Kerinfo

The market environment of trade

Prior aim of commercial companies is turnover increase and business extension, at the same time upholding their profitability. At current, strong competition, beside major market participant contention it is a challenging task. Only by opening further channels, by increasing supply chain efficiency and by choosing the right product combination is there a chance to keep pace with competition. Winners ideally combine quality with quantity in service, and meet the growing requirements of retail market.

In order to successfully survive in an ever changing market environment, there are some tough challenges to face.

• Optimizing: Besides using the strengths of the company  processes must be optimized. The task is to overview the product structure and the organization, and to make the costs of the service process reasonable.
  
• Effectiveness: must be established in the planning, execution, control, delivery, discounts and in the new investments.
  
• Flexibility: Constant risk analysis and fast reaction is needed.
  Transparency. Facilitating higher transparency and better analysis. With their aid lower costs are possible without growing risk.
  
• Growing: Establishment of business branches with the use of new markets, channels, clientele and product ranges for the sake of a unique and differentiated company- New market opportunities are to be recognized and used fast.

What are the expectations of leaders/decision makers from an information system?

• Target-oriented data content: For data interpretation and analysis primarily the data relevant for the leaders/analyzers should be included within the system. Unnecessary data delays the understanding, transparency and therefore the decision.
  
• Closed transactions: Different data in in every new poll results in difficult result acceptance. The primary objective from an analytical point of view is a data set which is consequent and which contains closed transactions.
  
• Data history: A prerequisite for decision making is trend definition. To meet this aim it is more important to reveal the timeline of the data change, and of the closed time intervals, as opposed to showing a current state.
  
• Fast reaction time: For the leaders the following proverb is of high importance: time is money. The operative and analytic systems are optimized for data recording, data input, and not for polls or analyses. Therefore it is common, that the leader information module integrated into the operative system provides the possibility for an analysis only seemingly, in practice it is difficult to use.
  
• Groupings: The decision makers usually have a very short time at disposal to estimate the situation of the company. From lists of several pages it is impossible. Groupings are necessary, by the means of which the daily reports are provided first on a high, summary level, and a more detailed information is only displayed if required.
  
• „Top down analyzing": To explore the details behind the summarized data it is necessary to provide the possibility of a hierarchical analysis. This way the leader only checks the growing depth details of the problematic groups that reckon on interest. He or she is only forced to go to the detailed transactions when necessary.
  
• Business logic: In order to ensure the flexibility of the analytical systems, the creators facilitate a high level of parameterization in the applications, which are often very sophisticated. In technical terms it is called customizing, or raising the business logic up to the level of parameters. In the management information the over-generalized approach contradicts with the lucidity and with the need of independent user work. The existence of business logic is definitely needed here, and so is its planting into the system at a certain level.
  
• Flexible interface: A user interface, that is easy to comprehend and that is logical and customizable is necessary, so that study time can be shortened. With the help of a well established interface the advantages of the system can immediately be experienced and they facilitate a creative use. As soon as an analysis is set on the screen and the analyzer achieved the required level and sees the relevant data, the analyser seeks to see these data in printing or export them out into a file. By the aid of this they can prepare quickly for a consultation or meeting.

The above challenges can be only faced with a continual and effective exploitation of the information available. Key to this is right information in due time for the leaders, analyzers and decision makers.
Recognizing the requirements, Laurel group has created KERINFO Retail Information System, which assists the companies in meeting challenges.

Email: rjarai
Telefon: +36304852491

Kerinfo features

Cost-effective architecture and operation

On an optimized infrastructure we have created an application serving retail data analysis. This mostly helps leaders, decision makers and analyzers. It does not require a special IT mentality and thinking from the users.
For management information systems often there is a need for a robust hardware and costly software support. As opposed to this we have planned a cost effective solution based on the experience and synthesized information demand gained at retail companies.
A simple infrastructure does not require a trained team for system administration and operation from the company, so not only the creation, but also the operation is cost effective.

