Int. J. of Computers, Communications & Control, ISSN 1841-9836, E-ISSN 1841-9844 Vol. III (2008), Suppl. issue: Proceedings of ICCCC 2008, pp. 375-380
CRM Kernel-based Integrated Information System for a SME: An Object-oriented Design Vasile Lup¸se, Ioan Dzi¸tac, Simona Dzi¸tac, Adriana Manolescu, Mi¸su-Jan Manolescu
Abstract: We propose an object-oriented design of an information integrated system for a SME. Our design is based on a kernel which implements CRM functions. This kernel is conceived as an independent subsystem and it is the first to be implemented. The others added subsystems are designed in a way that they will gravitate around the kernel. This type of integrated information system is developed in the iterative and incremental steps. CRM kernel implements basic functionality of the system, which stresses the financial partner relationships management. Keywords: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Small and/or Medium Enterprise (SME), Object-oriented Design (OOD).
1 Introduction Competition challenge and economic progress of a company is strongly determinate by the manager’s view regarding the implementation of information integrated systems for managerial decision-making and computerassisted production process. The specific matters of the impact of the information society over a SME are presented in [1]-[4]. In the design process of an information system through the traditional method, each subsystem of an information system is independently developed. The subsystems are conceived in such a manner as to be distinct applications, implemented in different moments, trough different soft paradigms and tools. The integration of data by these applications is a bottom-up process that needs a common communication support between the subsystems (traditionally obtained by documents on paper). The difficulties of such an approach are generated, firstly, by the absence of a common data model. The communication between the subsystems based on classical documents produce a data redundancy, accompanied by inconsistency premises. Starting with these reasons, in this paper we propose another approach in designing an integrated information system for a wholesale trade small and medium enterprise. This approach is based on a CRM kernel [1]. This kernel is conceived as an independent subsystem. This type of integrated information system is developed in some of the iterative and incremental steps. CRM kernel is the first to be implemented. The other added subsystems are designed in a way that they will gravitate around the kernel.
2 The architecture of a CRM kernel based system The architecture of a CRM kernel based system is presented in figure 2 and it has the following characteristics: a) The central element of the system ( both strictly speaking and figurative) is the CRM kernel, which stresses the relationship with the partners (customers and providers, especially); b) Some traditional subsystems of the enterprise are left out of the new architecture (the Commercial subsystem, for example). c) The new subsystems reflect better the marketing aspects of an enterprise (thus, the Commercial subsystem functions are now distributed in the three new subsystems: Sales, Supply and Marketing). d) The Management subsystem, trough the integrated system facilities, offers to the manager’s operative and synthetic information (for decision-making: operative, tactic, strategic). Therefore, the Management subsystem has its own input data (contacts, address book, meetings, events), that are included in the general data model. Copyright © 2006-2008 by CCC Publications - Agora University Ed. House. All rights reserved.
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Vasile Lup¸se, Ioan Dzi¸tac, Simona Dzi¸tac, Adriana Manolescu, Mi¸su-Jan Manolescu
Figure 1: Architecture of a CRM kernel-based integrated information system for an en-gross commercial company
3 Object -oriented analyze for CRM kernel After analyzing the previous requests, we will deduce the general used cases and the static model classes. The classes’ names are nouns from the problem’s domain vocabulary. Table 1 includes the identified classes and attributes. We are mentioning that in this development phase, only the classes from the domain’s problem are analyzed. The static model of the CRM kernel is presented in figure 2.
3.1
Data base paradigm
The data base scheme contains, as it is known, the explicit definitions of the modeling entities from the data base together with their attributes and the relationships between the entities. Therefore, the scheme includes the afferent tables of the synoptic view of data base, together with their links. The transition from the class diagram to the data base scheme (figure 3) is natural, because the classes are normalized. Thus, they are mapping naturally on the related data base tables, named DB-CRM. In this process, the class names conversion (nouns at singular) in table names (nouns at plural) is trivial.
