The Soft Side Of My PC

Title: Enterprise Content Management Reaches Out to Employees, Suppliers, Customers, and Government

Word Count: 620

Summary: Enterprise Content Management uses Internet technologies to make information accessible from all over the world. In an age of global business, this enables employees spread across the globe to maintain effective contacts with their headquarters and also other offices located anywhere in the world.

Keywords: Document Management,Document Management Software,Document Management System,Paper Capture,Automated Workflow,Retention Policies,Document Versioning,Content Central,Browser Based,Web Based

Article Body: Enterprise Content Management uses Internet technologies to make information accessible from all over the world. In an age of global business, this enables employees spread across the globe to maintain effective contacts with their headquarters and also other offices located anywhere in the world.

Internet technologies are used to create an intra-business network, and Intranet, that restricts access to authorized persons. This means that worldwide accessibility is combined with security.

Business-to-Employees

Business-to-Employee - B2E - networks offer services and products to employees. It facilitates dissemination of corporate announcements and special offers to employees, as well as online requests for supplies, reporting of employee benefits and other employee-related tasks.

Business-to-Business

Business-to-Business - B2B - transactions tend to be critical for the smooth flow of business. For example, timely deliveries from raw materials suppliers are critical to avoid "stock out" stoppages of manufacturing operations.

An Enterprise Content Management system can allow a supplier to access scheduled requirements of your supply needs online. It will then be possible for the supplier to schedule their own manufacturing operations to enable timely deliveries of your requirements.

In such a situation, any variations in your manufacturing schedules will be immediately reflected in the supply schedule, and will alert the supplier to cut back or speed up deliveries.

You can also enhance your relationships with your own customers through ECM. For example, if you are a supplier of important inputs to your customer's operations, you can integrate your ECM with that of your customer to alert you about the supply needs, and any changes therein.

In both supplier and customer relationships, communication can be improved in a major way through instant messaging, bulletin boards, online meetings, and other similar devices. The ability to establish immediate, direct contact and to communicate requirements with sufficient clarity will improve relationships.

Business-to-Government

Enterprise Content Management systems can also help Business to Government - B2G - transactions, particularly in the context of Government Request for Proposals - RFPs. The company can register with the concerned government departments so that it is alerted to new RFPs relevant to its business.

Not only can the company bid against the RFPs through it ECM system, but it can also make available requested information such as its financial status, technical competence and references in a more authentic manner.

The company that uses an ECM to deal with government will also find it easy to comply with regulatory requirements by having access to the latest regulations and relevant forms and rules. Online filing of reports that can be verified by the government departments online reduces the time involved.

How ECM Works

ECM works mainly through the in-house intranet and company web portals. While the Intranet provides information access and communication facilities to the company's employees, the web portal allows outsiders, such as suppliers, customers and government, access to needed information and better-quality communication facilities.

The key advantages that are provided by Enterprise Content Management systems are:

• Provides online access to information from anywhere instead of having to move paper documents back and forth
• Streamlines time-consuming business processes through collaboration across both short and long distances
• Improves security and audit trails that makes it possible to conduct business more confidently

Conclusion

Enterprise Content Management systems make it possible to improve information access and communications both in-house with employees (who might be spread worldwide) and with outside agencies such as suppliers, customers, and government. It’s even possible to integrate outside systems with the company’s own, in a secure manner, to speed up business transactions.

These lead to faster completion of transactions and streamlined business processes, which in turn lead to far-better business results.

Title: Enterprise Content Management And Service Oriented Architecture

Word Count: 540

Summary: Visualize the following scenario: All enterprise content (wherever generated by whatever entity) goes into a single repository and users can receive different services (that they were receiving from different applications earlier, or are completely new services) from an integrated system with a standard front end. Service Oriented Architecture, Enterprise Application Integration, and Data Warehousing work to make this scenario a reality.

Keywords: Document Management,Document Management Software,Document Management System,Paper Capture,Automated Workflow,Retention Policies,Document Versioning,Content Central,Browser Based,Web Based

Article Body: Visualize the following scenario: All enterprise content (wherever generated by whatever entity) goes into a single repository and users can receive different services (that they were receiving from different applications earlier, or are completely new services) from an integrated system with a standard front end. Service Oriented Architecture, Enterprise Application Integration, and Data Warehousing work to make this scenario a reality.

Data warehouses, unlike transactional databases, are designed to facilitate querying and analysis. They are separated from transactional databases so that the latter are not burdened with query/analysis processing requests. These kinds of requests tend to use the processing resources, slowing down transaction processing response times.

