Epicor > Technology
Epicor Vantage and Vista is based on the
leading edged technologies of Microsoft .NET
and is one of the first manufacturing
solutions to be truly based on a 100%
service-oriented architecture (SOA). This
architecture addresses the following key
needs of modern manufacturing enterprises:
- Reliable
- Scalable
- Accessible
- Flexible
- Customizable
- Collaborative
- Future proof
RELIABLE
Downtime is very expensive and many
companies now run 24x7x365. Although a
company’s employees may not be on the
premises 24x7, many systems are up and
running 24x7 to service the needs of global
operations and their customers who can
access the system via the Web. The Vantage
and Vista framework allows online backup and
complete fail-safe options. Ensuring
availability meets the most rigorous
service-level agreements.
SCALABLE
All business logic within Vantage and Vista
is encapsulated within objects that are
executed via application servers. These in
turn communicate with the database via data
servers. An enterprise can utilize multiple
application and data servers in order to
deliver the required level of performance to
the enterprise. The products also allow an
enterprise to split itself up on multiple
servers that can be deployed around the
globe—delivering maximum performance to the
local company. However, a powerful messaging
infrastructure ensures real-time
collaboration of information for delivering
the same control and data access as if the
enterprise existed on one server. This
combination of technology delivers unrivaled
scalability.
ACCESSIBLE
Vantage and Vista utilizes Microsoft .NET
Windows smart client technology to provide
users the most effective platform in order
to maximize their environment. Historically
a Windows client meant that applications
could only be effectively operated over a
local area network (LAN). Smart client
technology allows users to connect to the
application not only over a LAN, but over
wide area networks (WAN) and dial-up
networks as well. The SOA also enables all
application logic to be exposed securely as
Web Services. This will allow companies to
deploy functionality and applications over
multiple mediums and device types (e.g.,
Internet and pocket PC).
FLEXIBLE
Vantage and Vista allows companies the
flexibility of choosing the technology stack
that best supports its objectives. Both
products can also be deployed on most major
operating systems: Microsoft; UNIX; Linux.
They also allows companies to deploy on
multiple database platforms.
CUSTOMIZABLE
Vantage and Vista has a built-in
customization engine based on VS.NET that
allows companies and individual users to
customize and personalize their environments
without the need to alter existing source
code, thus avoiding costly upgrade costs.
All VS.NET languages are object-oriented.
One of the central characteristics of
object-oriented programming is inheritance.
Simply stated, applications are built as
code objects. These code objects are called
classes. Code classes are built in layers
with the foundation layers referred to as
base classes. Each succeeding layer can
inherit the functionality of the layer below
it. The advantage of this is that the
customer and vendor can work on different
layers simultaneously. As a software vendor,
we can continue to add functionality on the
base classes without interfering with
customizations executed on successive
layers. Because .NET has a “multilingual”
compiler, these simultaneous customizations
need not even be in the same language. Also
embedded into the Vantage and Vista
architecture is the business activity
manager. This application allows users to
build their own business rules into the
application without the need to touch the
base source code again, avoiding costly
upgrade issues.
COLLABORATIVE
One of the powerful benefits of a
service-oriented architecture is the
potential for integration between different
applications and business partners. By using
XML as the format for sharing data, and
simple object access protocol (SOAP) to
communicate in a way that is programming
language independent, it is possible to
create Web Services that talk to Web
Services built by other vendors, or that
have been created internally. All Vantage
and Vista functionality is available as Web
Services and can be connected to any
application or orchestration tool (e.g.,
Microsoft BizTalk® or Sonic ESB).
FUTURE PROOF
Epicor has a long history of introducing
leading edge technology that delivers a
competitive edge for its customers. Vantage
and Vista are based on a 100%
service-oriented architecture and a platform
of technology independence. This combination
ensures not only a leading edge environment
today, but an infrastructure that can evolve
and adapt to the new technologies of
tomorrow.
What does a SOA (Service Oriented
Architecture) mean to my business?
Many companies talk about their Service
Oriented Architecture (SOA) strategy. But
SOA strategies are not all created equal.
What approaches to SOA are available or
under development? And which strategy will
benefit your business most?
Two primary SOA strategies have been
adopted by commercial software companies –
1) Offer a “SOA Enterprise
Backbone” to serve as a connector between
disparate systems for the purpose of
allowing them to interact. The “vision”
behind this is “interoperability.”
Unfortunately, this vision is often focused
more on enabling interoperability between a
software company’s own portfolio of products
and may fail to deliver the ability to adapt
to evolving business needs. This strategy is
most common amongst companies with a large
portfolio of Client-Server products that may
not be ready to release a 100% Service
Oriented Architecture system or may not be
committed to making the investment required
to do so.
2) Deliver 100% Service
Oriented Architecture systems including a
“SOA Enterprise Backbone” that enables
interoperability with strategic solutions
from third parties or other sources.
Now let’s look at the differences between
“Client-Server” and “Server Oriented
Architecture.” The diagram below may be a
bit technical, so we’ve provided a couple of
analogies that may help explain the benefits
of 100% Service Oriented Architecture. Just
click on the “SOA in Simpler Terms” icon
that appeals to you to view a short video.
Choose from a “Mix and Match Wardrobe” or
“Reconfigurable Building Blocks” analogy.
What's the
Difference?
Client-Server Service
Orientated Architecture
SOA in Simpler Terms.
Click to view our SOA videos below.
Epicor has taken the ground up, 100% SOA
approach to help customers receive the
maximum benefit and return on their
investment. Click on "What
does Gartner say about Epicor’s SOA strategy”
in the “Links of Interest” side bar.”
SOA Empowers Information Workers
- Greater productivity, better
decision support
- Collaborating and sharing business
information
- Composite applications support “work
everywhere”
- Improves customer experience and
satisfaction
Built to Change: Business Process
Management (BPM) and Workflow
- Define and apply new business rules
and processes as needed
- Business process modeling can be
done at the business level rather than
the technical level
- Couple individual business processes
and the people responsible for them
- Automate business processes that
follow well defined rules and don’t
benefit from human intervention
Epicor Service Oriented Architecture
(SOA) – Leveraging Technology for Business
Benefit
- Flexible
- Adaptable
- Accessible
- Scalable
- Measurable
What does Gartner say about Epicor?
“It can be argued that Epicor embraced
.NET earlier and more energetically than
Microsoft did itself within its own acquired
ERP solutions. Epicor delivered its SOA-based
solutions to market ahead of many of its
rivals, providing its customers earlier with
the flexibility needed to adapt to shifting
business demands and related process changes
without requiring customization in many
cases. While many other vendors are working
to get their business applications to
conform to their stated SOA strategies,
tying up R&D money in the effort, Epicor can
instead now focus those resources on
delivering superior functionality.”
“Epicor's fully functional and complete
SOA platform with respect to Enterprise and
Vantage and iScala — Customers told Gartner
that the amount of configuration and
Customization you can do with the products
without touching the core code is among the
best they have seen.”
Source: Gartner/Dataquest Insight: Major
News and Developments for the Epicor
Ecosystem - 4 January 2008/ID Number:
G00153855, 2H07. © 2008 Gartner, Inc. and/or
its Affiliates.
