The CXT Concrete Products subsidiary of L.B.Foster provides a line of concrete building products that range from shower, restroom, vault, utility, storage and concession everyday facilities that are both economical, efficient to maintain and highly durable.  Equipped to both customized needs and common operational requirements, the buildings can easily accommodate water, power, sewer and other utilities that makes these facilities highly functional.  Their operational system which is based on a J.D.Edwards enterprise application requires additional applications that is customized to serve various day-to-day services that cannot be achieved easily through the proprietary system.  The application operates on stand-alone desktops and also across CITRIX platforms.

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After developing a legacy interface with their national customers, sales, quality assurance and shipping department required a simple application to track products and orders.  A MS Access client-server application was built quickly and used to track production of steel pipes, coating products and generate performance reports.  Also featured are automation functions to keep track of materials, measurements and costs that provides cost periodical reports.  A second application using the same model was developed to support their national sales force, which features remote SETUP and SYNCHRONIZATION (using JET replication).  The application operates on stand-alone desktops and also across CITRIX platforms.

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A local clinic using an established case management system needed critical assistance with their business processes and applications.  The principal application which was written in MS Access, was successfully extended from a traditional MS Access application into a DESKTOP/OUTLOOK model using VB.NET which now features a long awaited payment collection, treatment charging and scheduling system with embedded automation features.  The interim application was retained in MS Access to prototype solutions, and to perform many of the day-to-day operational functions - which is not limited to case management, reporting, accounting, account management, check reconciliation and contact management.

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A business diversification initiative was created by the president of the company with the sole purpose to extend current assets to enable new lines of business and opportunities.  This resulted in the creation of an MS Access application which was used to read underlying MS SQL Server database designed to bypass the conventional JAVA web-based front-end application.  This reader solution was also used to service additional functions such as prototyping data relationships, loading configuration data and generating report models which would be integrated into the final product eventually.  This simplified model application created unlimited opportunities in modeling, analyzing and importing customer data to enable proof-of-concepts and prototyping of solutions with relative ease and flexibility currently unavailable in the final product.  A conversion tool in MS Access was also generated to import XML, Excel files and AS400 customer data of client legacy systems using ETL (extraction, transformation and loading) for integration with the compensation application that would be used by the customer.

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To fill the need to service the exclusive communities of the well to do, this established group of investors had employed my talents to develop a business and technology plan.  This plan would address both the business, financial, technology and implementation model for an Complete Care Program that will serve the everyday needs of the exclusive.  Needs would range from home maintenance, pool services, landscaping, security and other ancillary services that would alleviate the customer's involvement in the acquisition and planning of these often cumbersome activities.  Coupled with GPS, cellular networks, mobility-on-demand devices, PDAs, tablet PCs, infused with contact databases, profile and asset management - the enterprise based system promises to become one of the very few premier service for a one-stop provider that is both secure, affordable and adds great value to the busy lifestyles of the exclusive.  The underlying database which supports REPLICATION would be based on an MS Access platform which is easy to prototype and build.  The core database which will be used to process accounting, invoicing and jobs will be a MS SQL Server database, with OLAP services features activated to provide real-time analysis of performance and to assess consumer demand or work trends.

In conjunction with a Continuous Performance Initiative which is designed to ensure the integrity of data in production systems, an automated MS Access tool was developed to perform scheduled tasks.  This tool will post EDI and XML files into production portals, monitor outputs and qualify the processed data to ensure the integrity of the underlying services.  This valuable service is designed to detect outages, qualify updates due to coding changes and system reboots, validate configuration changes, and also measure the processing capabilities of the WebMethods system designed to handle voluminous data.  LoadRunner and TestDirector resources were used for Integration testing, while the MS Access application provides low-risk testing services which is not limited to FTP service testing, messaging and file integrity checking that was easy to operate and can be deployed in other environments which does not require the deployment of a burdening TestDirector platform.  The application was designed using a client-server model which contains the EDITOR (schedules and creates tasks), AGENT (executes jobs with the ability to launch multiple instances of agents for dedicated jobs or to accommodate time consuming operations) and back-end database (stores job definitions and logs), that proved to be highly efficient and productive.

A dive shop and scuba teaching school based in Birmingham, the website that features ScubaVentures has been a long-time customer.  Their ASP.NET web service application features an automated event scheduling, student logging, story board controls and a notification system designed to enhance enrollment and subscription retention.  Also featured are sales automation functions designed to secure tickets and sales for time critical featured dive trips and events.  The backend databases used is MS Access, with full support for replication.  The highly functional STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM currently in place is a MS Access front-end application capable of managing student, employee and contact profiles, call logging, notes, trips, reservations; with mass e-mailing capabilities to support event publications and notifications.

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This application was created in response from demand by customers to provide high-customized project reporting that was not available in Microsoft Project and SureTrak without the overhead of a fully qualified Project Portfolio Server, while it embraces document traceability, issues management, task tracking risk mitigation formulation which would be combined into a cohesive application.  The resulting application is a VBA comprehensive package that was high portable, configurable and can attach itself to literally any RDBMS database, along with a series of related host systems.  While the initial prototype was developed inside of Microsoft Project itself, this task proved to be cumbersome due to its inherent overhead.  This innovative application features dashboards, scorecards, timeline views, task layouts, graphically enhanced grids, informative charts, document editors, project editors, responsive task timers, user activity and log viewers, journalized views and host of other highly functional tools designed to ease and regulate the way a project manager navigates documents and day-to-day operations.

