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Short Line Data Systems Inc. ROCS Update – April 2004
Website: www.sdsrocs.com
Greetings –
Well, we have made it to April, and what is probably the busiest month of the year for SDS. We will be exhibiting and speaking at the ASLRRA Annual Meeting and Exhibition in St. Louis April 22-24, and we really look forward to seeing and speaking with everyone there. In addition to getting ready for St. Louis, we are continuing the deployment of version 8 and planning some new features for version 9. We are also going to take some space this month to try to explain what you should be looking for in an EDI system, and some important questions to be asking a potential software provider.
ASLRRA St. Louis
As we mentioned above, we will be in St. Louis in booth 409. Stop by and pick up a bag and some M&Ms, and check out the latest changes to the ROCS system. Also make sure to drop your business card in the bowl to have a chance to win a portable DVD player. We will also be speaking on breakout panel 201A, which will deal with event reporting. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear all four EDI providers speak in one place, so you can compare each company’s offerings.
Version 8 Deployment
We are continuing to deploy version 8 to our users. SRNJ received the system during March, and we will be setting up the HRRC system over the next two weeks. ADBF will follow later in the month.
Version 9
Even with the rollout of version 8, we are planning the new features for version 9. The first will be Car Hire Data Exchange (CHDX) message transmission. This will be messages transmitted to RAILINC in the Exchange Tape format, which is the standard for Car Hire. This new feature will make ROCS the only system on the market that is truly independent of its parent company. In other words, you do all of your own work, and have the same status as someone who sends his car hire out to a company for processing.
Another new feature will be a communications manager that will automatically send and receive messages without any user interaction needed. This system will be a separate database that operates with the Windows Scheduler, and will send and receive messages at an interval specified by the user. Inbound messages will be sorted and stored until the user needs to access them, and for railroads that use sub-mailboxes, the system will separate the messages, making data reception effortless.
Stay tuned in the coming months for more details on these exciting features.
What to look for in an EDI System
With the ASLRRA meeting approaching, this is probably a good time to go over a number of points that a prospective user should go over with an EDI company before deciding on which system is best for your company.
1. Is the system easy to use? (This might sound a little simplistic, but if you end up spending thousands of dollars on training, the system is no bargain) 2. How good is the support? Can you have your questions answered quickly and accurately? How fast are your problems solved? Do they provide a manual with regular updates? 3. If your business grows, will your charges go up? 4. Is there one rate to cover everything you need to do business, or are there charges for different services? 5. Does the system provide reports to accurately show how your railroad operates? 6. Does the provider charge for new reports? 7. What is the provider’s disaster recovery plan? 8. How does the provider’s system help you to comply with the new reporting requirements? 9. Is the provider willing to adapt their system to your requirements? 10. Is the provider willing to provide you with the names of users so that you can ask them about their experiences with the system?
These are only a couple of points, but they are important and sometimes overlooked when looking into an EDI system. The most important thing to remember is that there is no such thing as a stupid question, and we are happy to spend as much time as necessary to answer your questions.
Well, once again we have reached the end of another update. We look forward to seeing everyone in St. Louis, and have a safe trip.
Steven Friedland President |
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