 360 was short on time and resources.  They needed a way to streamline their business processes without having to hire expensive programmers and integration specialists.  That's where MetaBase.NET came into play.  By leveraging the capabilities built into MetaBase.NET, 360 developed a plan to extend their inventory and fulfillment database (PostgreSQL) to their suppliers via a web based front-end (ASP.NET).

Using MetaBase.NET, 360 was able to rapidly develop a web portal which helped them locate and hookup with potential suppliers.  The suppliers are now able to enter their products directly into 360's website.  Since the website is connected directly to their inventory system through MetaBase.NET, it is immediately available to their online outlets. 

Expanding Your Reach

Deploying MetaBase.NET opened up other possibilities.  Because MetaBase.NET supports mobile devices, 360 was able to create a mobile procurement system.  360 now provides its employees with off-the-shelf PocketPC's attached to a barcode scanner and has them scour used video and CD stores looking for deals.  They scan in the UPC code from the product and it communicates directly with the MetaBase.NET Server.   The information sent back in real-time tells them how much of that item they have in inventory, the maximum price they should pay for it, and assigns a 'desirability' score based on metrics collected from other online sources.  If purchased, the product is immediately priced and logged into 360's inventory and is made available for online sale.  This became so successful that 360 has now moved into used book sales using the same methods - which is turning out to be more profitable.  360 is also considering expanding their business into other major US cities.

Handling Security Issues

In the past, this type of integration usually required expensive private networks due to the security risks involved with opening up your internal database to public networks.  Even virtual private networks are costly and require a level of cooperation that is just outside of the capabilities of most businesses.  MetaBase.NET's Proxy-caching design allows you to securely offer your private databases on the public networks.  This allowed 360 to implement their solution on readily available hardware and software while satisfying all of their security requirements.

Conclusions

Leveraging the capabilities provided by MetaBase.NET, 360 Movies & Music was able to streamline its supply chain and create new opportunities by connecting customers, suppliers, and employees electronically.  This type of connectivity is no longer the sole domain of big companies with large IT departments.  With MetaBase.NET, becoming a true e-business is within anyones reach.