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Online Fault/Repair Portal
cmsamo
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hi all,
I work with a product that we sell and install around the world. I run the support team for the product. If we have issues, I record them in an access database. With each fault I put a subsystem and component(s) that are faulty, selected from drop down lists in a seperate table.
The time has come for this database to become "web-enabled" so that engineers out in the field can log in, and add their own issues, and such. I also want to be able to generate reports based on what the common faults are, etc. The online system should also allow people to order parts, and book resources etc etc etc.
I've been researching various COTS products that look like they could be tailored to do what I need:
Topdesk
Relex
As well as putting the idea to a web/database developer friend of mine to custom build the entire thing.
What I wondered is, does anyone else out there use similar systems, or have any recommendations for things that work well?
TIA
I work with a product that we sell and install around the world. I run the support team for the product. If we have issues, I record them in an access database. With each fault I put a subsystem and component(s) that are faulty, selected from drop down lists in a seperate table.
The time has come for this database to become "web-enabled" so that engineers out in the field can log in, and add their own issues, and such. I also want to be able to generate reports based on what the common faults are, etc. The online system should also allow people to order parts, and book resources etc etc etc.
I've been researching various COTS products that look like they could be tailored to do what I need:
Topdesk
Relex
As well as putting the idea to a web/database developer friend of mine to custom build the entire thing.
What I wondered is, does anyone else out there use similar systems, or have any recommendations for things that work well?
TIA
cmsamo on
0
Posts
Assuming we're not talking about a significant number of concurrent users, a cheap/free roll-your-own solution is definitely possible though. Personally, if I were doing this I'd convert that Access database to something, anything that isn't Access. For a shoestring budget, that'd probably be SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL depending on the anticipated load. Actually, even if it's not a shoestring budget I'd recommend one of those, preferably SQLite if the usage is really small or PostgreSQL if it's larger (I'm not a fan of MySQL personally). Unless you've got hundreds of concurrent users, you really don't need to spend big bucks on the DB. In my day job I'm an Oracle DBA, you really need some heavy-duty usage on the DB to justify the expense of an Oracle license, or even a SQL Server license.
Once I've got a solid database to hold the data, I'd create a simple PHP front end that allows people to login (either referencing a custom LDAP server or hooking up to an existing Active Directory domain), add new issues, and get the list of existing issues. After that you create SQL queries that mine the DB that give you the custom reports you want, and maybe integrate those into the web front-end as well so the pointy-haired bosses can run their reports without bugging you.
Of course, you're going to want a dedicated system running all these services. You can do it on Windows, but personally I'd run it on Debian Linux (I like their package management system, really easy to maintain). So if you've got a spare piece of hardware and the key skills available in your organization (SQL knowledge, SQLite/MySQL/PostgreSQL or equivalent DB design and administration, PHP or equivalent site design and administration, LDAP experience, some light server/hardware/OS maintenance skills for the box you run it on), and the concurrent load isn't expected to be that high, it's probably not too bad to do this yourself. That's usually my personal leaning because I actually enjoy building systems like this, so YMMV.
I did think at first that the best way to do this would be to give my current Access database to one of our in house web/db developers (we are a company of thousands of people who work in different areas/fields) but it usually takes these people 6 months to a year to come up with proposals and get things done. I wanted to get a COTS product so I could get it implemented and up and running fast.
Back in the day I would have jumped on this myself and tried to do it, (I have built the access db and queries from scratch) but now I'm the team leader I find I don't have time to sit down and code because of all the nonsense meetings I have to go sit in...
I have a friend who is in your exact situation. He's a very smart and talented technical guy who burns anywhere from 3-6 hours of his work day sitting in meetings and feels very unfulfilled because he's not working on the kind of technical challenges he used to enjoy. This is why I will never become management.