Enterprise Application Integration seeks to integrate the different applications to eliminate duplication of both content and processing operations.

This article explores how Service Oriented Architecture works.

The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

This style of architecture groups functionalities into specific service groups. The services are provided to manage business processes that support an organization's business.

The enterprise-wide system is structured as a collection of standard services that different applications used by employees, suppliers, and customers need. These different applications might even be working on different platforms and coded in different programming languages. Each service is designed to work with any application that calls it, and would not know which application would call it. Its role is to provide a defined service in a standard way to whatever application calls for it.

The pool of services can be configured to create new applications if needed. This kind of architecture adds flexibility and quicker deployment to content management systems.

Available services are listed in a service registry that can be looked up by applications for calling the service they need. The services would come with any attached security requirements appropriate to the service.

In an ideal system, one service or another would cater to every kind of information management need, and there would be a standard look and feel for the interface. Additionally, information management would be customizable to the requirements of the organization's business processes.

Internet Protocols and SOA

Internet Protocols work independent of platforms and programming languages and work on the service request and delivery model. For example, a user client might request a certain document and the server complies with the request by retrieving the document and sending it to the client.

This makes the web-services approach a good Service Oriented Architectural approach. You can make your existing applications web enabled to start building a SOA system.

All services are described in XML documents that are independent of platforms, and written in Web Services Description Language (WSDL). An XML schema enables communication among the services.

A web service is not the only technology that can be used by SOA. SOA is an architecture that can be implemented using different technologies.

Conclusion

Service Oriented Architecture makes it possible to convert even legacy applications into services that any application can call. By configuring the services to cater to all kinds of information management needs, and tailoring the information management to the requirements of the particular business, you get to use enterprise knowledge to gain real control over business processes. This is what Enterprise Content Management systems seek to achieve.

Title: Enterprise Content Management And Information Presentation

Word Count: 551

Summary: Content is useless unless it’s used for managing the business. Managers must get relevant information presented in ways that bring out its significance. Only then can they make informed business decisions, instead of decisions based on a "hunch".

Keywords: Document Management,Document Management Software,Document Management System,Paper Capture,Automated Workflow,Retention Policies,Document Versioning,Content Central,Browser Based,Web Based

Article Body: Content is useless unless it’s used for managing the business. Managers must get relevant information presented in ways that bring out its significance. Only then can they make informed business decisions, instead of decisions based on a "hunch".

This article explores the information-presentation, or delivery, component of Enterprise Content Management.

Captured content must be transformed into meaningful information in a proper format and layout that make it easy to comprehend. The information must then be published to get it to the intended person or group, or at least made accessible for them.

Transformation and publication are thus the key elements of information delivery. We look at these in the following sections.

Transformation

A number of technologies or protocols have come into the market for information formatting and presentation.

XML is a description language that provides a way to define information. XML describes input-document metadata and interfaces, including its own structure, and presents output as specified.

PDF files provide a platform-independent presentation of information that can be printed and/or distributed easily.

XPS is an XML specification that provides for a presentation similar to PDFs and has been developed by Microsoft.

Other elements associated with transformation include:

Compression: Larger images and documents can be compressed to reduce file sizes for easier and safer transfers.

Viewers: Viewers enable information in different formats to be displayed in a uniform format.

Personalization: Personalization enables users to select the functions and information that they need.

Security Considerations

In the case of information distribution, the key considerations are ensuring authenticity of the sender and the document, and preventing unauthorized use of the published content.

Electronic signatures using keys and certificates help ensure that documents sent electronically are complete and unchanged (during transmission), and that the sender is indeed the person or organization he or she or it claims to be.

Unauthorized use of published content is sought to be prevented through such technologies as Digital Rights Management (DRM) (essentially access restriction) and Watermarking.

Information Delivery

Users of information generated from the content created all over the enterprise typically need it to be delivered in a way that is most convenient in different contexts. For example, when they are in their office, they can access it most easily using their network connection. Out in the field, it is easier to get information using their PDAs or mobile devices. Information is delivered in several ways, including:

• Internet, intranet, and extranet
• E-mails and faxes
• Data transfer using EDI or XML
• Mobile phones, PDAs and other mobile devices
• Transportable media like CDs and DVDs
• Paper

The above list contains a few examples. Other ways of delivering information already exist and new ways are being developed.

Conclusion

The ultimate objective of Enterprise Content Management is to make meaningful decision-support information available to business managers, in a format that is most convenient in their current context. ECM can deliver its information through technologies using IP protocols, such as Internet, intranet, or extranet, mobile devices like PDAs or mobile phones, and so on.

