Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Customer Solution Case Study

Global Software Company Cuts Development Time for Workflow Solution by 80 Percent

Overview “Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET Framework 4 gave us Country or Region: South Africa out-of-the-box tools that made application Industry: Professional services—Software engineering development a lot easier…. As a result, we were able to

Customer Profile deliver a complete solution in six months.” Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Kevin Dherman, Software Architect, SYSPRO SYSPRO offers enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to customers in SYSPRO, a global software manufacturer, wanted to offer multiple industries. SYSPRO has more customers a workflow solution that would integrate with its than 350 employees and operations in 60 countries. enterprise resource planning software and other applications. However, it could take years to write code for the product, and Business Situation SYSPRO wanted to develop a workflow SYSPRO needed a solution flexible enough for customers with solution that would integrate with its ERP diverse business processes. To speed development and facilitate software and other applications. However, it could take years to develop a custom workflows, SYSPRO implemented its solution with solution for its diverse customer base. Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and the Microsoft .NET Framework

Solution 4. The company used new graphical design tools to develop a SYSPRO deployed beta versions of workflow solution based on Windows Workflow Foundation and Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate and the Microsoft .NET Framework 4. It Windows Communication Foundation. The Microsoft tools used new templates and designers to simplify development and reduce the need to write code. The create a service-oriented solution. solution also improves team collaboration. As a result, SYSPRO Benefits delivered its new product in six months instead of three years.  Cuts development time by 80 percent  Improves collaboration  Expands possibilities

Situation Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, The company wanted similar flexibility for SYSPRO is a pioneer in enterprise resource its own development processes. Through planning (ERP) software. It offers an the years, it had developed its ERP software integrated solution that gives companies in with multiple programming languages, multiple industries control over the from Assembler and COBOL in the early planning and management of business years to Microsoft Visual C# more recently. processes. SYSPRO is a Microsoft Gold The company knew that creating a Certified Partner with more than 350 workflow solution for its ERP software in employees worldwide. any of those languages would be time- consuming and costly. Dherman says, “If we Since SYSPRO was established in 1978, it continued to do even half of our has focused on developing enterprise-class development in one of the programming solutions for the global marketplace. The languages, we would still be working on company is dedicated to responding the project three years from now.” rapidly to customer requirements, and it has developed custom solutions for SYSPRO sought tools that it could use to organizations of all sizes in a variety of bring its workflow product to market faster. industries. SYSPRO realized that, for many It wanted to spend less time writing code companies, implementing an ERP system to and more time developing solutions that improve business operations was not would enhance its customers’ business enough. They also wanted to reduce processes. paperwork and eliminate manual processes that hindered efficiency. For example, to Solution create a purchase requisition, an employee In 2008, SYSPRO began investigating the might need to print a paper copy of an Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, including approval form for a manager to sign before Windows Workflow Foundation. The entering the information into ERP software. company hoped to embed a workflow designer based on the technology in its SYSPRO decided to develop workflow ERP software. Then, instead of writing code, software that would integrate with its ERP customers could use visual models to system and other applications and data orchestrate their own workflows. SYSPRO sources. The company faced several used the Microsoft Visual Studio Team challenges, including designing a product System 2008 Team Suite development that would be flexible enough for its system and managed source code in diverse customer base. “We’re serving Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 approximately 14,000 customers, and no Team Foundation Server. The company two companies have the same business knew it was headed in the right direction, processes,” says Kevin Dherman, Software but it needed an easier way to create Architect at SYSPRO. “Instead of hard- workflows that would integrate with coding a general solution that no one multiple applications. would use, we wanted to give them a tool set to build their own workflows.” “We realized that if SYSPRO realized it had found the answer do unit testing to check code activity. When when it learned about Microsoft Visual we were happy with the workflow, it was employees had Studio 2010 and the Microsoft .NET equally easy to deploy the solution to the experience developing Framework 4. The company could use main application.” Visual Studio 2010 templates to graphically Microsoft applications construct and debug applications, and it By using a Windows Workflow Designer would be easier to rehost the Windows template, the developers created a then they could work Workflow Designer in SYSPRO ERP Windows Communication Foundation with Visual Studio 2010. software. Its developers could also take service to host workflows that can be advantage of better interoperation with accessed like Web services. The new Working with the Windows Workflow Foundation and solution, called SYSPRO Workflow Services, solution made it a lot Windows Communication Foundation, a is part of SYSPRO 6.1, which the company unified programming model in the .NET plans to release in April 2010. The solution easier to bring new Framework used to create service-oriented includes an integrated workflow designer. people onto the team.” applications. By using Windows SYSPRO customers will use the designer to Communication Foundation, SYSPRO create custom workflow activities that Kevin Dherman, Software Architect, SYSPRO planned to implement a service that would execute with the ERP software or external expose the business logic of workflows to applications. Customers will also be able to its ERP solution and other software. monitor workflows and generate reports to see how long it takes to complete each SYSPRO began working with a beta version activity. of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate in June 2009. The company planned to deploy SYSPRO looks forward to exploring other the solution to all the developers in the enhancements such as Windows Azure company within a year and upgrade to Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio. It could Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation use the tools to develop scalable ERP Server 2010. However, it first wanted to applications and services that run in the develop and release a workflow module for cloud on the Windows Azure platform. its ERP software. Dherman and a core team of 14 developers began working Benefits immediately with Visual Studio 2010 With Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and the designers and templates. Microsoft .NET Framework 4, SYSPRO has simplified development and is getting its Dherman reports that getting started was products to market faster. The company is easy, even for new developers. With the also improving collaboration among new Windows Workflow Designer, developers and testers, and it looks forward designing a workflow was similar to to using the solution to meet new creating a flowchart. “It’s very simple to challenges. work with the Windows Workflow Designer in Visual Studio 2010,” he says. “For Cuts Development Time by 80 Percent example, we could drag activity designers By taking advantage of the Microsoft onto the surface to create a workflow. Then development tools, SYSPRO estimates that we could test the workflow in isolation, and it has cut development time for its new “We know where the workflow solution by more than 80 percent. increasing role in development activities. “Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET For example, the development team world is heading with Framework 4 gave us out-of-the-box tools recently used the tools to create a service software-as-a-service that made application development a lot that synchronizes the contacts in its easier,” says Dherman. “We didn’t have to customer relationship management solutions, and with Visual worry about setting up a runtime software with the Microsoft Office Outlook environment or programming the back 2007 messaging and collaboration client. Studio 2010 we’ll be end. As a result, we were able to deliver a Dherman says, “Instead of trying to code ready when the trend complete solution in six months.” everything, we are increasingly using the .NET Framework 4 and Visual Studio 2010 really hits the market.” Because the solution simplifies to design components that do the work for Kevin Dherman, Software Architect, SYSPRO development and reduces the need to write us.” code, developers with backgrounds in different programming languages can work The company is using the solution to together in a shared environment. This enhance its current product line and means that SYSPRO can take advantage of improve its own operating environment. its existing skill set and add new resources However, it looks forward to exploring quickly. “We realized that if employees had more opportunities such as cloud-based experience developing Microsoft services. Dherman says, “We know where applications then they could work with the world is heading with software-as-a- Visual Studio 2010,” says Dherman. service solutions, and with Visual Studio “Working with the solution made it a lot 2010 we’ll be ready when the trend really easier to bring new people onto the team.” hits the market.”