Target-oriented data content -> Database for analysis
From the master data and transactions of the retail systems, which control the daily operations, we overtake the data necessary for the analysis into a database with special structure. The set of important elements are determined in a multiple judgement process by our experts of great retail and analytic system experience. Besides, they are regularly faced with customer demands.
The database contains preliminary sums, i.e. aggregates. The collections are carried out along defined dimensions with indicated/ named index numbers. The analytic functions base on these.
Behind the summarized information there is an itemized registration, too. In expedient analyses we can see the individual slips and the items of them.
Closed transactions -> updating on a daily basis, pre-processing
The database is updated daily within the framework of a communication process following the daily shop/unit closings. Further to daily item record reading the daily updating process also concerns aggregates. The aggregates cover a closed time period, bigger than a day.
Prompt reply -> Special recording logic, client/server task division
A special recording logic facilitated fast data access and query. According to this logic stockpilings are stored sliced in small units based on defined criteria adapting to the queries.
Logically the queries can be divided into two groups.
Client functions: these contain data displays and controls necessary for user discounts.
Server-side data engine: it carries out optimized collections based on client queries and hands over the results to the client.

Remote access, via Internet
The expediently planned query logic and the optimized client-server task division results in a system architecture, where the full functionality of the data warehouse is also available online.

Data history -> Time intervals
The main dimension of the collections is the time interval, a special, trained  time category which is based on the calendar week. Practically one week is identified by one time period, but the different weeks of two months have different IDs assigned. Special dates (start or end of an promotion) can be fixed. With this practically any time period can be examined. In almost all phases of the queries, the time trend can be queried in the form of a timeline.

Groupings -> Dimensions, index numbers
The queries are built on the main retail categories. These analytic categories are called dimensions, the numeric data which serve as a base for the decision are called index numbers.
Analysis dimensions: Time period, Sphere of business (in case of wholesale analysis Clientele), Product range. In the functions we can switch views by these dimensions.
The index numbers of the analyses: Quantity, Buyer number, Item number, Accounting assets data on purchase, record and sales price, Markup information, frequency day. These are the most common, but several other index numbers are available.

The basic logic of the queries lies in “fixing” some of the dimensions, i.e. we choose the value to be analyzed, and the index numbers on the remaining dimension value can be seen in the table, in a view. Standing on a given line of a view we can make investigations as per fixed dimensions, too.

Top-down method -> Hierarchies
In the analyses the possibility exists for a so called hierarchical analysis (switch from a higher level to a lower level) concerning sphere of business or clientele in wholesale transactions. Boring starts with choosing the actual value of the actual level, then details on the lower level come up. At a certain hierarchical level this facilitates the appearance of a comprehensible amount of data on the screen.
Besides top down method by means of a so called side-boring the possibility for an analysis correction exists.: During the examination of an optional time period, on an optional level of top down, with a “Timeline” view we examine the tendencies, resp.. the examination of a shop range (shop or group of shops) can be supported by the “Shop range analytics”, which can be requested at any points. Sporadically a  special analytics (combination of suppliers, etc) helps to create a more precise image.

Business logic - > Analytic functions
The system created by Laurel undertakes the implementation of a retail business logic into the information system at a needed level of flexibility. The system contains pre-assembled analytic functions, which are based on the several years of retail system experience of Laurel.
Briefly, they are the following:
Stock-turnover analysis by three dimensions: time, scope of business, product range. We can “bore” into the data deeper and deeper by the hierarchical grouping of both the scope of business and product range.. Turnover, proceeds, balance line, stock, markup and velocity of circulation data can be displayed. On given points of analysis a top list by suppliers and an article top list can be created.
Analysis of special article lists function: Besides the static article groups of the system we can create article lists (such as articles of retail discounts or articles for listing or special supervision, etc) that can be analysed them at different time intervals and in different spheres of shops.
Module for network control: The query starts from the daily level time line of the full retail activity of the company. By top down analyzing on the business scale we can display the transaction values by article groups. We can bore down as low as the level of voucher items.
Module for Data- and Accounting supervision: This function primarily serves the supervision of commercial unit accounting. Further to choosing an accounting period, the system creates a summary by transaction types for the chosen period. We can create a daily timeline out of this for a given transaction type, and from here we can step forward  to the level of voucher items.
Wholesale analysis by three dimensions: time, partner, product range. Similarly to stock-turnover analysis, here, too we gradually dip into the analysis along groupings. Different top lists e created.
Unique queries, analyses: The system is able to provide the data export in the format required by AC Nielsen and GFK Hungary market analysis companies. It contains turnover reports assembled in special format for top managers.

