VP Buildings Constructs Real-Time SOA Bridge to PeopleSoft Applications; iWay Links ERP System to .NET Environment Using a Flexible Web-Services Interface
Most industrial manufacturers operate in global markets where customers demand low prices, high quality, and customized services. Market leaders such as VP Buildings stay ahead of competitors by removing inefficiencies throughout their operations, from the shop floor to the extended supply chain. In some cases, a nimble IT infrastructure lays the groundwork for fundamental improvements throughout the enterprise. For example, VP Buildings is in the midst of transforming its software infrastructure using application-integration technology from iWay Software.
The initial business driver for this endeavor was a desire to streamline inventory, purchasing, and procurement activities. "We wanted to ensure that our procurement officers had accurate visibility into inventory levels, so they could make more timely and accurate purchasing decisions," says Alan Anderson, director of application development at VP Buildings. "iWay Software helped us create a service-oriented architecture that simplifies activities on the shop floor. Our new integration layer is allowing us to streamline purchasing, eliminate missing inventory, and ensure that materials are received and checked out properly."
Based in Memphis, Tennessee, VP Buildings is a world leader in the steel systems construction industry. The company offers design and development capabilities to help its customers create almost any structure, from purely functional warehouses to elaborate retail stores. VP Buildings markets its products through a network of more than 1,000 authorized builders in North America and has affiliates in Europe, Asia, and South America.
Sorting Out the Pieces of the Puzzle
VP Buildings depends on a combination of packaged and custom software applications to address the unique needs of its industry. For example, it manages sales and manufacturing activities using homegrown Microsoft .NET applications and handles financials and inventory with a packaged ERP solution from PeopleSoft (now owned by Oracle).
iWay is helping bridge these two worlds with a flexible, service-oriented architecture that uses Web services to connect PeopleSoft applications with Microsoft SQL Server databases.
Before iWay came on the scene, shop-floor personnel relied on a cumbersome process to resolve inventory issues and process receipts. This batch-driven infrastructure, which included custom interfaces between .NET applications and PeopleSoft modules, was difficult for shop-floor personnel to use. Also, it was too slow for inventory receiving, and it failed to supply accurate data to procurement officers for making quick purchase decisions.
VP Buildings wanted to create a custom interface that would enable employees on the shop floor to issue inventory updates directly to PeopleSoft and also allow for eventual bar-code scanning. In a nutshell, they needed custom integration technology that would provide the .NET development team with real-time visibility into any PeopleSoft process, without acquiring PeopleSoft expertise. Their PeopleSoft service provider estimated it would cost about $170,000 and take 18 weeks to create a custom table to handle this type of inventory interface. Once that was done, VP Buildings would still need to create a Web service to write data to a staging table. Not only was this an expensive solution, but they feared the interface would be too rigid to accommodate future requirements.
"We envisioned an interactive PeopleSoft interface that could be called from any application or device, and provide real-time visibility into inventory on hand and the ability to update other systems with this information," says Steve Jefferys, vice president of information technology at VP Buildings. "iWay Software fulfilled this objective. Their technology enabled us to complete a complex integration project in just two weeks with no consulting assistance."
Making Connections With iWay
VP Buildings purchased iWay Service Manager, iWay Read/Write Adapter for PeopleSoft, iWay Utility Adapter Bundle, and an iWay essentials course to come up to speed with the integration technology. After three developers had been trained, VP Buildings identified a pilot project to verify the capabilities of the iWay tools. This project involved developing several custom inventory screens along with a reusable Web service that would make it easier for shop-floor personnel to issue or receive inventory.
This first iWay application, created in just 10 days, proved that VP Buildings could eliminate batch SQR translation processes that required months to build, were difficult to change, and often required outside consulting assistance to maintain.
"iWay technology allows us to develop .NET applications that have real-time visibility into PeopleSoft inventory," says Anderson. "Formerly, shop-floor personnel kept track of inventory manually and a data entry clerk input the data, which implied a two- or three-day delay updating the inventory tables. iWay helped us streamline this whole process. Now the interfaces are tailored to each individuals role, and inventory information is always current."
iWay Software provides a comprehensive tool set for creating and deploying Web services that work with existing IT assets. It deals with all types of applications and data sources using the same interface semantics, allowing VP Buildings to use an out-of-the-box adapter to create and deploy Web services with very little custom code. For example, the iWay PeopleSoft Adapter receives incoming SOAP messages, parses them, handles inbound errors, interacts with inventory transactions, handles outbound errors, reformats outgoing SOAP messages, and sends it back to the receiver. This standard interface enables users on the shop floor to access the PeopleSoft inventory module via a Windows form in the .NET environment, where order entry and shop floor data is stored in a Microsoft SQL Server database.
"Using iWay to create a new component, generate the APIs, and publish it as a Web service took about 15 minutes," says Anderson. "It was very straightforward."
The new iWay environment ensures that VP Buildings will always have the right quantity of steel on hand to meet customer needs. Having a real-time view of inventory data also streamlines purchasing, improves cash flow, simplifies order entry, and improves quality control. All e-business applications can now utilize current inventory status information. The iWay solution supports multi-step, bi-directional updates, so checking in a piece of inventory can also update the MRP and PeopleSoft system as one cohesive event.
iWay also simplifies Sarbanes-Oxley reporting. Process flows can be printed out to demonstrate the exact steps a transaction goes through when being posted to a financial system, enabling auditable record keeping.
Evaluating Future Projects
As other processes are developed that involve PeopleSoft data, VP Buildings can quickly develop new interfaces based on the same iWay integration layer. Additionally, if they ever decide to migrate to another ERP package, their existing iWay interfaces can be carried forward. For example, the PeopleSoft adapter could be swapped with an Oracle or SAP adapter and the basic integration process would not change.
"iWay exposes PeopleSoft via Web services, which makes it easy for us to isolate code, move applications to different servers, and so forth," Anderson explains. "Ultimately, this same technology will allow us to use bar-code scanners to update or display current inventory information."
In the future, VP Buildings can use Web services to interface with other PeopleSoft modules, including Projects, Contracts, Customers, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and General Ledger. "Our initial development focused on implementing real-time inventory processes, but almost every business process we develop needs some visibility to PeopleSoft," concludes Anderson. "iWay allows us to create direct interfaces without creating custom tables in between. It exposes PeopleSoft functions and gives us more control over the PeopleSoft environment."