Inventory Automation and Real-Time Access Improve Retailer's Productivity
A discount retailer of consumer electronics had ten retail showrooms located in multiple states across the southern United States. At each retail and warehouse outlet, the company uses Window servers running Microsoft SQL Server to input and view inventory and sales data. The records from these locations were being transferred to the central IBM for i (formerly iSeries) server using a commercially available data capture tool.
When large amounts of data were transferred, if the transfer was somehow interrupted, resynchronization of the database could take up to 48 hours. The system administrators would spend a tremendous amount of time manually verifying and entering the records. Additionally, all inventory information was not readily accessible to employees and customers during the re-synchronization process.
Need
The client needed a unified system to access company-wide inventory and sales records more quickly on a real-time basis for its $8 million inventory. Workers also needed an automated and more efficient process to access data residing on the central IBM for i server from the various locations to monitor inventory and sales data in real-time.
Solution
This company now employs Stelo for the IBM for i server and Microsoft SQL Server. The solution uses bi-directional replication to facilitate the exchange of inventory data between the warehouse systems and the stores. Stelo provides incremental replication which reduces the amount of data that is transferred. In addition, it allows the replication to occur more quickly and frequently.
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Results
Streamlined Process
A 70% reduction in administrative time to verify inventory and sales data – real-time access now delivering better autonomy and accuracy.
Reduced Spending
Traded two expensive data transfer and inventory management point solutions for one integrated less expensive solution.
Secure Flexibility
Multiple deployment models and unlimited source and destination connections proved a customized solution, in-step with company growth.
Benefits
Resynchronization Takes Hours, Not Days
Stelo extracts changes in inventory and then inserts, updates, and deletes the destination data as appropriate to keep it mirrored with the source data. This way, the business is not halted while a database batch resynchronization occurs.
Verifying Data No Longer Requires Manual Intervention
By employing Stelo, the most significant benefit has been a 70% reduction in DBAs' administrative time to verify data.
Effortless Access to the Latest Sales Reports
With minimal overhead on the IBM iSeries server, inventory and sales data is replicated in real time, allowing for current inventory reports from all locations, generated independently of data updates. Stelo automatically manages the data transfer from multiple locations, enabling reports to be generated directly from the IBM for i server.
Rapid Deployment
Even with multiple locations using both 32- and 64-bit environments, the Stelo implementation took less than two days. Stelo is simple to navigate and runs on a standard Windows system.
Straightforward Installation
Before Stelo, this company struggled with an expensive, inefficient data transfer tool. The Stelo license model, which does not constrain source and destination pairings, is the most economical solution available, especially when compared to other inventory management products on the market.
Get Started
These three steps will help you ensure Stelo works for your needs, then seamlessly deploy your solution.
Schedule a Demo
Our expert consultants will guide you through the functionality of Stelo, using your intended data stores.
Try Stelo
Test the full capability of the software in your own environment for 15 days. No obligations.
Go Live
When you're ready, we can deploy your Stelo instance in under 24 hours with no disruptions to your operations.