Improves Collaboration Collaboration is also easier with the new solution. Dherman can create work items and track progress in Microsoft Visual Studio Team Explorer 2010, and his development team uses the tool to work more efficiently. “I run a team of 14 developers, and by working with Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server, I can assign parts of the project to different people. And at the end of the week, I will have a working application in front of me,” he says. “Developers can view and share code and also collaborate with testers a lot easier.”

Expands Possibilities SYSPRO anticipates that Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET Framework 4 will play an For More Information Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 For more information about Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 is an products and services, call the Microsoft integrated development system that helps Sales Information Center at (800) 426- simplify the entire development process 9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft from design to deployment. Unleash your Canada Information Centre at (877) 568- creativity with powerful prototyping, 2495. Customers in the United States and modeling, and design tools that help you Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing bring your vision to life. Work within a can reach Microsoft text telephone personalized environment that helps (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. accelerate the coding process and supports Outside the 50 United States and the use of your existing skills, and target a Canada, please contact your local growing number of platforms, including Microsoft subsidiary. To access Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and information using the World Wide Web, cloud services. Also, work more efficiently go to: thanks to integrated testing and debugging www.microsoft.com tools that you can use to find and fix bugs quickly and easily to help ensure high- For more information about SYSPRO quality solutions. products and services, call 27 (0)11 461- 1000 or visit the Web site at: For more information about Visual Studio www.syspro.com 2010, go to: www.msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio

Software and Services  Technologies Microsoft .NET Framework 4  Microsoft Visual Studio − Microsoft Visual Studio Team Explorer − Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 − Ultimate 2010 Windows Communication Foundation − Microsoft Visual Studio Team − Foundation Server 2010 − Windows Workflow Foundation

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published April 2010