Solutions / Technical Projects "We build, maintain and test web applications..."

Construction Data Company

Company Overview:
Construction Data Company is a leader in the construction information industry, and has been publishing construction project information for over a quarter century. CDC produces 45 different publications containing commercial, industrial and residential multifamily project information, covering various geographic areas throughout the country. These publications are published bi-weekly and are available to subscribers online or in print. Subscribers are contractors, subcontractors and suppliers involved in commercial, industrial, residential, and highway construction.

Project Name: CDC-Leads
Objectives: Mission critical information gathering application for a leader in the Construction News Business. Transaction-intensive system.

Project Description:
Creatus delivered to Construction Data Company "CDC-Leads", a robust transaction intensive three-tier application completely developed in Java. The application connects the seven remote offices tightly together over a VPN helping transform the company into a powerful newsgathering and disseminating corporation. 300 users, 12,000 transactions, 15 offices, 45 publications, 300,000 contacts, sub second response times, integration with external systems using Web Services were some of the metrics that contributed to the complexity of this project. Macromedia-JRun was specified and used as the Application Server for both reliability and cost reasons. The application, together with publishing tools such as E-Publish developed by Creatus has been in production since 2000. Creatus continues to maintain and enhance this mission critical application for CDC.

Platform Summary:
Front End: Java-Swing based thick client for newsgathering and contact management. Web-based application for administration.
Middleware: Enterprise Java Beans running on JRun container
Backend: MS-SQL Server 2000

Project Name: CDC-LeadManager
Objectives: Provide access to CDC publications containing project information and provide tools to manage projects of interest. Integrate with 3rd party systems for business data exchange. Designed to server heavy traffic.

Project Description:
Creatus delivered a content rich, subscription driven website to CDC that allows online access to the subscribers to construction bid opportunities. The site receives daily updates from "CDC-Leads" (system described above) thus enabling access to the most recent data to its subscribers. The website is integrated with "CDC-Leads" using XML Web Services to receive handoffs. It is also integrated with other external system outside of CDC such as Construction Blue Book, Digital Project Plans and Specifications Storage Systems using XML based web services. Site offers customized searches, project tracking and email reminders for each subscriber. This website is written in ColdFusion for its rapid application development capability and support for clustering technology and Java for custom tags. The website is hosted on two clustered web servers, with database on a separated dedicated server. Database engine used is MS-SQL 2000. CDC converted more than 60% subscribers from paper-based subscriptions to online subscription, thus reducing printing and distribution cost. The site receives close to a million hits a day. The site went in production since 2000 and Creatus continues to maintain and enhance it for CDC.

Platform Summary:
Web Server: Microsoft IIS 5.0 running on Windows 2000 server
Application Server: ColdFusion MX
Backend: MS-SQL Server 2000

JDS Uniphase

Company Overview:
JDS Uniphase Corporation is a high technology company that designs, develops, manufactures and distributes fiber optic components, modules and subsystems for the fiber optic communications industry. JDS Uniphase has significant facilities located in San Jose, CA. JDS Uniphase has been a leader in integrating lasers with other optical or optoelectronic elements such as lenses, mirrors and light amplifiers. More than 125 patents, backed by an emphasis on continued research and development, illustrate the company's technological leadership.

Project Name: MRFS (Manufacturing Reporting Framework System)
Objectives: Comprehensive framework to integrate the various databases containing manufacturing information. Easy and intuitive user interface. Charting application integration.

Project Description:
Creatus built an intuitive, scalable, standards-based web interface for reporting applications so users with basic browsing skills will be able to use the interface with minimal training. This was accomplished in the form of a framework, allowing for users, servlets, databases and a charting application to be plugged in. The technologies used in development were required to be stable and reusable allowing for rapid expansion and extension of the system. Since the interfaces would reside on an intranet, although security in the form of authentication was implemented, encryption was not required. The technologies used included the JRUN Application Server, JAVA, JSP, JavaScript and relational databases. The databases include, AS/400, Oracle and MS-SQL Server.

