Supported by a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) based on web services and built on the Microsoft .NET framework 2.0

The AFS Advanced Enterprise Solutions Suite consists of a broad range of fully integrated software applications spanning a distributor’s entire business including complete distribution and financials, vendor rebate tracking, automated warehouse management, demand forecasting & replenishment, web order management, eCommerce, business intelligence, processing, and mobile sales and delivery automation products.

Since these individual software applications have been developed and used by customers over a timeframe spanning many years, different platforms, hardware options, operating systems, databases and programming languages were used. In 2003, AFS decided to begin the process of harmonizing and standardizing future development on a common architecture and development language with the mandate of providing backwards compatibility and a graceful and gradual upgrade path to provide investment protection for customers. The company’s research, concept testing and preliminary prototypes conformed that a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) based on web services and built on the Microsoft .NET framework 2.0 using C# with Visual Studio as the programming language was that future. Starting in 2004 and continuing today, that strategy has been employed and all applications have been developed using this design philosophy.

The Advent of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

SOA describes an information technology architecture that enables distributed computing environments with many different types of computing platforms and applications. Web services are one of the technologies that help make SOAs possible. As a concept, SOA has been around since the 1980s, but many early IT technologies failed to achieve the goal of linking different types of applications and systems. By making early investments with .NET, Microsoft has helped provide the building blocks that today are putting many enterprise customers on the path to successfully implementing SOAs. With SOAs, companies can benefit from the unimpeded flow of information that is the hallmark of connected systems.

Benefits of a SOA

AFS’ new SOA architecture provides customers with greater IT flexibility, increased scalability of their existing systems, and more powerful functionality, all at an affordable price. Food and beverage industry companies regardless of current software supplier can now upgrade their current system, adding new modules independently; thereby avoiding the cost of replacing their current system and realizing a better return on their investment (ROI). Existing customers receive backwards compatibility in order to protect their existing investment in hardware and software and new customers benefit from our new framework and database independent design, which has improved scalability and easier deployment, enabled by our new multi-tier architecture.

Standard Representation of a SOA

Microsoft .NET Enters the Picture

Microsoft .NET is the Microsoft strategy for connecting systems, information, and devices through Web services so people can collaborate and communicate more effectively. The Microsoft .NET framework is a component of the Windows operating system that manages the execution of programs written specifically for the framework. It is considered Microsoft’s most significant development since the introduction of Windows. The framework uses internet-based, standard communications protocols like web services, XML and SOAP for improved connectivity, enabling seamless eCommerce and streamlined supply chain integration and management. Desktop applications, whether developed by AFS, a third-party, or Microsoft are more easily integrated using the common framework.

Benefits of .NET for AFS Customers

The .NET framework was also specifically designed with vastly improved security and the ability to effectively support wireless applications run on handheld devices. Possibly the most significant benefit of the framework is the existence of pre-coded solutions in the framework’s base class library that offers tested, pre-assembled building blocks for programmers to combine with their own code to create applications. This improves the robustness and quality of the applications developed and dramatically speeds the time to market for new releases.

Supporting .NET allows for the adoption of a multi-tiered SOA, conducive to delivering Web Services using loosely coupled applications over the internet between trading partners. Advantages of using SOA include reduced integration expense, increased asset reuse, and shorter development periods, enabling quicker time to market. Another key aspect of the design is its tiered architecture consisting of a client, application, and database tier connected over a LAN or the internet for improved multi-location network performance. This also enables improved scalability to support growing transaction volumes by simply adding application or database servers at the proper tier.

The Bottom Line

As this cutting edge technology is implemented throughout the industry, AFS customers will begin to enjoy lower business transaction processing costs and an optimal total cost of ownership in terms of hardware, software and ongoing support. Better application performance using higher quality software, developed much faster than before will also be the result. Peripheral products written in C# using Microsoft .NET components currently available include Warehouse Management System, Laptop Mobile Sales, Handheld Mobile Sales, Mobile Delivery Automation, and Web Order Management. Legacy ERP products currently in use are evolving at a gradual pace as the products are rewritten in C# supporting Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) based on Web Services and built on the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. A new, sophisticated Advanced Financials package is now available as the first step in the evolution to AFS ERP.NET. The full evolution of distribution functions of the ERP system to .NET will be available in Spring ‘08. Contact AFS for assistance to begin your plans to take advantage of all that AFS has to offer.