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My background in developing intelligent business solutions lead to the project at Hanesbrands where I became involved in migrating an existing collection of ACCESS based reports to create a cohesive BI solution.  The customer benefited from this solution because it combines the disjointed reporting tools into a highly manageable application that support automation, report dispatching, cohesive AS400 and manufacturing host database extractions to provide a solution that is quick, seamless and easy to maintain.  This process streamlined existing processes, reduced devoted overhead and created a solution that has been compared with ESSBASE functionality with all of its inherent extraction complexities but the added simplicity of a user-friendly and wizard driven tool.

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Based out of Miami with remote sites throughout the nation, Lawex is a developer of the case management product called TrialWorks.  Various MS Access applications where implemented which included adapters for the Blackberry, TimeSlips (used to interchange data between TrialWorks expenses and TimeSlips Paradox enabled database), ACT (ETL - extraction, tranformation and loading from an ACT database into TrialWorks compliant case centric records, complete with client, contact, notes and expense information), and CASEMAP (used to exchange case, client, contact and documents between systems).  The principal application was also migrated from an MS Access/VB6 platform into VB.NET and ASP.NET, with complete support for PDF conversion, reporting engine and a back-end AGENT service to perform scheduled jobs.  An administration application designed in MS Access (code-named TWADMIN, which would be replaced by the VB.NET version called TRIALWORKS ADMINISTRATOR) was also constructed to enable administration of accounts, clients, cases, IIS services, domain services and to view EXCHANGE profiles, examine server operations, catalog jobs, enumerate backups on SQL, traverse LDAP directory services using VBA objects, WMI and ActiveX controls; prior to the release of the web-service enabled VB.NET solution.  These services were not included in prior releases of their existing SETUP program which is limited to primitive functions such as setup, configuration, backup and restoration.  This platform offers an excellent opportunity to test emerging application requirements, to capture performance metrics, generate or test user profiles, and develop new reports rapidly.  This collection of MS Access applications leveraged existing code libraries and services without the need for extensive coding, and made deployment relatively easy onto existing TrialWorks client desktops and servers.

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To support the operations of the candle company with interfaces to MS Accounting, MS SharePoint Server and MS Retail Management System, a custom MS Access application was developed.  The application contains and uses many of the functions found in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  This interim solution will be replaced with Microsoft Dynamics CRM eventually.  The application is capable of reading orders from MS Retail Management System which processes orders from the Monastery Gift Shop, and process orders into MS Accounting which is the principal system that runs the candle company.  Custom features added to this solution included a bill-of-materials module which keeps track of inventory, candle recipes, manufacturing cycles, production dashboard and reports.  Some additional features integrated were manufacturing processes that keeps close track of costs, bill of materials and resources. The system in place also features analytical processing in the hope that series and collections can be measured for success and demand rates so we may anticipate seasonal trends and performance.

A Chicago based company with a plant in Birmingham commissioned my services to develop an MS Access client/server application that interfaces with their corporate AS400 legacy system.  The application features order and shipping management with basic sales automation services that produces production level reports into MS Excel.  The shipping service also monitors delivery of products.  An extensive quality assurance module was written to ensure all testing and results are collected for production reporting.  The underlying interfaces that fetches and processes corporate data employs extensive EDI/ETL extraction transformation and loading logic to decompose order/project information necessary for the operations of the MS Access client/server application.  Extensive job logs, historical data and production notes are stored in the integrated SQL Server database.  Data transformation was accomplished using DTS, stored procedures and VBA code, interacting with CSV, ASCII and XML files.

A web based ordering system was designed to enable US dealers to place orders for items provisioned by Chinese business partners using a showroom model.  A back-end database used to populate the web site employs MS Access, while an accompanying MS Access client application was developed to handle loading data from MS Excel files, and to perform day-to-day administration of pricing, dealer, contact and related documents.  Detailed notes, status, workflow information is also maintained through the application.  Extensive reports, comprehensive search and a simplified dashboard was also developed to improve day-to-day operations.  Many of the features designed in this application were included into the web application in its simplified form to reduce coding demands and focus its functionality on the web platform.

A contemporary user of the TrialWorks case management software required a set of custom applications that would simplify the case management functions.  A comprehensive application which eases case import, transaction logging, file creation and high-performance reporting was developed that improves the way they conduct business with referring attorneys.  Solutions to troubleshoot corrupted or missing Exchange objects were also developed to enhance the quality of their amassing case management database - which also includes support for ProLaw and CaseMap third-party applications.  The EXCHANGE feature has proven to be most valuable because it is able to assist in the detection and reconciliation of disconnected or disjointed messages within the vast system. Still in use today, the TWEDITOR application serves the firm by automating functions that would otherwise consume vast amount of time and resources, and is confined to a single use who is able to simply execute all its functions with relative ease and efficiency.

workcompresources.com is a Birmingham based firm that manages workers compensation claims.  The site that was developed for the firm features an on-line resource for locating doctors, professionals and service providers related to customer claims.  An underlying system for ordering reference services employs wizards and complex search routines that enhances both customer and end-user operations.  It also offers excellent resources on how to manage, file and process claims in compliance with the State of Alabama regulations.  The back-end database for the ASP application is MS Access.

In late 1998, I was commissioned to develop an inventory reconciliation VBA/Access application for the Small Arms Systems interface using that communicates with Defense Logistics Agency AS400 legacy system.  The application reconciles orders with ordering information tracked through the AS400 system.