SSW Sydney Consulting - Our Clients

Westbus is Sydney's largest private bus company serving the communities of Western Sydney and the Hills District by providing local, city, school and charter bus services.

SSW developed Westbus' Charter Booking system to serve multiple concurrent users based at the various Westbus depots which service the Western Sydney region. The objective was to replace an existing DOS system, to automate quote calculation and to integrate with Microsoft Great Plains Accounting for invoicing.

The application was developed as an ASP.NET intranet application using a 4 tier design. The .NET Framework 1.1 was used in conjunction with SQL Server. The system generates reports powered by Crystal Reports whilst being exportable to Adobe Acrobat PDF.

Daniela Fontana, Westbus Business Development Manager says SSWs simple and efficient design has ensured the application has been quickly accepted by the depot users?

Our work for Westbus was recognised by Computer World in their article ".NET helps wheels go round at bus company" and Microsoft also commissioned a .NET Snapshot.

CBA is one of Australia's largest banks, and it employs thousands of people Australia wide. SSW developed an intranet based ASP.NET solution to help them better manage their staffing timesheets and allow HR to better track employee performance and work expectations.

The project was written in .NET with a MS SQL Server backend. It was written in a combination of both VB.NET (for the front-end plus security) and C# (for data access and business logic). The website needed to be very rich in terms of the client interaction, it was originally slated as a Windows Forms project but for various reasons it ended up being web based. This meant that large effort was put into developing and using rich controls with considerable client-side functionality.

An interesting challenge of this project involved the security implementation, whereby the system had to not only allow integrated (Windows) if possible to allow users to be identified without needing to enter a login prompt, but it also had to share its authentication and authorisation logic with any number of external applications. This means that the authentication and authorisation process talks to up to 3 different webservices in order to log a user in.

Implementing the database schema also threw up a number of challenges including an interesting modelling of the organizational hierarchy and our ability to efficiently query parent-child and parent-descendent relationships within the self-referencing data.

The CommTrack application is now expected to serve some thousands of internal users throughout their day and feed into a greater data warehouse to enable advanced management reporting. It is a massive improvement over an existing system of manual spreadsheet maintenance. When the full rollout is complete, CommTrack is expected to give CBA investment returns in the range hundreds of thousands of dollars per year through increased staff productivity and process improvements.

Beacon IT is a global organization that helps implement planning, budgeting, consolidation, analysis and reporting applications. SSW were required to prototype a budget management system module for government tender to manage the complex workflow involved in allocating government budgets. Using a combination of the .NET framework, an ASP.NET website front end and a SQL Server 2000 database managing the data. The website was required to facilitate collaborative budget allocations between different government agencies vying for public funds. This high level of collaboration required a tight integration of transaction data with analysis data in the Comshare MPC management planning and control system. Our successful collaboration resulted in an effective prototype that demonstrated the ability for government agencies to track and analyze budget allocations and workflow management via the Internet. Further information on Beacon IT can be located at www.beaconit.com.au .

SSW were approached by owners of The Clarence to design a web presence to facilitate the sale of office and retail blocks. The website was created using the .NET framework.

SSW assisted Scolari Software in the technical development of their latest software package - Clubsinc. CLUBSINC? has been designed and produced by Scolari Software to overcome skill shortfalls and time restraints facing cultural, community, industry and sporting organizations ensuring that they comply with their rules (constitutions) and relevant legislation.

Built in VB .NET, Clubsinc takes advantage of the excellent deployment functionality for applications built on the .NET framework. Lead SSW developer John Liu says "While building in VB .NET has been an exciting challenge, the Clubsinc project has worked successfully due to the close integration of the Scolari Project Team and SSW technical staff. "

Media Monitors is Australias only national media information company, and the largest provider of customised information services. Media Monitors required that AC Nielsen ratings data (demographically related) be provided on the transcripts, tapes and recordings they provide to customers. These come in as CSV files. SSW created a utility in Visual Basic 6.0 for the manual import of CSV files from this ratings agency, and modified the associated Word templates and population functions to handle this data.

Sportstec is a leading provider of sporting technology designed to maximise individual and team performance.

Our focus is on helping their clients by using all the benefits of leading-edge technology. That means working closely with individual athletes, coaches, teams, sports agents and sporting organisations to develop products that are useful and relevant to their sport and their ambitions.

Coda is Sportstecs 7th unique Software development for Sporting Game or Coaching analysis.

The concept for this development was to create a portable solution for the coding of sporting performance. A PDA was chosen as the ideal platform.

