Generation
Generation is a modular software package specifically designed and written for The Seeds Industry. It embraces the diverse functionality required by Breeders, Wholesalers and Retailers and has 6 main modules and an integral management reporting suite which is:
Contractor
Designed to allow the recording and control of Grower Contracts and the relevant information requirements according to the DEFRA Certification Scheme. This includes Stock Seed, Crop Identification & Previous Cropping, Crop Inspections & Bulking.
Vendor
Designed to control sales ordering of Seed, Non-Seed, Mixture and Expense products.
Providor
Designed to control purchase ordering of Seed, Non-Seed, Mixture and Expense products.
Producer
Designed to control the processing and certification of seed.
Mixer
Designed to control the production of seed mixtures including special mixtures made up to customer specific requirements.
Lab
Designed to record and control lab analysis of Harvest, Intake, Official and Advisory samples.
Management Reports
Written in Crystal Reports, the Management Reporting suite is part of the standard package, with specific seed industry related reporting including:
The product was derived out of a co-operative initiative called The Seeds Club, which was a group of like minded companies from the industry, in association with Cal Software designing from the ground up a new Windows based package. This product was developed over 2 years and is being successfully deployed across the industry. The design consortium of companies was made up from:
These companies have all used our traditional seeds software system, which was supplied to over 50% of the seed production companies in The UK and is still supported and successfully operating in some customers today. Since the launch of Generation the product has successfully been sold outside the design group and is going from strength to strength, with the launch of the Web - hosted sister product Seedwise.
Generation shares the same technology as Compac Gold which is widely deployed throughout other agricultural vertical markets and ensured that our new seeds package would come to market as a fully proven, robust package. Some of its design concepts are highlighted below:
Open Systems Design
Generation is designed for flexibility and integration. The software is written in Progress version 8.3b and is designed for a client server environment and so can be run over wide or local area networks.
Progress is a true fourth Generation language, which utilises a relational database structure. The resultant product, Generation allows unparalleled access to management information as well as practicable working solutions for the end user. Furthermore, the adoption of new technologies and Windows standards guard against costly obsolescence, which face traditional character based systems.
User Definition
Generation allows a high level of user definition. Throughout the software the users can define their own working environments, from standard contracts to premium/discount rates on purchases and Grower Contracts. The users are also allowed to define the grade structures and standards for seed products. This provides added flexibility in defining the type of seed and the associated regulatory requirements.
A standard Windows interface reduces implementation and training costs as Windows establishes itself as an industry standard.
Standards
Generation uses record definitions, which comply with EDIFACT standards.
The software will continue to be an open system as technology moves forward but standards remain the same.
Generation adheres to MS-Windows standards. This reduces the need for training and retraining as users move between common Microsoft programs such as Word and Excel. Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) standards are also supported. This gives many desktop applications access to the information held with the database and reduces the need for IT skills.
Flexibility
The user is allowed to access the software in a multitude of ways. For example, a sales order can be entered while examining the purchase history of a customer, or whilst examining stock. The event driven nature of the package enables it to reflect the working practice of the user, rather than dictating unnecessary routines.
Simple Interfacing
ODBC compliance enables the database to be accessed using executive information systems such as CorVu, PowerPlay or Microsoft Access. In addition Report Writers can also access the database. Generation utilises Crystal Reports to produce comprehensive Management Information. New functionality has been added enable the faxing of a variety of documents from the package
Security
Generation can employ either simple or complex security configuration, which is set up on implementation by an authorised user. There are user definable access profiles controlling access to all aspects of the software.
With the Generation software package you can count on:
