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L i t t l e S t e p s(for SQLServer) Application Development Tool
& Enterprise Information Portal
Software Index | Product Information | Pricing | Download
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LittleSteps Features - IT Management Perspective
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- Applications Development Tool
The LittleSteps product represents an alternative method
of developing enquiry, reporting, analysis and data maintenance applications
within any organisation. It uses TSQL stored procedures.
- N-Dimensional Analysis and Drill-Down
Although application development is simple, applications so developed
using LittleSteps may be complex structures of many levels
of information accessible via drill-down conventions.
- RDBMS Portal Software
The LittleSteps product is often described as RDBMS Portal Software
because it is controlled as is a window of information direct from the RDBMS
by the DBA, or delegated party, to the end organisational user client.
- Application Deployment Tool
The LittleSteps product enables the automatic distribution of
its registered applications. Deployment might be as small as a specific single
user, or as large as the the context of a large organisational enterprise
where information is distributed in accordance to some predefined structure.
- Enterprise Information Portal
In its role as a form of Enterprise Portal Software the
LittleSteps product is extremely efficient. The product
has no middleware layer or associated costs. Its architecture is
simple and direct, and as a result, easy to manage.
- Foundational role of SQL Stored Procedures
The Portal is literally configured by the DBA (or delegated developer)
directly, and from the "back office". All development work consists
simply of two steps. The first is to create, and the second is to
register within LittleSteps, one or a series of SQL Stored
Procedures written in the native SQLServer database language TSQL.
- Simplicity Plus
The tool is very simple in concept and design. As a result, it is
very easy to utilise. The product will be empowering to organisations
that already have established resources in SQLServer DBA and SQLServer
Database Applications Programming environments. Specialists in the
native TSQL will be empowered to achieve previously unobtainable
productivity.
- Minus Substantial Costs and Complexity
There is no journey that cannot be accomplished as a series of little steps.
Clarity of vision and persistence of effort will win the day. In a corresponding
fashion, the LittleSteps RDBMS application development product will
provide a simple, sure and effective pathway, yet one extremely cost-effective.
- Web Enabled Version
LittleSteps has two modes:
- Standard Windows Mode (default), or
- Web Enabled Mode. (by specification)
Both modes have the same functionality.
Both modes will be released as .NET compatible upon sufficient demand.
Both modes will be able to be called from other other appropriate application by 2003.
LittleSteps Features - User Perspective
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- User Data Presentation Tool
The end user is presented with the datasets returned by the stored
procedures registered to LittleSteps by the DBA. From
the perspective of the end organisational user, the program is also
very simple to use, yet is extremely useful and versatile.
- Innate End User Features
There is a set of innate features built into the LittleSteps
product.
These may be summarised in the following list:
- Sorting: The datasets returned are provided a default sort
order by the DBA in the source stroed procedure. However the user may
sort the dataset by any column in the dataset by clicking that column,
and multiple N-Level Sorts may be defined in this manner.
- Filtering: The dataset can be filtered by the end user by
clicking any element in the set and then the FILTER button. The results
can be then sorted.
- Printing: The dataset (with or without user sorting/filtering)
can be printed via the PRINT and PRINT PREVIEW feature.
- Exporting: The dataset can exported by the end user to Excel and
Word (various versions). The export will preserve any sorting or filtering by
the user. The dataset is also available in XML format.
Features - LittleSteps Secondary Sites
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At present LittleSteps is used in support of existing
database application software, and all instances to-date are where
the
A set of sample applications (see the next section) are derived from
organisations that had prior substantial investment in an existent applications
environment based on the SQLServer RDBMS.
These organisations have implemented the product as a secondary and supportive
level of application development and information delivery.
Product design and functionality has evolved over a number of years, and has
been subject to thorough production benchmarks and testing.
Organisations that utilise LittleSteps as a secondary application
include, but are not restricted to:
- Davies Collison Cave - (AU) Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane.
- Spruson & Ferguson - (AU) Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys, Sydney.
Side Note: The two largest such organisations in Australia.
- Molins & Co - (AU/US) Australian & (Direct Filing) US Patent Attorneys, Sydney.
- South East Community College - covering a region from Berry to Queanbeyan.
- Manly Warringah Community College - covering a region of Sydney, the northen beaches and forests.