The majority of our development is done in-house, however our developers were fully committed at the time we needed to bring Coda to market.

SSW is currently working on a major redevelopment of the Maximus Imprint human resource application.

Maximus

Maximus Imprint Case Study

The FRDC plans, manages and funds millions of dollars worth of research into the Australian fisheries industry in conjunction with many independent companies. Funding used to be managed via an Access application that was distributed to over 100 sites across Australia. SSW has designed, developed and deployed a SQL Server 2000 application that streamlines the funding process using Microsoft's latest .NET Passport technologies. We used SSW's Access Reporter for delivering reports via the web in either Snapshot, HTML, Excel or RTF formats. FRDC Web Application

Our work for the FRDC was recognised by Computer World in their article "Government department fishes out .NET solution".

AMS is a data staging system that imports and converts data into a specialised format for import into the Dyna financial modelling system. External outsource service providers send simple files which are imported and converted through 3 databases. SSWs role was development in Visual Basic, JavaScript and SQL Server 7.0 stored procedures. This involved building stored procedures to do data transformation and building an ActiveX component to queue and run batch jobs. The web interface required programming in JavaScript and VB COM objects

SSW worked on this large 3-tier ASP/VB/SQL Server 2000 project. One of the requirements was to create a specialised data transformation system to feed data into an asset management system for predicting future rental prices on all properties owned by the Commonwealth Bank.

The data would come in as CSV and tab-delimited files (amongst others), which would be read into the first SQL Server database via DTS. Following this, stored procedures moved and transformed it into the second SQL Server database where it was in a standard format. Then stored procedures moved it into a third database which was in a special format for output into a text script that the Commonwealth Bank Asset Management package could read. The 'Administration' and 'Script Importing' sections of this project used an ASP interface created by SSW. Validation of the imported data was done in DTS via a Visual Basic 6.0 COM object called by the DTS ActiveX scripts.

Clear Capital Management and Vodafone offers customers an easy way to own technology such as the latest mobile devices.

SSW has developed 'Shopfront', a web application that allows for easy online purchasing of hand held devices.

Major Implementation:

•  - New Mobile loan entry section.
•  - Barcode embedded Contract building and downloading.
•  - Pricing Ticketing for Printing.
•  - Repayment Calculator Tool.
•  - Administration section for editing

Technologies used: ASP.NET, IIS 5, MS SQL Server 2000, XML, Java script, Secure Socket Layer

The Shopfront seamlessly interacts with Vodafones database using http. Shopfront then creates real time contracts with barcodes for Vodafone dealers.

Currently hundreds of Vodafone dealers throughout Australia are utilising Shopfront for processing their hand held device orders. Thousands of contracts are successfully created by the Shopfront each month.

Leighton Holdings Limited is the parent company of Australia's largest contracting and project development group. Established 50 years ago, the organization has grown from a small, privately owned civil engineering firm into a diverse and dynamic group.
When you have $600 million to spend you need a reliable database to keep track of it. SSW built the database to keep track of the Eastern Distributor expenses.
The database is built entirely in Access, with the database residing on the server and every client having their own front end application.

SSW has worked with The Home Loan Company since 1996. The Home Loan Company commissioned SSW to build an Access 97 database to administrate the businesses home loan application and approvals system.

Enterasys Networks Australia (www.enterasys.com.au), a leading manufacturer of networking switches and routers, has partnered with SSW to deploy an automated customer tracking database. This new application is the foundation for all sales and marketing activities at Cabletron, and includes sophisticated product quoting functions.

The system uses a SQL Server backend, and is designed to automatically integrate with Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Server. The solution includes a unique data replication feature, automatically transferring records from SQL Server to Exchange Server.

City Agents is a legal searching firm employed principally by lawyers to carry out searching, paralegal and agency work. As such they have to keep control of many small but nonetheless important tasks and have these integrated into a solid reporting and accountable system.

SSW was commissioned by City Agents to build a custom database to manage the day-to-day running of their business. The database was built using ADP (Access Data Projects) in Access 2000 with MSDE as the backend.

Australia's first ISP formed in 1993 and based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane. Magna Data is recognised as one of the most experienced Internet companies in Australia.

Magna Data has been a central part of the commercial Internet Industry in Australia since the beginning, from it's inception as the first officially sanctioned provider of Internet access, through to establishing the Internet Industry Association of Australia.

Laissez-FaireCatering is one of Australia's most reputable catering companies, winning the 1999 Caterers of the Year and snatching the contract to feed NBC during the Olympics.

