Letting go of the past

Get rid of your outdated “green screen” technology and reap the rewards

By Mike Wentz -- Industrial Distribution, 3/1/2007

Many distributors, despite their entrepreneurial leanings, tend not to be risk-takers when it comes to the software they use to run their businesses. An alarming number still cling to their “green screen” systems or have merely upgraded to a graphical user interface (GUI) ported over their existing green screen platform.

As a result, many distributors miss out on functionality that can take their business to the next level of success.

When distributors first started implementing technology in their businesses, green screen systems provided the best features. Function keys and prompts allowed experienced users to enter orders, check inventory, manage financials, and more.

By the mid-1990s, the prevalence of Windows-based PCs meant green screens were unfamiliar even to skilled employees entering the distribution industry. Many software companies responded by adopting “window dressing” technology—porting GUIs over their existing green screen programs.

This made their screens look like the popular Windows programs, but provided few of the benefits that come with Windows-based programs, including the ability to export data to spreadsheet or word processing programs. In many cases, the inconsistency of these “Band-Aid” solutions caused a loss of productivity, because some screens in the systems used GUIs and some did not.

Recognizing that the real benefit of Windows technology was the depth, flexibility, and scalability of the relational SQL Server database, some software providers developed solutions using that technology. These SQL-based programs, developed specifically for the distribution industry, went beyond the functionality of the old green screen systems and gave distributors a whole new set of features, including advanced inventory management, customer relationship management, and business intelligence functionality.

SQL-based programs store data in a user-friendly format, unlike the UNIX-based green screen solutions of old, which sort data in abbreviated fields that make it difficult to find and use.

And SQL has proven to be exceptionally dependable, remaining online even during end-of-month and end-of-year procedures, in addition to being affordable and easy to use. This means distributors can perform all regular processes without interrupting customer service or requiring employees to work extended hours, rather than waiting for the end of regular business hours or weekends to reconcile accounts and perform back-ups.

With thousands of distributors now running their businesses on Windows-based SQL software, distributors who refuse to embrace this technology will soon be left behind.

The ability to mine data and track and respond to trends gives distributors who use SQL Server databases a distinct advantage in the marketplace. And as their businesses grow, SQL technology can expand with them, regardless of how many branches they open.

As UNIX servers age and distributors are forced to replace them, it makes smart business sense to consider a move to a SQL-based platform and implement software that takes advantage of its functionality. Distributors who do so will enhance their employees' productivity with technology that provides results.