Software Architecture

QC Enterprise™ presents a new paradigm in the world of Warehouse Control Systems! Where traditional WCS suppliers provide fixed, proprietary, custom software applications , QC Enterprise presents a flexible, open, product based solution!

Unlike many software vendors who "cut and paste" their code from previous projects to come up with their "solution", QC Enterprise provides a collection of standardized software modules that are "field proven" and readily available. Through years of experience, careful planning, and rigorous testing, we have refined our software products to provide you with the features and dependability that you can count on!

The foundation of the QC Enterprise software architecture is to provide a cross-platform solution , allowing a single base of software to be deployed on a variety of platforms such as Linux, Solaris, Windows, etc. This protects the end-user's investment because the software can be easily migrated and/or scaled up to other operating systems and hardware platforms as technology changes or business needs grow. In addition the modularity and configurability of QC Enterprise allows it to be easily modified to adapt to physical layout changes and/or changing business rules, making it the last WCS you may ever need!

Control processes are developed in "C" using TCP/IP sockets for inter-task messaging. This is one of the key reasons why our applications can run seamlessly and simultaneously across multiple platforms. Utilizing "C" for the lowest level of our software provides the high-speed response time needed for demanding real-time applications . "C" is the language of choice for applications where speed and efficiency are paramount. Since the WCS is a real-time product; execution speed and efficiency are always a priority. Newer technologies (such as C++, C#, etc.) although elegant, are more resource intensive. Often times these new tools are targeted more for user interfaces versus execution based applications. Along with demanding more resources, they may introduce latencies and/or overhead which might compromise the underlying goal of the WCS design.

Host interfaces vary among WMS vendors. Some strictly use files, others use messages, and a few use both. QC Enterprise supports both file and discrete messaging concurrently. The file based interface can be accomplished through network drive mapping or FTP based file transfer. The message interface uses the industry standard Berkley Software Distribution (BSD) TCP/IP sockets interface. Supported data formats include fixed field length, field delimited ASCII strings, and XML. Each interface type is highly configurable to easily integrate with various host systems and accommodate future interface needs.

Graphical user-interface (GUI) screens are developed in Java. Java is more then a technology, it's an industry. Java is available on every major computing platform including the Solaris Operating Environment, Linux, HP-UX, AIX, Tru64, Unix, Windows, MacOS X and many others. And since Java-based applications, tools, and components are available from many vendors, enterprises can choose best-of-breed solutions while eliminating lock-in from a single vendor. QC Enterprise uses familiar graphical style functions such as drop down menu lists, pop-up dialog boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, etc. QC Enterprise also features customizable XML based screens. These screens use XML to define the appearance of the screens and SQL to extract data from the database.

QC Enterprise is compatible with most industry standard databases including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and Sybase SQL Anywhere. Because of its economical pricing and cross-platform capabilities, we offer Sybase's SQL Anywhere as our standard database management system. SQL Anywhere is the industry-leading small footprint database management system and provides support for a broad range of operating systems including Linux, Solaris/SPARC, HP-UX, IBM AIX, Compaq Tru-64, and Windows. It provides rich functionality including stored procedures, triggers, referential integrity, row-level locking, automatic recovery, and much more. SQL Anywhere also includes a high-performance, self-tuning query optimizer that determines the most effective way to access information to maximize performance and eliminate the need for expert tuning. Since the database is designed to be self-administering and self-tuning, it eliminates the need for DBA involvement.

From the standpoint of scalability, our distributed architecture allows us to configure the system to run on a range of systems; from a single PC up to a RISC based client-server network. Processes can be easily distributed across multiple processors to take advantage of the combined processing power. Different platforms can also be used concurrently on the same system, for example you may wish to use a Unix based server with Windows based clients.

Benefits of the QC Enterprise Architecture

•  Software modules are scalable and re-configurable to quickly accommodate system modifications and expansion. Our integrated SQL database allows us to tailor the look and feel of each application to meet your specific needs as well as easily update the routing logic to meet new business rules.

•  Cross-platform solutions maximize the compatibility of our software to rapidly changing technologies. Not being “tied-down” or restricted to one platform protects your investment, giving you the flexibility to upgrade your operating system or scale up to a new O.S. if required.

•  Our software is not beta software - it works! Unlike sloppy cut-and-paste operations, we have developed an extensive library of software that is “field tested” and readily available, eliminating the bugs ahead of time. Through years of experience, careful planning, and rigorous testing, we have refined our software products to provide you with the features and dependability that you can count on!

•  Extensive system emulations get you up and running faster. Our comprehensive testing allows us to benchmark system performance, correct bottlenecks, verify design modifications, and develop innovative solutions. You can be confident that our system will work before we arrive on-site, minimizing start-up time and risk.

•  System downtime is dramatically reduced. We have a unique approach to solving system integration problems - track the problem and fix it. While others point fingers, we present solutions. That's why we developed the QC Auditor; our original system analysis software that pinpoints anomalies while your system is running.

•  Industry Experience . As an independent system's integrator we have experience interfacing to a variety of different manufacturer's equipment including Buschman/FKI, Hytrol, Litton/HK Systems, Quantum, Rapistan, and others.