Enhancements
I have found from my evaluation that my system could be developed in order to produce
a system that can do more for my client. My suggestions for these improvements are
shown below. I feel that they would make the system more effective on the whole.
My first enhancement would be to add a log on function into the program. From the
evaluation it is clear that this would be a very good feature. It would not be difficult to
implement. It could be made to ask the user to log in each time they start the program, or
every time they wish to make an order/edit an order/delete an order.
The benefit of this log on function means that no unauthorised user (e.g. courier) can gain
access to the system and delete orders. It also means that each order that is made can be
attributed to the user who logged on. This would help with commission pay and suchlike.
It is possible that different uses will use different computers during the day so I feel the
best way to do it is for the user to log on each time they add an order/edit an order/delete
an order.
This task could be implemented so that the program does not allow access to the user
unless they have signed in with a valid username and password. An encrypted file
holding all of the usernames and passwords would need to be held on the server, and the
program would login though this file. Passwords would be changed every month (or an
amount of time set by the user) for security purposes, and would be different from the
users password onto the network.
An option could also be added to credit half of the sale to one of the other salespersons, if
the order is a joint deal.
My second enhancement would be to implement some kind of automatic backup into the
system. This would be used to backup all of the databases that would be on the server.
These files would need to be stored at another location in a fireproof safe. I recommend
that it is stored at more than one separate location. This could be done via a secure
Internet connection to other Flexiform sites and/or a designated backup site.
The benefit of making this backup is that if data is lost through any means then a recent
copy of the data can be retrieved from the backup copy, causing the least disruption
possible. I feel that once every day is enough for this application. This would probably be
done at the end of each day, or during the night, thus causing the minimum disruption to
the business and the Internet connection when it is likely to be in use.
The task will definitely be an automated one, as the server will always be on, and the
Internet connection will be constant. Checksums or parity bits would be used to verify the
data integrity; this ensures that the data has not become corrupt whilst it is sent across the
Internet. Every week the administrator could check to make sure the backed up data
works fine with the system. The backup would not be incremental, but would be totally
separate files – Storage space is relatively cheap and I believe it makes sense to store
each backup. This means if there is a virus that you were not aware of, the backups will
not be entirely infected.