08
Tue, Oct
2 New Articles

GSS Group Announces VIGILANCE Finance and VIGILANCE Sales Analysis

Managed Services / SaaS
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times
GSS Group Inc., a premier software provider to the North American JD Edwards (JDE) community, has introduced VIGILANCE Sales Analysis and VIGILANCE Finance, the first two parts of the VIGILANCE Suite of advanced Business Intelligence applications for JD Edwards users. The two products enable businesses to affordably access and analyze current and historical sales and financial data generated by their JDE enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications. The applications typically can be implemented in one week, the company says.

All VIGILANCE Business Intelligence Suite applications share a common architecture and user interface, an analytic data model optimized for each application and secure Web-based reporting and analysis capabilities. Both VIGILANCE Sales Analysis and VIGILANCE Finance offer JDE ERP users an easy-to-use and affordable means of viewing and analyzing their organization's sales and financial data in ways that are simply not practical today.

In an exclusive interview with MC Showcase, GSS Director Pat Gleeson, said, "VIGILANCE is a family of full-function, business intelligence-based reporting and analysis applications that, at implementation time, can be adapted to a company's specific ERP implementation without programming or scripting. This means that clients can customize VIGILANCE to their specific ERP configurations by selecting appropriate parameters without assistance from IT or others."

All VIGILANCE Suite applications feature three principal modules: VIGILANCE Manager, VIGILANCE Data Repository and VIGILANCE Reporting and Analysis.

VIGILANCE Manager enables users to manage all aspects of the application's operation:
  • Select the JDE fields to become "dimensions" for reporting and analysis.
  • Load current and historical data into the VIGILANCE Data Repository.
  • Initiate scheduled and on-demand updates of the data repository.
  • Monitor the quality of the data in the data repository.
  • Ensure that the data repository is synchronized with JDE production data.

VIGILANCE Data Repository maintains all of the current and historical data required by the user community for reporting and analysis. This data is:

  • Validated against the organization's business rules to ensure the data is complete, correct, and consistent.
  • Available to the user in both relational (SQL) and multidimensional (cube) formats.
  • Updated incrementally or in total, as determined by users.

VIGILANCE Reporting and Analysis provides users secure access to all their reporting data. The VIGILANCE reporting environment is:

  • Highly responsive with negligible impact on JDE production response times.
  • Optionally available with pre-written analysis views of the data:

Provides multiple concurrent views of user data
Takes minutes to learn to use

Important VIGILANCE Characteristics

VIGILANCE Sales Analysis and VIGILANCE Finance are not reporting "point solutions," the company says. They are robust, scalable, Web-centric data mart-based business intelligence applications. Both the Sales Analysis and Finance solutions can be deployed with any SQL or MS Analysis Services-compliant tool.

VIGILANCE Sales Analysis and VIGILANCE Finance provide users with an affordable capability to securely obtain views of their sales and financial data that are not currently available to them. Users can:

  • Select an unlimited number of JDE User-Defined Codes (UDCs) as dimensions for interpreting their data.
  • Deliver traditional row-and-column reports in the browser via Microsoft Reporting Services.
  • Seamlessly integrate with SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) for real-time multidimensional analysis.
  • Navigate from the highest level of summarized data to the lowest levels of granularity maintained in the VIGILANCE Data Repository–including full transaction detail.
  • Distribute reports and analyses across the Web with full support for Microsoft Office.


VIGILANCE Sales Analysis and VIGILANCE Finance assure users complete control of their reporting and analysis application.

  • Pre-written SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages handle all extract, transform and load processingùcustomized to each client’s JDE implementation.
  • The user controls both the frequency of scheduled data updates as well as whether/when on-demand updates occur.
  • Users know, at all times, the timeliness, completeness and correctness of their reporting data.
  • Both applications are fully secure. Using the full security capability provided by Microsoft Active Directory, the applications provide control of who can access what data.


VIGILANCE Sales Analysis and VIGILANCE Finance allow IT to get out of the business of end-user reporting.

  • Business usersùcompletely independent of IT or other support resourceùcan quickly and easily create new views of their data to resolve today’s hot-button concerns.
  • The VIGILANCE Data Repository maintains ALL of the JDE sales and financial data needed for reporting and analysis; consequently, there is no requirement for new data extracts.
  • The JDE production environment is separated from the reporting and analysis environment, resulting in no impact on JDE production performance.

Pricing, Availability and Support

"We deliver affordable BI-based applications with none of the risks associated with data warehousing projects," Gleeson told MC Showcase. "That is because VIGILANCE includes an already-developed data warehouse that, when used in conjunction with other VIGILANCE functions, produces an application customized to the client's application requirements and ERP configuration."

VIGILANCE Finance is available immediately for JDE World, OneWorld, and EnterpriseOne customers on JDE release 7.3 or later. Platforms supported include System i as well as Windows servers. The product can be installed and fully operational in less than 10 business days. Click here for a fact sheet on VIGILANCE Finance.

VIGILANCE Sales Analysis will be generally available on September 5 for JDE World, OneWorld and EnterpriseOne customers. Click here for a fact sheet on VIGILANCE Sales Analysis.

GSS' experience shows that JD Edwards users can justify these solutions by displacing the hard-dollar costs spent to generate existing user reports. To ensure that customers can link their investment to tangible cost savings, GSS makes both applications available on either a purchase or rental basis.

Purchase prices are server-platform based and range from $20,000 to $40,000 per application.

All GSS products carry a 30-day money back guarantee. Technical support contracts are available on an annual basis.

GSS President John Joynt told MC Showcase, "GSS started in the BI business doing custom development work. We soon discovered that, regardless of the application, 75 percent of the code was identical. So we decided to develop a common set of code as an offering and to customize the remainder. As our development continued, we found a way to quickly develop code for the customized portion of an application so we can now deliver a total BI solution customized to a client's requirements, including a data warehouse, in 30 days."

"It’s interesting to note that today's best reporting and analysis applications include a data warehouse," said Joynt. "Anyone can build a data warehouse; however, this requires skill, time and money. VIGILANCE includes a data warehouse that can be installed in any client environment in days. This results in significantly reduced risk and significantly faster time-to-information. The warehouse allows users to access data at whatever level of detail is required without impacting production. In fact, the warehouse can handle queries all day long without bringing the system to its knees. This provides users with consistent data in reports where the data is changing constantly. Without a data warehouse, users who run the same reports a short time apart will get different results creating issues about which one is the correct result."

For more information on VIGILANCE Sales Analysis and VIGILANCE Finance, contact Pat Gleeson, director GSS Group, Inc. at 905-947-9582, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit GSS Group.

About GSS Group Inc.

GSS Group is a provider of enterprise-class, value-based ERP reporting and analysis solutions. The company develops and distributes the VIGILANCE Business Intelligence Suite including VIGILANCE Sales Analysis and VIGILANCE Finance for JD Edwards, SYSPRO and other ERP applications, delivering unprecedented function, performance, and value to any organization running an ERP. GSS is both a Microsoft Certified ISV Partner and an IBM System i Business Partner. In addition, GSS is a leading provider of high availability solutions for the IBM System i. Through the integration of hardware, software, and services, GSS provides solutions for non-stop computing requirements, including sales and service of Vision Solutions and iTera software, now marketed under the Vision Solutions brand. Founded in 1993 by John Joynt and Pat Gleeson, GSS Group's success is based on its unwavering commitment to customer service.

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: