FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS COMING FOR THE CSO INVENTORY SYSTEM

In order to get a computer-based inventory and sale system to the customer as soon as possible, the entire system will not be delivered at once. A basic system to control sales and inventory will be delivered first. This section contains information on up coming software to enhance the capabilities of the basic product.
To ensure that the customer is able to receive a functional database by the set deadline, rather than simply a security system, the full flexibility of the security system will be left for future enhancements.
Also, as analysis of the archive requires that there be an archive to analyze, this part of the system has been left to a later date. Only once the system has been operating for some time will this information be useful (or available), so our efforts will mostly be concentrated on the day-to-day functions of the database.

ENHANCED SECURITY FUNCTIONS

For those customers concerned with the details of security, an up coming package will provide more flexibility in security. By selecting a security level for every function available to the users, managers can customize their systems as they feel is required. While the basic system does allow some flexibility in the setting of security levels, it has been simplified for ease of use, and is not as powerful as this package.

As requested, the security system menu will resemble the following: 

+-------------------+-+
| SECURITY LEVEL    |v|
+-------------------+-+

AVAILABLE TASKS                    AUTHORIZED TASKS
+-------------------+-+            +----------------------+-+
|                   |^|            |                      |^|
|                   +-+  ADD >>    |                      +-+
|                   | |            |                      | |
|                   | | << DELETE  |                      | |
|                   | |            |                      | |
|                   | |            |                      | |
|                   | |            |                      | |
|                   +-+            |                      +-+
|                   |v|            |                      |v|
+-------------------+-+            +----------------------+-+

+----------+   +--------------+
|    OK    |   |    CANCEL    |
+----------+   +--------------+
  • The drop box at the top of the menu will allow the manager to select which security level is being changed
  • "Available Tasks" lists tasks in the system that have not been assigned to this security level
  • "Authorized Tasks" lists tasks that have been assigned to this security level
  • "Add" will move a task that has been selected under "Available Tasks" to the "Authorized Tasks" window
  • "Delete" will move a task from the "Authorized Tasks" window to the "Available Tasks" window
  • "OK" will accept the new settings
  • "Cancel" will not affect the settings, returning the security settings to the state they were in when the menu was entered

    From the drop box at the top of the menu, the user will be able to select the security level to edit. Once this has been selected, the current settings for that security level will be displayed. The window under the "Available Tasks" heading displays tasks that can be assigned to this security level, but have not been added yet. The window under the "Authorized Tasks" heading displays all tasks that this security level is authorized for.

    The tasks available to users of each security level can be set by selecting a task in the "Available Tasks" window and pressing the "Add" button. This task will then move from the "Available Tasks" menu to the "Authorized Tasks" menu, indicating that this task is now available to users of the selected security level.

    To remove a task from the list of authorized tasks, a similar approach is taken. By selecting a task from the "Authorized Tasks" list and pressing the "Delete" button, the task will move from the "Authorized Tasks" window to the "Available Tasks" window.

    As it is at the discretion of the manager to set the security levels, caution must be taken to ensure that strictly managerial functions are not given to any employee security level that should not have them. It is suggested that, rather than changing the security level definitions in this menu, if an employee requires extended access to the system, that the security level of this employee is raised rather than altering the security setup for a security level. Since a change in this menu affects all users of the same security level, a clear understanding of the purpose of this menu is required before any changes should be made.

    ACCOUNTING AND HISTORY

    The base system of the CSO Inventory System records all interactions with the database. As the analysis of this record is beyond the scope of a minimally operating system, it will be available at a later date.

    This system is used to analyze all interaction with the database. This provides added security, beyond limiting user access. The following information is stored in the audit file:
  • Date and Time of transaction
  • Transaction ID number (type of transaction)
  • Login name

    The login name is used to identify which employee made the transaction. This will allow managers to know who has been using the system. The transaction number indicates the type of transaction that was done. For example, a sale of an item will have a different transaction number than a refund. Also, any change of the quantity of an item will be recorded, making it possible to check for unusual stock alterations.

    By combining the Transaction ID and Login Name entries, it is possible to determine who has been using the system, and how they have been using it. This allows a great deal of security when combined with the multiple security levels of the user interface.

    The remaining item in the audit file consists of the time and date of the transaction. This allows the manager to know exactly when the transaction took place. This information can then be used in an additional accounting package, or to track inventory changes.

    The accounting package will generally be used to generate statistics on money flow and product sales and waste. For example, if any item is selling poorly, the accounting package will allow managers to detect this.

    The basic purpose and functions of the system are as follows:

  • Watch for poorly selling items
  • Watch for items that are routinely damaged during shipment
  • Compare the number of products ordered/stocked to the products sold
  • Ensure that deposits are equal to sales
  • Track where money is being spent

    This will allow a great deal of insight into the operations of the store, as well as provide some security. If products are consistently missing, it may indicate a need to increase store security. If items are consistently damaged during shipping, it may be necessary to inform the shippers of the product to be extra careful. Also, by tracking money movement in the store, it is possible to determine where and if any money goes missing between the till and the bank.

    We feel that these enhancements to the system will benefit the CSO more in the long term than in the short. In order to get a usable and operational database delivered in the given time, these areas of operation have been left to future enhancements and additions to the CSO Inventory System.