SSW designed and built a database to streamline their function management processes. The system was originally built in Access 97 but was recently upsized to SQL Server 7 by SSW to cater for the increasing number of users and records. The database is the centre piece for Laissez's function management, controlling quoting, invoicing and all aspects of function requirements.

Retail Estate was founded in 1995 to provide an independent, specialist shopping centre management, leasing and development company to the shopping centre industry. The company undertakes work solely on shopping centres. The company has a number of on-going projects involving medium to large sized shopping centres.

Project Specifications: Shopping Centre Management Database

Monsanto was a huge multinational company having trouble with their spreadsheets. They turned to SSW to help them combine the familiarity of a spreadsheet with the integrity of a database.

Dell Computers are a leading vendor of desktop, server and notebook systems. Since its principal competitors were IBM, Compaq and Hewlett Packard, its marketing arm had a hard task before them.

Project Specifications: Dell required a database which would enable them to successfully prosecute new prospects and to follow them up as the sales process progressed. In particular, it had to tie in seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook, which was in general use throughout the company.

CityRail was the principal urban public transport provider for the Sydney metropolitan region. It employed more than 5,000 persons, many of whom worked near dangerous machinery.

Project Specifications: CityRail’s health services needed a user-friendly Access database to manage the process of returning injured employees to work.

Cisco Systems are to the Internet and networking what Microsoft is to software. We were very privileged to be asked to be involved in such a prestigious company.

Cisco Systems Australia needed a web site that could be updated from a central database. Not only did their web site be database driven, it had to be updated by an ASP front end.

When Manpower contacted SSW we thought we'd be building a website that managed underwear purchasing and having meetings with guys in g-strings! However, it turns out Manpower is a world-leader in complete staffing solutions, with over 70 offices throughout Australia and New Zealand. Manpower required an active Internet and Intranet to extend their services online.

Established in 1979, Hamilton James & Bruce is today, the leading independent executive recruitment consultancy in Australia with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Parramatta.

HJB required a fast, searchable browser-based application.

Holders Direct is a world-wide manufacturer and distributor of Injection Moulded clear plastic brochure holders.

The company required functionality on their web-site that would enable companies to apply for official distributor status.

Sicame Australia Pty Limited is an Australian Electrical Manufacturing Company operating in a joint venture with the French Sicame Group. It is based in Yatala, Qld and operates throughout Australia and Internationally with a team of experienced representatives and agents/distributors.

Sicame Australia requested a more efficient way of servicing their distributors and customers.

A number of catalogues were published on the Internet, enabling their customers to gain instantaneous access to product information without taking up staff's time.

Metalcorp's branches and distributors throughout Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia provide manufacturing, distribution and recycling steel services.

Metalcorp required the transformation of an outdated order tracking Access database into a fully functional SECURE extranet. Using SSW's proven methodology the system is currently being built using 3-tier architecture.

SmartSalary is Australia's second largest and fastest growing salary packaging provider.

To handle their dramatic expansion, SSW was commissioned in 2004 to merge their 3 separate databases in close association with internal IT Staff. We were also charged with an upgrade to their existing VB 6, Crystal Report, Active X control-based application to Visual Basic .NET and SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services. In the process, SSW also re-modelled the new Windows Forms application with a proper strongly typed data and business logic layer.

Additional client-specific functionality was required and implemented for SmartSalary which made full use of .NET and control inheritance.

Stolichnaya Lemon Ruski is a leading product of United Distillers (Aust.) Limited.

The "Black Market" promotional blitz of Stolichnaya Lemon Ruski required an active messaging facility that would enable customers to join their online promotion. SSW was chosen to construct an online form that would register a contestant's details and allow access to the subsequent components of the promotion.

The Australian online product catalogue for your home.

ourCastle.com.au is an online product advertising company. ourCastle commissioned SSW to build an online product catalogue web site. SSW has built the web site as well as a maintenance web site to administer and update their online catalogue. The ourCastle web site was built on SQL Server 2000 and IIS 5. It was one of the first web sites built on the latest SQL 2000 technology in Australia. ourCastle

Reeds Electrical Services Pty Ltd is a small, well-established electrical contracting firm that currently employs a full time staff of twelve people. We have been operating for seventeen years and have experience in all facets of the electrical industry from small-scale residential installations to multi-storey developments. We provide a reliable, professional and competitively priced service.

In addition to installation works, we provide full on-site back-up through our Service Department for any maintenance and repair work that may be necessary on short notice. We have offices in Sydney and the Central Coast and service these areas as well as Newcastle and rural N.S.W. Reeds Electrical .