1. QAD Integrated Customization Toolkit (ICT)
Romeo Sequeira
QAD

2. Non-Intrusive Principles Demo Solution Key Features Deliverables
Agenda
Challenges
Non-Intrusive Principles
Demo
Solution
Key Features
Deliverables
Case Study
Benefits

3. Challenges - Statements
“We can only create customizations if we have the full source code”
“Customizations are too expensive and take too long to deliver”
“Can’t migrate (upgrade), too many (intrusive) customizations”
“Due to intrusive customizations, adding ECO’s (QAD Support patches) takes too much time”

4. alternate user interfaces
Why Customize?
alternate user interfaces
analysis gathering
many reasons
extended attributes
First of all management may ask: Why do you need to customize? We have bought a standard application; why should we change this? This is certainly the starting point and QAD is strongly promoting this strategy but as you can see floating over the screen there could be all kind of valid reasons, why customization is needed to meet the needs of the business.
extended validation
simplification
default values
business rules

5. What if you could customize QAD applications that:
Were not intrusive to QAD source code
Followed a set of development standards
Were easy to migrate to the latest release of QAD Enterprise Applications
Allowed for quick modifications as your business needs change
Included automatic tracking, tracing and debugging features

6. Non-Intrusive Development
Custom Software
QAD Integrated Customization Toolkit
QAD Enterprise Applications
(Character/Desktop/.NetUI & GUI)
The easy and clear road is our “non-intrusive” strategy for development of any customization. A non-intrusive design/development means that the link with standard software is defined in that way that the overlap with standard programs is as limited as much as possible.
So as the base foundation of your Core Application you have your QAD Enterprise Application in any of our User Interfaces (Character, Desktop, GUI or preferable our .NET UI).
On top of that you are generating your custom software linked to the QAD Enterprise Application using the QAD Integrated Customization Toolkit.

7. QAD Integrated Customization Toolkit
QAD ICT Components
QAD Integrated Customization Toolkit
User Interface
Business Logic
Database
Security / Role Model
QAD Standards
Tracking & Tracing
Control & Debugging
This overview shows the main components of the QAD ICT tool. In the toolkit your developer will find features and functions to develop in a non-intrusive way:
All kind of user interface issues (validations, fields hidden or added, message handling etc..)
The ability to link your customized business logic to the standard application (such as additional functionality that needs to be executed when a certain event takes place)
And also features and functions to extend your standard QAD data model in an organized and easy way.
As a shelf overlapping these features and functions, the QAD ICT Toolkit contains functionality to enable you to fully use the Security/Role model as is implemented in the QAD Enterprise Applications; based on the QAD standards for development; enabling you to track and trace what customization is activated and finally functionality to control and if applicable debug the customization in an efficient way.
GREY – HEART OF TOOLKIT, NEED TO MANAGE & CONTROL CHANGES – BLUE
BLUE – APP MGMT OF TOOLKIT
BLUE – SUPPORTING COMPONENTS, MGMT & CONTROL
GREY – CORE COMPONENTS, CORE FUNCTIONALITY

8. DEMO

9. ICT Main Menu
All ICT screens are available under 90 menu. Note is a collection menu of all developer screens that can be fired up from anywhere (in terminal mode) using a hot key (ctrl-O)

10. ICT Tasks
You can create and select a task when you start a new customization . As soon as its tested and ready for production, you can then dump all the data for that Taskid.

11. Examples of Different Types of ICT Triggers
Frame & Field Properties
User Interface
Default Values
Validate fields
Database Triggers
ICT Custom Programs

12. ICT Frame & Field Properties
Using this screen you can modify the add, delete & modify field characteristics

13. ICT User Interface
Custom business logic can be invoked from the UI maintenance screen.

14. ICT Validate
Field Validation is set up in this screen. Note there are 3 ways to define validations with a wild character string, using gen codes or call a custom program. Hard or soft validation is specified using the type and message number similar to pxmsg.i

15. ICT Default
Default value for a field is defined this screen. The default value can be forced (or when empty only) with constant value or derived from a custom program.

16. ICT Database triggers
Database triggers are defined using the Table and Field Trigger screens. Each of the triggers can intercepted in the Subscriber Screen (Next Page)

17. ICT Subscribe
Database triggers are intercepted in the Subscriber Screen (Next Page) and a Custom Program is called. A template is automatically provided .

