Fredric H. Rubel Jewelers is a retail store in Southern California with multiple locations, specializing in luxury brands and custom jewelry. Simetra was hired to modernize their legacy VB4 operations database which included a main module, and modules for inventory, accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, repairs and reports.
Problem:
The VB4 application was running on one local computer with only 512 KB of RAM and 7 different back-end data files stored in Microsoft Access. Salespeople were writing paper tickets for store operations. At the end of the day one user was responsible for entering the data from the written tickets into the application. Along with this business process inefficiency, the existing platform was on its way to failure with frequent performance issues. End of life support for the operating system was imminent and newer printers were not working with the old program.
Solution:
Simetra migrated all of the back-end data to a Microsoft SQL Server database and re-wrote each module in a VB.NET Desktop application. All reports were migrated to SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). Simetra streamlined the front-end design and menus as well as the database table structures. FRJ did not have the hardware infrastructure to host the new program so Simetra hosts the application in a terminal server cloud environment. The customer has 13 users that connect to the cloud server desktop to run the application. Simetra takes a team approach. We pride ourselves on providing long-term value. This application has been in use by the customer since 2010 and continues to be enhanced with new modules and reports.
Cost Savings:
The new system has saved FRJ hundreds of hours of paper pushing and data entry as well as enhanced and secure usability and access to their data via custom reports and ad hoc queries. The cloud environment saves FRJ thousands of dollars on equipment and software.
Technologies Used:
- Microsoft SQL Server Express
- Microsoft VB.NET Windows Forms
- Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Server)
- Microsoft Office