Programming as a Hobby
For long time readers of this newsletter it will come as no surprise that Robert
Schuldenfrei can write programs. What you may not know is that he has never made
his living writing programs professionally. Because of managerial responsibilities,
Bob never really had time to program, although, as you read further, he has done
so from time to time. The last computer language he knew “cold” was FORTRAN.
Well, that is about to change. Bob is learning C#! C# is a Windows orientated
language designed to be one of the two foundation languages (the other being Visual
Basic) of Microsoft's .NET initiatives.
Once this learning project was begun, it was assumed that it would only produce
“toy” programs. In fact, that was exactly what happened at first... It was,
however, quickly discovered how powerful C# is and so the scope of the project
was greatly expanded. Now, the project is to translate (and improve) MCS-3 so as
to run as a Windows application. Having said that, this project can be thought
of as the traditional Chinese journey of 1,000 miles and only the first step has
been taken. We are a long way from a working version of MCS-3. What will this
system look like when, and if, it is completed? It will be a working version of
MCS-3 running in Windows with a Windows look and feel. Unlike COBOL MCS-3, the
Windows version will not use ISAM files, but will utilize Microsoft's SQL Server
database. All of the reports that are built into MCS-3 will be coded in Crystal
Reports (CR) so that users can create their own additional reports with CR. That
is where we are going. How far along is that first step?
Bob is still learning C#, so it is not that far along. As of this writing the
following is working: There is a parent window constructed with drop down menus
for each of the major modules of MCS-3. (INV, COE, SFC, MRP, POC, and FRP) The
only one that is operational at this point are INV. Within Inventory the Item
Master, Stockroom Detail, and Product Structure is working. Stockroom transactions
have been implemented. Six of the reports are working. Anyone familiar with
the product can recognize that we have a long way to go, but the proverbial dog
definitely walks.
Programming for Bob started in 1963 with FORTRAN. In the late 1960s he learned
BASIC and taught those languages to college students at the graduate and
undergraduate levels. In the 1970s COBOL and PL/1 were added to the mix. In
the late 1970s he managed a team of designers and programmers that developed
and implemented the production control system for Amstar sugar. As part of that
effort, Bob actually coded a few of the Amstar modules. When S. I. Inc. owned
MCS-3 he made minor changes to that system. Later, he made all of the major
alterations necessitated by the year 2000 issue. However, time never permitted the
learning of a pure Windows language. As readers of the WORKS know, Bob
has focused on marketing systems and has not had time for the joys of
programming until now.
If you do the math, you realize that Bob is nearing retirement age. He feels,
however, that he is no where near ready to hang it up. So... Bob is taking up C#
as a hobby. Anyone who has done any programming knows that getting a computer
to do one's bidding is its own reward. There is nothing like the thrill when a
large and complicated system works for the first time. MCS-3 is nothing if not
large and complicated! Fortunately, it was designed as small modules. Thus, it
is a perfect candidate for the step by step approach of the thousand mile
journey.
Where will this all lead? Who knows! We will be moving to Palm Beach, FL in the
future. If we get enough of MCS-3 working to be useful, we will try to get a
few small local manufactures to use the system to manage production. There are
a bunch of small fabrication shops along I-95 and we trust that many of them would try
a system if the price were right. Stand by for further developments.
CRM Seminar for Allegiant
During the summer we once again put on the seminar: Customer Relationship
Management (CRM), “it’s about people not computers.” S. I. Inc. ran this
highly successful program for Allegiant Systems, Inc. of Newton, MA. Robert
Schuldenfrei was the principal speaker. There were a number of companies
in the audience from the service sector. It did not take a lot of effort to
convince these folks that CRM is important. The first half of the program
was devoted to explaining what CRM is and what it is not. We stressed the
importance of recording everything. It is not very important what computer
system you use, but that you use CRM. As the tag line of the seminar suggests,
it is about getting people to commit to a CRM process.
During the second half, we discussed four approaches to CRM. First was about
using the firm's existing accounting system. Next, we focused in on two popular
CRM packages, ACT! and Goldmine. Third, we talked about building your own
custom system using a database like Access. Finally, we introduced Microsoft's
new add-in for Outlook: Business Contacts. This latest offering expands on the
standard Contacts feature of Outlook. What Microsoft has done is to separate
people from organizations. Thus, a user can structure all of the companies who
are customers and prospects. Then he can tie the people who are his contacts
to these organizations. In the end you have a pretty fair CRM system on the
cheap.
For additional information:
bob@s-i-inc.com
Phone: (781) 329-4828
Or send USPS mail to:
S. I. Inc.
32 Ridley Road
Dedham, MA 02026