Flexible user interface -> General framework
The system automatically saves the last settings of every user, every function on any points and the next occasion it returns with the same configuration.
In every view, all the users can create unlimited settings (templates) for different analytic purposes. The users can export and import the templates among each other.
Data line order by many column contents can be set by clicking on the column headers.
From the dozens (on some places over one hundred) of data of the data lines, the user can choose the order and the type of the columns displayed with simple operations.
A filter can be registered on an optional column content.
For data of high importance we can create colouring based on the content, for the full line or only for some of the fields.
We can print any report created by the user on a laser or dot matrix printer, or we can export them into excel format along with the parameters and settings of the query.

Graphical display
We can create very expressive and dynamic charts from any of the displayed data of the queries:
Bar charts
Line charts
Pie charts
Area charts
The diagrams can be handled as templates, they can be saved and with one click we can switch from table-format to the created diagram views and vica versa.

Multi-language client interface
The client module of the system is created in a way where the display and setting functions and interfaces can be used in multiple languages, we can flexibly switch between these languages, and we can set them as a user preference.

The technological evolution of the last years in the IT resulted in the companies having information systems in more and more areas. The modern hardware and software tools make it possible to have huge, terabyte-size databases. So at most of the places the detailed, up-to-date information about the internal processes of the company is available.

In this level of development it is still very common, that from the basic data the analysis for the decisions of the leaders is carried out with a high level of manuality, with long execution time, in a hard-to-digest and not flexible format by operators of IT knowledge. This way – despite the big amount of data – quick decisions are to be made without factual data, based on experiences and feelings, which is a huge risk in face of the challenges.

What are the expectations of leaders/decision makers from an information system?

• Target-oriented data content: For data interpretation and analysis primarily the data relevant for the leaders/analyzers should be included within the system. Unnecessary data delays the understanding, transparency and therefore the decision.
  
• Closed transactions: Different data in in every new poll results in difficult result acceptance. The primary objective from an analytical point of view is a data set which is consequent and which contains closed transactions.
  
• Data history: A prerequisite for decision making is trend definition. To meet this aim it is more important to reveal the timeline of the data change, and of the closed time intervals, as opposed to showing a current state.
  
• Fast reaction time: For the leaders the following proverb is of high importance: time is money. The operative and analytic systems are optimized for data recording, data input, and not for polls or analyses. Therefore it is common, that the leader information module integrated into the operative system provides the possibility for an analysis only seemingly, in practice it is difficult to use.
  
• Groupings: The decision makers usually have a very short time at disposal to estimate the situation of the company. From lists of several pages it is impossible. Groupings are necessary, by the means of which the daily reports are provided first on a high, summary level, and a more detailed information is only displayed if required.
  
• „Top down analyzing": To explore the details behind the summarized data it is necessary to provide the possibility of a hierarchical analysis. This way the leader only checks the growing depth details of the problematic groups that reckon on interest. He or she is only forced to go to the detailed transactions when necessary.
  
• Business logic: In order to ensure the flexibility of the analytical systems, the creators facilitate a high level of parameterization in the applications, which are often very sophisticated. In technical terms it is called customizing, or raising the business logic up to the level of parameters. In the management information the over-generalized approach contradicts with the lucidity and with the need of independent user work. The existence of business logic is definitely needed here, and so is its planting into the system at a certain level.
  
• Flexible interface: A user interface, that is easy to comprehend and that is logical and customizable is necessary, so that study time can be shortened. With the help of a well established interface the advantages of the system can immediately be experienced and they facilitate a creative use. As soon as an analysis is set on the screen and the analyzer achieved the required level and sees the relevant data, the analyser seeks to see these data in printing or export them out into a file. By the aid of this they can prepare quickly for a consultation or meeting.