The product has evolved to support more than 300 users as well as over a hundred reports. The most recent upgrade request that Creatus engineers are implementing include extending the framework to support wireless devices for personnel on the shop floor.

Platform Summary:
Web Server: Microsoft IIS 5.0 Application
Server: Macromedia JRun running JSP, JavaBeans, NetChartBeans (Visual Mining) for charting application.
Back End: MS-SQL Server 2000
Project Name: XML Data Exchange and Pedigree Reports
Objectives: XML based data capture, query response and reporting system.

Project Description:
Creatus built a web-based application to facilitate data exchange between SQL database and the docking station equipment that manufacture chips and lasers. This web application takes XML input from docking station equipment and returns parametric values that equipment software needs. It also receives XML inputs for data regarding Power, Voltage, Chip Serial Number, and Laser Alignment etc., and stores it in the SQL database for report generation purpose.

Creatus designed a generic schema for this application to accommodate all new attributes and parameters that are introduced periodically.

Creatus also delivered "Pedigree Reports", a comprehensive reporting tool built using JSP framework that reports data that was stored as a result of XML inputs.

This application uses SAX, JAXP, DOM4J, MSV and ISO_RELAX APIs to validate and process XML Documents.

Platform Summary:
Web Server: Microsoft IIS 5.0
Application Server:Macromedia JRun running JSP, JavaBeans, NetChartBeans (Visual Mining) for charting application.
Back End: MS-SQL Server 2000

Broadband National

Company Overview:
Broadband National is a nationwide aggregator of broadband services. Broadband National through its network of over a hundred partner sites and broadband provider relationships with major companies like SBC, Earthlink, SpeakEasy & Comcast may well be the largest seller of broadband services in the nation. The company is head quartered in Vero Beach, FL and has a sales and operations office in Orlando.

Project Name: Broadband National . COM
Objectives: Complete automation of line qualification and order processing to help in Lead conversion. XML interface development with all Providers such as SBC, Comcast, Earthlink and SpeakEasyto facilitate complete automation of broadband ordering capabilities.

Project Description:
Creatus built a scalable generic server framework into which DLLs that implemented the XML interface to each of the providers could plug in. The users were presented with a single web interface through which they could qualify their phone number. ie: Find out what broadband services were available at the specified phone number and address. The services along with additional details like pricing and promotions were retrieved in XML format from the various providers and presented in a simple intuitive and consistent fashion. Users were able to compare plans, look into details and Broadband National had a means to track the user activity on their site. The information captured helped BBN call leads back and sell them on service of their choice. Data was fed into Contact Management software in real time.

The technologies used included the .NET, C#, XML, XSLT, SOAP and ASP.NET. The database used was MS-SQL Server.

The Web application has helped Broadband National grow at a dizzying pace contributing to ongoing product evolution and enhancements. New providers continue to be added such as Covad. Partner sites that can use all of the Broadband National capability but with content display in Branded pages is on the drawing board and could move into production in 45-60 days.

Platform Summary:
Web Server: Microsoft IIS 5.0
Application Server: Microsoft .NET framework. ASP, C#
Back End: MS-SQL Server 2000

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES (AMD)

Company Overview:
AMD provides microprocessors, Flash memory devices, and silicon-based solutions for our customers in the communications and computer industries worldwide.

Project Name: AMD Sales Compensation System
Objectives: Capture sales goal information for AMD's worldwide sales representatives and calculate payouts based on the performance and sales roles.

Project Description:

Creatus built an intranet web based scalable system for AMD's worldwide sales managers and representatives. The system captures goals of the users for different quarters and geo locations, and maintains parameters such as base and incentive percentiles; key sales objectives, contribution margins, revenue quote and product emphasis quota for a given sales role. The application then computes payouts based on all the applicable criteria of the sales person. The performance measures are explicitly weighted to drive focus and attention on key objectives of the company which include revenue and product mix.

The system design is heavily based on J2EE patterns.

Creatus continues to work with AMD to add new features to the application.

Platform Summary:
Application Server: Tomcat servlet container running JSPs and Servlets
Backend: Microsoft SQL Server 2000