Software Features

Database
All CLI applications are written in PROGRESS, a solid and robust Fourth Generation Language. It is built on a relational database and offers totally integrated software in a multi-user environment. CLI chose the Progress Development Platform because Progress can run in any environment. Progress OE10 has been ported to numerous hardware platforms and most of the major database products on the market. It is easy to integrate to legacy software products or other third party vendor applications selected by the Client.

PROGRESS provides a complete and integrated platform that simplifies the development, deployment, integration, and management of the world’s best business applications. Two thousand Application Partners offer more than 5,000 business applications that deliver competitive advantage by precisely fitting customer needs, while enabling the lowest total cost of ownership. Annually, customers purchase more than $5 billion in software and services

The PROGRESS platform presented by CLI provides the ability to support increased transaction volumes. In addition to growing in transaction volumes, the customer, will, over time, continue to add applications. Growth is handled by adding, when necessary, additional hardware to the initial system. Because of the standard PROGRESS platform, the customer is protected from hardware obsolescence. As newer technological development becomes available in the marketplace, the customer, can purchase new equipment and move its standard operating environment to the new system.

The Progress® OpenEdge® platform is their newest software suite that simplifies the job of creating the world's best business applications. OpenEdge is a tightly integrated software infrastructure that includes a high-performance database, application servers, data servers, a fully integrated application development environment and framework, Internet-ready messaging, and enterprise-class application management. OpenEdge supports all major J2EE™, JMS, Web services, and XML industry standards. It also supports Web browser, ActiveX, Java™, and graphical and character-based user interfaces.

Progress OpenEdge and its partnership with Carrier Logistics offers complete solutions that fit unique business needs and free customers to focus on their businesses, not the technology. The powerful capabilities of the OpenEdge platform deliver business benefits that are designed to:

• Speed delivery of enterprise applications to all corners of the organization.
• Provide flexibility through integrating and extending core business processes to anyone, anywhere.
• Deliver the lowest cost of IT administration across the organization.

By allowing you to deliver integration-ready applications more quickly and deploy them on platforms that make economic sense to you, OpenEdge ensures cost-efficiency and a faster return on investment. Through a standards-based, service-oriented architecture, it delivers unparalleled flexibility so that you can leverage existing technology, effectively adopt new technology, easily connect with customers, partners, and suppliers, and rapidly adapt as market and user requirements change.

In the current and future landscape of modular, service-oriented business applications, Progress will continue to excel. With its network of industry leading partners, the OpenEdge platform – and technology from other business units within Progress Software – will provide customers with solutions that best fit their business needs, provide competitive advantage, and deliver the most cost-effective and flexible results.

Please review the Progress website (www.progress.com) for further information.

Database Logic
There are two customer files maintained in the system. One is for all financial information and one is for operational information. Both work in concert with each other. The user defines the customer number; however, each customer is assigned a sort name that is a truncated version of the customer's name. This sort name may be changed at any time. Customer files may be accessed many different ways:

• Keyword
• Customer name
• Date the Customer was created
• Zip/Street the Customer is located

FACTS accomplishes the above by centralizing and making available all the information on the computer through a master database consisting of:

• Customers
• Streets/Building Numbers
• Route Plans
• Equipment Types
• Drivers
• Types of Service
• Work Standards
• Dock Layout

Grid Routing
The role that grids play in FACTS' routing structures cannot be overemphasized. Grid routing is a tried and proven method of systematic routing based on historical information. The geographical area of the territory covered by the freight carrier is divided into small sections called grids.

The street address of a pickup customer or a consignee is automatically assigned a grid number. Each of the numerous routes in FACTS' pre-selected route plans is made up of several grids. But the system is flexible. And the route structures can be modified by simply changing three characters in the plan during system startup each day.

These grid plans are simple to understand and work with. Non-technical people may use the FACTS grid system with enthusiasm and confidence to create new route plans or make adjustments to old ones in an ever-changing freight movement environment.

The grid system provides the non-technical manager with an engineering tool that allows him to focus on the opportunity rather than on the method.

Real-Time Updates
The master database stores current information on pickups, deliveries, confirmations, routes, etc. and makes this information available to any authorized user on the system. The FACTS system is capable of serving multiple users on the network while providing each with the latest updated information. The interaction of each of the elements of the database is central to the proper functioning of the system. These elements must be maintained with accurate real-time updates provided from either FACTS CRT's or mobile data terminals. FACTS provides user-friendly tools to perform these functions.

Unique Features
The FACTS system was developed to be tailored and/or modified to fit each client’s unique business requirements. A “Fit Analysis” is performed with each Client in Phase 1 of the project to determine the modifications or enhancements required to allow the client to operate as he has been operating. CLI adheres to the approach that the system should change to fit the client and not the other way around. FACTS is a completely integrated Operations and Administrative System. Data flows from the pick up call through billing, rating and invoicing. The system is "bullet proof.”

Platform
The FACTS application is written in Progress which can run on a variety of platforms. CLI has deployed FACTS on AIX, LINUX, UNIX, Solaris and Windows among others. You choose the operating system that best fits the needs of your organization. CLI remains agnostic in the choice of OS and although we maintain a non-proprietary approach for greater flexibility and choice down the road, we would be happy to work with you to determine the hardware and Operating System best suited to your business.

Data Integrity
Functional user and group security can be set on program and/or menu level. User Name, User Group and IP Address based security may be assigned to a program and/or menu.
Data integrity is defined as insuring the integrity of the data from the time it was written to the time it is referenced. Progress Open Edge 10.1B provides 4GL application developers with core cryptographic services for creating applications whose data privacy and integrity features can meet government and customer expectations. Data Integrity may be used with or without data encryption. In both cases it allows the application to validate that the information has not been inappropriately changed.

For password management, Character Host based platforms relies on OS-Level password management, while Graphic User Interface based platform relies on database user-name/password

Concerning violation detection and remediation, our major database tables have internal auditing capabilities (i.e., who did what/when).