- Bushfire & Environmental Services - based in the Shoalhaven, but servicing Australia.
- IOH Wollongong - Injury & Occupational Health Management, Head Office to a network of offices
Clearly, one can see that the LittleSteps is a generic tool
that may be readily applied to any SQL Server database, irrespective of
the industry. In the bulk of the organisations listed above, the tool
acts as an independent and fully automated information system reporting
management suite of tasks, specialised for those organisational needs.
LittleSteps Features - Sample Applications at Secondary Sites
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Most organisations already have substantial investment in an existent application
software environment. It is therefore usual that LittleSteps is used
in a secondary and supportive role within an existent environment.
The number in brackets refers to more detailed information contained
within the corresponding product documentation
series 1, 2 or 3 (for the IT Manager, DBA and End User respectively).
Samples of applications developed in this capacity include, but are not restricted
to the following. It should be reinforced that any and all of the following
have been developed in a number of different independent organisational environments:
- LittleSteps: As a Secondary Application Provider:
- Exception Management Systems (within a number of organisational environments) (1)
- Document Management Systems (within a number of organisational environments) (1)
- Executive Information Systems (etc) (1)
- Workflow Queue monitoring (etc) (1)
- Deadline Date Queue Monitoring (1)
- External Client Reports (2)
- Internal Organisational Reports (2)
- Internal Accounting Reports (2)
- Internal Accounting Spreadsheet generation (3)
- CUBIC Structures capable of multi-level drill down (1)
- Highly analytical end user products, dependant upon requirements (1)
- Highly specific reports and information enquiries within the organisation (1,2,3)
- Further more comprehensive information: secondary sample sheet.
Distinct Benefits of LittleSteps - IT Management Perspective
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- 1) Substantially greater application response time & performance
Unlike all other application development tools on the market, with LittleSteps both the
code and the data are always within the RDBMS 100% of the time and this provides
the optimum conditions for maximum performance benefits. Can any other
application development tool or methodology for the RDBMS make this claim?
- 2) Substantially reduced application development turn-around times:
Application development using LittleSteps is a simple
two step process that already includes deployment of the application.
If you already have someone skilled at these TSQL steps, then all the
more rapid will be your development. It is indeed quite conceivable
that at least some of the development work required using this approach
can be scripted. It is also highly likely that the TSQL code required
for development might already exist elsewhere in some form.
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- 3) ZERO Desktop Change Management considerations
When developing in LittleSteps all (meaning 100%) of the
future change management is within the RDBMS. There are zero change
management considerations on the desktop or application server(s).
The product is therefore often described as RDBMS portal software.
- 4) Greatly enhanced simplicity of solutions:
The product is simple to use from the DBA perspective, and also from the end user
perspective. This ease of use reduces the complexities in development, planning
and management and can be realised throughout the entire organisation. Why make things
complex when they are essentially very simple?
- 5) Sophisticated versatile solutions cater for all organisational complexity:
The product can readily present analysis mechanisms of the most complex kind, including
N-Level dynamic drill down into successive layers of data. The native TSQL
language can handle every conceivable situation required in a sophisticated
and elegant manner.
- 6) Substantially Reduced Costs with improved Information distribution:
High scales of efficiency and cost-effectiveness are realisable as a net result
of all the above benefits collectively. Utilised with intelligence, the product
can often pay for itself many times over after no more than a month and a few
well chosen and well thought out little steps. This is an extremely
important implementation_phase in the utility of the product LittleSteps!
Distinct Benefits of LittleSteps - Comparitive & Absolute
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- Comparison to existent Report Writing Tools:
A comparison can be made between the LittleSteps
report writing functionality, and all other traditional report generation
and development tools available in the market and intended for the RDBMS
environment.
This exercise will reveal excessive, dominant and clearcut
advantages
in favor of LittleSteps in each and
every one of the above six areas of benefit.
- Comparison to existent Application Development Tools & Methodologies:
A comparison can be made between the LittleSteps
application development process and that of other traditional application
development tools (VB,C,Java,etc) and methodologies (OOP, etc)
as far as they specifically relate to the SQLServer RDBMS environment.
This exercise will also reveal excessive, dominant and clearcut
advantages
in favor of LittleSteps in each and
every one of the above six areas of benefit.