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Table 1: CRM Kernel: Primary using cases Symbol use case UC1 UC2 UC3 UC4 UC5 UC6
Name Issuing invoice to the customer Incoming invoice from the customer Receiving invoice from the supplier Payment invoice to the supplier Generating reports Maintaining lists
Table 2: CRM Kernel: Classes and attributes from the static model -analyze Class name Partner Issued invoice Received invoice Incoming Payment
3.2
Attributes Fiscal code, name, town, street and number, county, country, zip code, bank, account, phone, fax, email, web URL series and number, date, partner (customer), bank account, incoming sum, settling day series and number, date, partner (supplier), bank account, payment sum, settling day partner (customer), issued invoice, incoming sum, type of incoming document, series and number of the document, date of incoming partner (supplier), received invoice, paid sum, type of payment document, series and number of the document, date of payment
Extended functionalities by iterative and incremental method
Due to the dimension of this paper, this section presents only one CRM kernel extension discussed in the previous section, by analyzing only one subsystem presented in figure 2 (Partners). The extension is considered the new way that integrates with the existing ones and uses the common data base. For this extension (and for other extensions), the data base will be enriched with new tables, which contain data and specific relations of this (those) extensions. It is good to specify, from the beginning, that the partner could be a customer, a supplier or competitor for the enterprise. The Partners subsystem was conceived to permit the adding at the existing functionality of the following specific functions: A) Administration of the exchanged messages with the partners. Inside this function there were included opera-
Figure 2: Class diagram of the CRM kernel - specific classes of the problem’s domain
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Vasile Lup¸se, Ioan Dzi¸tac, Simona Dzi¸tac, Adriana Manolescu, Mi¸su-Jan Manolescu
Figure 3: A picture of a window of DB-CRM data base scheme tions regarding the administration of received and sent e-mails from/to the partners, received and sent faxes and letters from/to the partners. These massages are stored in communication files with the customers or they can be grouped on different criteria and can be displayed on the customer station screen, if requested; B) Administration of and /or relative public quotas of the enterprise’ partners - permits the grouping of partners on type of partners, following the history of their payments to the enterprise. For customers, for example, we can have in view at least the following types: - faithful customer: buys often from the enterprise, at least once a week; - good payer customer: pays all the sum until the payment date; - bad payer customer: pays after the payment date ; - amnesic customer: forgets to pay; - new customer: buys for the first time; - old customer: bought from the enterprise several times. A large attention given to the data processing regarding the customers is motivated by the fact that the enterprise is interested, first of all, in sales. The classification proposed above, serves as basis for their differentiated treatment, using stimulating or forcing mechanisms. Thus, there can be made discounts for some customer types (maybe even on their birthdays). Credit limits can be introduced (value limit of sales) for other types of customers, as there can be stopped all the sales to some inconvenient types of customers. There can be discussed a possible preferential supply, for some types of customers from the above classification, by a clear specification of the supplying date and the required quantity. The above quotas, related to the enterprise and to the customers, could be applied to the enterprise suppliers also. For the competition, only public quotas, available on the Internet or on other sources, can be applied. Regarding the partners information management, related to other criteria than that of accomplishing the payment liabilities toward the firm. We believe that their public quotas could be considered, they are available at Companies Register or published by the professional associations or the specialized organizations on market studies.
3.3
Specific data of Partners subsystem
In order to accomplish this function, in the data base shall be added at least the following information (tables, files or folders): - partner communications (e-mail, fax etc.) are stored in a folder having the following structure: • the root: a way put in the Context table, the WayInfoPartners field (text) • every contact partner/person will have a subfolder with two other subfolders:
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– WayInfoPartner - the specific folder to each partner; * Mail; · In - received messages; · Out - sent messages; · partners digital photos for contact persons are stored in a folder having the following structure • the root: a way put in the Context table, the WayContactPerson field (text); • every contact partner/person will have an Img subfolder that will store the pictures and a Text one that contains unstructured text: – WayContactPerson - the specific folder of each contact person; * Text - unstructured text; * Img - photos. - other information about the partners, such as : • partner quotas (faithful, good payer etc.); • type partner (customer, supplier, competitor); • date and place of birth etc. (for the partners private persons). • " information about the competitors (for the competitor partner type) - it is stored like the communications with the partners, that are: – WayInfoPartner - the specific folder to each partner; * Doc · Html - partners’ Web pages links or about them; · Text - unstructured information.