18. ICT Custom Programs
ICT generously provides templates for each type of screen where custom code can be called. With minimal effort, an existing custom program can be called from ICT

19. .NET versus ICT ICT .NET More complex changes
Works on all screens, if you can see a field/frame you can modify it
Add screens / change business logic
Trigger based enhancements/ turn on or off standard processing logic during run-time
Upward compatible non-intrusive and intrusive customizations
Tracking and tracing
.NET
Simplified screens
Hide and disable fields
Set Default values
Make any field required
Skip through frame
Add user defined fields
Create a new frame (for user defined fields)

20. The Solution The ICT deployment includes:
A methodology for non-invasive custom development
A structured design strategy
A set of development standards
And the Toolkit (ICT)
It eliminates or significantly reduces the need to change standard source code
Additionally…
No changes are required in any propath definition
Monitor, track and trace features are built in
Now we have seen some features and functions of the ICT toolkit, I would like to take you through the solution and summarize on the next slide the key features.
First of all it is very important to understand that although we have demoed the toolkit, it is a complement customization methodology that not only consists of the toolkit but also a design strategy and a set of customization development standards.
As said the base for the methodology is “non-intrusive” development which means we will eliminate or at least limit the change of the standard source code of the QAD Enterprise Application. I would like to point out some specific topics related the software generated using the toolkit, that is:
There is no need to change anything in your propath definition and/or related scripting on the system (which means easy system management and control)
Features for monitoring, tracking and tracing are an integral part of the toolkit thus enabling an efficient way of support handling, if applicable

21. Key Features – ICT Release 3.0
User Interface
Option to change position, re-format, re-label & disable standard fields without coding
Define custom validation rules, defaults and global values
Ability to intercept on UI triggers and execute custom code.
Database
Ability to intercept on any database table, field events and execute custom code.
Define & manage all session triggers without having to bring down the database
Business Logic
Domain dependency embedded in ICT
Run any custom program before/after gprun.i
Option to de-activate standard source code
Option to switch on/off intrusive tags
Supports CIM processing
Development features
Copy ICT trigger set to other function/frames/groups
ICT menu via Ctrl key
Managed by Task ID: Work In Process/Complete status ICT trigger development
Others
Security on named developer – by User Name, Groups or Roles
Support ORACLE database
Extended export/import options of ICT Data
Source code (Templates)
Any changes made in character version is instantly visible in .Net

22. Deliverables of the QAD ICT Implementation
Runtime version for ICT
Enables users to run customizations developed by ICT
Required for each user running QAD Core Enterprise Applications (Base Bundle)
Development Toolkit (ICT)
Enables you or your service partner to develop customizations
Annual maintenance
Installation Services consisting of
Installing the ICT on a server
Training custom developers (2 day training)
Remote coaching & support during first 3 months
Documentation & templates

23. Case Study – Arthrex Inc
Original development
Standard customizations
Intrusive changes to QAD maintenance programs
50+ programs
Re-designed using ICT
Time Spent on ICT Migration: less than 2 weeks
Benefits achieved
Fully Non-Intrusive
Visibility: Custom programs now easily accounted for with ICT
Manageable: All customization documented and managed in ICT
Consistent behavior with .NET User Interface
No Hassle future patch installation and upgrades to new service pack and release
Easier implementation of future business rules and customizations using ICT methodology

24. Case Study – Lincoln Red Storno
Original development (localization):
Red Storno functionality with QAD MFG/PRO 9.0 (35 functions)
Extremely intrusive development
Time Spent on Development and Migration
Original development time days
Migration to QAD MFG/PRO eB days
Re-designed Red Storno functionality in QAD applications using ICT:
New development time - 20 days
Migration to QAD eB days
Reduction achieved:
Re-Design solution ~ 90%
Migration ~ 96%

25. Key Benefits
Reduce initial development costs of customizations by 15-20%
Reduce costs of migrating customizations by 50-70%
Apply QAD support patches when required
Increase portability to new releases
Quickly and easily adapt applications to changing business requirements
Enable changes to applications while running standard unmodified applications
Last but not least I would like to go through the key benefits of the QAD ICT tool, showing that using our tool you are able to face the challenges documented when we start this presentation. …..
Additionally:
Increase reusability of customized functionality to your Core Application Model
Decrease lead time for development or migration of customizations
Increase quality of the customizations, enabling easy testing of the solution
Easy to turn customization off if debugging with QAD Support
Install Support patches as and when needed
Upward compatibility to future releases of QAD Enterprise Applications
Re-tasking your IT personnel

26. To Learn More…
Contact your Sales Representative or send a request to
See / Global Services / Consulting / QAD Integrated Customization Toolkit data sheet

27. Questions and Answers
Thank You