Implementing enterprise asset management solutions

Implementing enterprise asset management solutions

Eric M. Stockton
Senior Director
Enterprise Group, Autodesk, Inc.
7935 East Prentice Avenue, Suite 400 West
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Tel: (303)256-5947
Fax: (303)256-5950
E-Mail: mailto:eric.stockton@autodesk.com

Introduction
Database management technology is rapidly evolving and becoming a platform for deploying enterprise applications like ERP, CRM, e-commerce, digital libraries to hundreds and thousands of customers - all on the Internet. As one example, databases can be used as the foundation for developing and deploying geospatial applications and services. These solutions can build upon database technology that is open, scaleable, secure, and extensible.

This means that spatial and attribute data can now be managed in one physical database, thereby reducing processing overhead and eliminating the complexity of coordinating and synchronizing disparate sets of data as well as improving a variety of data management issues such as long transactions.

Users can define and manipulate spatial data through SQL and gain access to standard RDBMS features such as a flexible n-tier architecture, object capabilities, robust data management utilities, and Java stored procedures. This ensures data integrity, recovery, and security features that are virtually impossible to obtain with other architectures. Fundamental shifts are occurring in the way utilities access, disseminate, analyze, and store their information. For example, the decision of where to expand/improve service areas involves a number of locational factors, quality of existing network, potential for revenue growth, and competitor coverage area. Likewise, utility call centers must quickly respond to customer complaints- identifying locations that require fast resolution of reported outages and equipment problems.

Utility Call Centers: Success is determined by quick response to customer complaints and fast resolution of reported outages and equipment problems. Adding spatial analysis to Customer Service department Call Center applications allows operators to view the location of all calls and correlate the locations to trouble types and nearby assets. With spatial technology, service providers can store attribute data for each customer including location, which is key for communicating with engineering and repair crews, and store the data for reporting to management and other departments.

Customer Service: Field service delivery requires utilities to track customer complaints, determine trouble types, and location of service problems. The information can then be passed to the proper personnel responsible for handling specific types of emergencies. Location enhanced service records can also by analyzed and correlated with historical trouble data, allowing engineers to see where recurring trouble poses serious threats and to decide how best to resolve network difficulties. The compiled information can be used to produce market strategies, marketing programs and network planning and management.

Sales and Marketing: An important retail marketing activity is analyzing population demographics with current customer lists to see what type of person might be attracted to a particular service in that area. For example, in the energy industry, this type of analysis is useful not only in determining areas for new service expansion, but also for predicting energy volume and usage per customer. Location-based analysis can be used to target potential customers and determine what types of services might be purchased in a given area based on household income and family size variables. This information can also be used to target marketing efforts toward a specific audience, determine which services will be marketed in an area, and assist in designing rate plans.

By leveraging existing customer data that resides in the CIS, acquiring targeted industry or regional demographic data, and generating a positive brand awareness based on a reputation of strong customer service and flexible appropriate solutions, utilities will not only retain customers, but will also build market share. As the utility builds strong brand awareness, the logical next step is to add new services. Bundling services and products is a tried and proven strategy throughout all deregulated industries. By investing in a spatially enabled enterprise initiative, the utility will be leveraging existing CIS data with network data, prospective customer demographics, and internal resource abilities into the core intelligence by which decisions can be reached with more intelligence.

Single Database for Spatial and Attribute Data
Database server technology enables spatial information to be efficiently stored, accessed, managed and manipulated in the same manner as structured data. By effectively managing spatial and attribute data in one physical database, server techology reduces processing overhead and eliminates the complexity of coordinating and synchronizing disparate sets of data.

The seamless information framework results in lower training fees, improved learning curves, fewer design and programming iterations, and more efficient data administration. Users can define and manipulate spatial data through SQL and gain access to standard database features, such as a flexible n-tier architecture, object capabilities, Java virtual machine, and robust data management utilities, ensuring data integrity, recovery, and security features.

Centralizing Complexity
Regulatory mandates and public service activities impose unique challenges to public institutions. Responding to citizen requests, designing network facilities, and managing customer records all require utility departments to cooperate and exchange data. In the past, client server architectures empowered departmental computing needs at the cost of corporate-wide information requirements. The result was the distribution of complexity, imposing unsustainable IT management burdens on local departmental IT personnel (Figure 2). With today's technology, this information management can now be centralized. Information resources can be managed centrally by small group of experts while enabling users to view and edit information using a simple Web browser. Since public departments maintain different types of location-based information (street addresses, network assets, customer addresses, parcel numbers, road network, public assets) they will all benefit from the increased ability to standardize and share this information.

Figure 2: Centralizing Complexity

Figure 3: Centralizing Complexity

At all tiers of an IT architecture (data server, middle tier, client), spatial tools and applications can be packaged as components plugging into any tier. For example, in the Figure 3 above, a third party spatial tool and geocoder are embedded into the server. The map rendering component is embedded into the middle-tier, using the application server to push out compressed raster or live vector rendering operations to a thin client. The thin client (web browser) invokes processes that are intelligently carried at the middle and server tiers - increasing performance, optimizing processing, and minimizing the amount of data transmitted along a network. This n-tier architecture builds on SQL, CORBA, XML, and Java - all open standards redefining the new paradigm for enterprise computing.

Conclusion
Storing spatial data in an enterprise-class server enables utilities to leverage advanced database features like: parallel query, replication, partitioning, security, scalability, none of which are supported in file-based or hybrid middle-ware systems. Spatial data can be managed, queried, and displayed using SQL from any enterprise application like financial, data warehouse, supply chain, CRM, and industry standard reporting tools. Finally, centralizing management reduces the overhead of managing different systems, eliminates training on different applications, and minimizes application integration costs. Developers can leverage the spatial data to deploy Java components at the server tier for unprecedented performance in a wide variety of utility applications.