Table 3: Partners Subsystem. New tables in the data base Table name PartnersInfo Persons Quotas PartnersQuotas Organizations
Fields PartnerID, IDContactPerson, WayInfoPartner, partner type, enterprise quota ID, name, date of birth, address, WayContactPerson, phone, email, web page, function, sale quota, supply quota ID, name, organization PartnerID, QuotaID, quota ID, name, address
The meanings of the included data in the above tables are the following. PartnersInfo table contains supplementary information for each partner, having the same primary key as the Partners table from DB-CRM. Persons table contains information about the private persons generally speaking, (contact persons). Its key, ID, is associated to the foreign key IDContactPerson from PartnersInfo table. So, there is 1:1 association between PartnersInfo and Persons tables. Quotas table is a list of enterprise’ external quotas (independent), and the PartnersQuotas table includes the partners’ external quotas. Between Quotas table and PartnersQuotas table there is a relation n:m defined by the foreign key PartnersQuotas.IDQuota. Therefore, a quota can be attributed to more partners, and a partner has more quotas, established by different organisms. Organizations table is the list that includes some information about the non-governmental organizations (in general) that have as duties to make quotas. Between Organizations table and Quotas table there is a 1:n relation defined by the foreign key QuotasOrganization. A quota is attributed by one organization, and an organization can establish more quotas. The subsystem functionality includes operations regarding the above described updating tables, the administration of stored information in folders (mail and photos) and synthetic and analytical reports making.
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4 Conclusions In our design we use the iterative and incremental development of the integrated systems of SME, where the first major iteration corresponds to CRM kernel. The further development of the system will be done by using the iterative and incremental development paradigm of integrated information systems as well. This paradigm has an economic and managerial justification, meaning that any enterprise from a commercial domain must stress the relationship with the partners (customers, suppliers and competitors). The CRM kernel of the integrated information system has the role to administrate the information about the enterprise’ partners and about the commercial relations with them, first of all the following: the issued and received invoices, incomings and payments.
References [1] V. Lupse, / Contributions to design and configuration of an information system for small and medium enterprises, PhD Thesis, “Babes-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca (in Romanian), (2007). [2] V. Lupse, I. Dzitac, S. Dzitac, E. Valeanu, A Project of Commercial Module of an ERP System for SME, Informatics in Knowledge Society, Proc. of The Eighth International Conference on Informatics in Economy IE 2007 - May 17-18, 2007, pp. 441-446, (2007). [3] V. Lupse, I. Dzitac, A design based of object programming of a module of integrated ERP systems of small and medium enterprises, Acta Univ. Apulensis, Math. and Informatics, Nr. 10(2005), pp. 275-282, (2005). [4] V. Lupse, I. Dzitac, A Survey of the ERP Systems for Small and Medium Enterprises, An. Univ. din Oradea, Fasc. Electrotehnica, St. Calculatoarelor si sistemelor, pp. 68-75,(2005). [5] Manolescu M.-J, Re-engineering: a method for re-designing of organization, AGORA-Studii, Vol.5 (2005), pp. 185-188, (in Romanian) 2005. [6] Manolescu A., Management of public services, Ed. Universitaria, Craiova, (in Romanian) 2004. Vasile Lup¸se North University, Baia Mare, Romania Department of Mathematics and Informatics E-mail:
[email protected] Ioan Dzi¸tac, Adriana Manolescu, Mi¸su-Jan Manolescu Agora University, Romania Economic Informatics Department E-mail: {idzitac,adrianamanolescu,rectorat}@univagora.ro Simona Dzi¸tac University of Oradea, Romania E-mail:
[email protected]
