Eliminating Major Meltdowns

ICS helps The San Francisco Mart update its database system, enhance LAN resources.

Nothing is more inviting than a well-furnished room. Few know this more than the organizers of The San Francisco Mart -- a world-renowned facility that brings home furnishing designers and manufacturers together with retail buyers.

Despite its reputation as a trend-setting gathering of the latest styles and innovations, The San Francisco Mart recently discovered it was behind the times when it came to its IT resources -- resulting in a less-than-inviting welcome for visitors.

No Admission

The mart is only open two weeks out of the year -- for winter and summer events -- and admission to the events is very limited. Thousands of qualified exhibitors, designers and buyers are admitted to the 350 showrooms during the events. The job of keeping track of all of those people and making sure they possessed the proper credentials for admission fell to an archaic DOS-based database and set of applications.

At a mart event last year, the system experienced a major meltdown. It couldn't produce or scan credential badges -- resulting in long lines and short tempers as attendees waited to enter. The scene was described as "chaotic," which is bad news for an event held only twice each year. Mart officials knew they had to do something.

The mart called on the services of International Computer Systems (ICS) to keep the nightmare from ever happening again. The solution implemented by ICS did more than just replace an aging access system; it will now allow the entire mart to operate more efficiently and serve its guests better -- while saving the company time, money and effort.

"The whole company now has better access to data for building mailing lists, better processes to find duplicate records and clean up the data, better printing and export options," said Michelle Jackson, project manager at ICS. "The processes for their event registration and entrance are simplified, and data is gathered more efficiently and accurately."

ICS started its efforts by creating a firm foundation -- a new database constructed with Microsoft SQL and Visual Basic products. ICS has more than 20 years of database construction experience. It has significant experience helping companies transition from a database product named DataEase -- a DOS-based product that has many benefits in a limited setting, but it has become significantly obsolete for any complex tasking. The mart used this database software.

The DataEase database was seriously limiting -- it couldn't scale to multiple users and could only process a finite number of records at one time. For their own use, mart staff members had their own databases on their individual desktops for their areas, but that data could not be easily shared. Sales, marketing, security, exhibitor relations -- all were using information based on DataEase, which was very unclean and disparate.

"Converting to a SQL database will allow the handling of many more records, much more efficiently than the previous database," said Ken Manning, a developer on the project. "A scalable database like this is a must for any business that wants to grow."

Welcome Additions

In addition to the database software upgrades, the mart enhanced its LAN resources with the expansion from a single, underpowered server running Windows NT to three file servers -- one each to handle the Web, the SQL database and the Windows Terminal Services software. The hardware was configured for heavy-duty work, including symmetrical processors, 1G of memory and dual mirrored random array of independent disks (RAID) for storage.

When it came to the application used for granting access, a new solution was employed that allows integration with other applications using the Windows interface. Mart attendees can now have their credentials created, modified or printed quickly and easily.

In addition to having the ability to use a single data source for all mart operations, now the solution can be used in conjunction with e-mail, computer telephony products, voice recognition, wireless products -- any hardware or software compatible with the Windows operating system.

By implementing Windows Terminal Server, a thin-client solution developed by Microsoft based on the Citrix MetaFrame for Windows NT product, the mart will have the opportunity to deploy applications to users in remote locations. This includes the ability to employ handheld wireless devices, which may come in handy as the mart expands.

"The mart has recently started holding some new events in neighboring facilities, including the Bill Graham Auditorium across the street," said Lee Padron, chief engineer at ICS. "With the Terminal Server installed, they can provide data and applications to people off site. Using wireless, they can save significant amounts of money over a traditional cable installation."

When considering the scope of any project, it is easy to get caught up in the numbers, particularly one with a significant hardware component as with the mart project. But the size of a server's memory or the number of records that a database can handle is only telling part of the story. The real value in a project is found in how it performs for those who use it every day.

"We have really created unlimited potential for The San Francisco Mart with this conversion. They now have the tools to share information, streamline operations and generally perform better," said Manning. "This is the kind of project where you can see immediate results."

And that's a welcome feeling for everyone.