Let’s Compare the Options for Supplementary Data in QAD
Nearly every company we know that uses QAD ERP to manage their business has some supplementary data that does not fit within the QAD ERP system.
Generally, companies store and manage this data outside their QAD system because the fields aren’t available in QAD without expensive customization. Storing and maintaining this data outside your system may seem like an obvious solution, but it often jeopardizes its integrity.
If you are one of the many companies that manage supplementary data outside your QAD system, you may want to consider adding this information to QAD to keep it up to date and make it accessible to everyone who needs it. There are several options to add this data to QAD. Let’s take a look at what is available.
Customization using internal resources or a consultant
If you have the know-how and time, you can customize QAD yourself or hire a consultant to do it for you. This option can work well but is generally expensive, requires a great deal of lead time and planning time, and requires sufficient resources to maintain.
QAD’s Integrated Customization Toolkit
QADICT is a bolt-on program that allows you to customize fields and menus in QAD. It sits atop the QAD application and serves as the interface between QAD and your custom code.
You link your custom code to specific events, for example, when the user accesses a screen or enters a value into a particular field. The ICT resides in memory and monitors application events. Each time an event occurs, it checks whether any action is necessary.
When you set up your customized data with ICT, you can choose to limit visibility to only the fields you use, and unlock supplementary, customizable fields.
ProStar Software’s TailorPro
#TailorPro works very much like QAD ICT. It allows you to pick and choose QAD data fields and add supplementary data accessible to QAD users through the QAD menus.
The pros of both of these systems:
- You can modify the menus so that QAD users only see the fields they use.
- You can customize fields that are germane to your business.
- Users can see and manage this supplementary data within QAD menus.
The cons of both of these systems:
- Supplementary data fields are limited to those which interact with existing QAD tables. That is, data which is not related to QAD tables, such as contact information, contracts, or QA and QC information can not be added.
- Data is maintained one-record-at-a-time, so data management is slow and cumbersome.
- Users do not have the ability to massively update data quickly and easily.
32 Soft’s Extension Workbench Data Loader
Extension Workbench allows you to quickly and easily define additional fields in any QAD table or even data that is unrelated to existing QAD tables — without revamping, progress programming or changing the QAD database structure. More than that, this powerful tool gives you the capability of downloading the additional data into Excel spreadsheets where you can easily make changes and additions and upload it right back into QAD.
The pros:
- Supplementary data fields can include your business specific supplementary tables such as contact information, contracts, QA and QC information, budget for operations, production metrics, KPI’s and more. Fields are NOT limited to those which interact with existing QAD tables.
- 32 Soft’s Data Loader technology allows users to manage custom data massively in Excel spreadsheets and then safely load it back to QAD.
- It’s an add-on plug-and-play solution that is quick and easy to install and requires no programming or database structure or configuration modifications.
The cons:
- Supplementary data is stored in QAD database and interacts with other QAD data, but users can’t see the supplementary data in QAD screens or reports. You can, however, run reports from the downloaded Excel data.
QAD ICT or TailorPro coupled with Extension Workbench from 32 Soft gives you the best of both worlds. Your supplementary data is visible in your QAD menus and you get the ease, added productivity, speed and data integrity of streamlined data management that Data Loader technology provides.
Or, Contact us today to schedule a private demonstration for your team or request a complimentary 60-day trial of this Data Loader.