Content needs to be transformed in ways appropriate to the systems in use, and the context in which it will be used.

Title: Enterprise Content Management and Enterprise Reporting Practices

Word Count: 654

Summary: In a large business, many things will be going on in many different areas. It will be impossible to understand what is really going on based on personal observations alone. Analytical reports based on specific data bring out the nuances of ground realities.

Keywords: Document Management,Document Management Software,Document Management System,Paper Capture,Automated Workflow,Retention Policies,Document Versioning,Content Central,Browser Based,Web Based

Article Body: The ECM Association ,AIIM, defines ECM as: "...the technologies used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes. ECM tools and strategies allow the management of an organization's unstructured information, wherever that information exists."

The focus of the definition above is on tools and technologies. AIIM itself emphasizes that while tools are important, it is the way that they are used that is important. Content must be managed in a way that furthers the organization's goals.

According to AIIM, the four primary areas in which ECM helps organization are: Compliance, Collaboration, Cost and Continuity.

In each of the areas, you must have clear strategies and policies before you start using ECM tools. Strategies and policies are derived from organizational goals and your particular environment.

COMPLIANCE

Compliance with regulatory requirements involves costs. The variety of regulations, and the ongoing legislation of new regulations and requirements, adds to the costs. Only a proactive strategy developed with the involvement of legal, technology and administrative personnel can help minimize these costs. This kind of a proactive approach will bring out possibilities for using ECM tools to ensure compliance with applicable regulations at a maximum of convenience and minimum of costs.

COLLABORATION

Collaboration helps people with different expertise to contribute to the overall business results. Overall business results are helped by finding faster ways to get your product or service to the market, reducing your operational costs and completing activities and processes quicker and in a more streamlined fashion.

ECM provides tools like instant messaging, emails, online meetings and whiteboards to facilitate collaborative working. These tools make it possible to participate instantly, or at a time of your convenience. You can review the up-to-date status of a problem or solution, ask queries, make suggestions or presentations and get feedback. All these allow you to get involved and contribute meaningfully.

COSTS

When you start thinking of how ECM can help with costs, the first thing you might notice will be the cost of the ECM system itself - an addition to cost rather than a reduction. However, if you have a proper strategy in place, even tentatively, you will also be able to evaluate how ECM can help you achieve larger-scale business results at lower costs.

The key is clarifying your objectives and their implications. Don't let existing information processing technology constraints limit your expectations in these matters. With ECM, information can be made available on tap by all those who need it (and are authorized to access it). This would include not only employees in your organization, but also suppliers, customers, and governments outside it.

You won't have to spend most of your time actively contacting everybody and conveying your requirements or meeting theirs. The result will be not only savings in time, but also better quality results in all areas. You will soon begin to see how ECM can help you operate on a much higher scale and at much less relative costs.

CONTINUITY

Keeping your business going 24/7/365 is critical in today's global corporations, and even many smaller organizations. Natural or man-made disasters must not be allowed to disrupt operations too seriously.

Achieving this objective will first involve developing clear strategies and policies. You will determine which content is business critical, how quickly each type of content must be restored, how such restoration is to be arranged for, and all the other incidentals involved.

ECM, with its comprehensive range of capabilities, will then help you implement the strategies and policies.

CONCLUSION

ECM provides a great set of tools and technologies. It can help achieve great business results through increasing speed of marketing and other operations, mainly through faster access to relevant information.

However, you need to sit down with your people and develop clear strategies and policies, un-constrained by present information system limitations, before you start implementing Enterprise Content Management Systems.

Title: Digital Surveillance: Software or Hardware?

Word Count: 589

Summary: KGB Spy logs and monitors all activities on the computer where it is installed. Safeguard kids, catch cheating spouses and improve employee performance with a single product!

Keywords: surveillance software,computer review software surveillance, computer surveillance software,free software surveillance, Instant messenger, msn messenger, aim, aol messenger, yahoo messenger, computer surveillance, keyboard, capture mouse, keylogger, spyware for messenger, key logger, monitor keyboard, log keyboard, log key press

Article Body: If you are considering installing a surveillance system in your organization, you are probably deciding between the two types of solutions: hardware or software. With each approach having its pros and contras what will you choose? This article is about to help you make a weighted decision.

If you are managing a condominium and want a video camera on the front door, or when you need a garage monitoring system for an underground parkade you are pretty much forced to use a set of recording video cameras.But do you want a video surveillance system in your office?

While video surveillance may increase the performance and discipline of your employees, it can also have negative impact on the psychological climate among employees. Hardware-based video surveillance is easy to abuse, and you must know and comply with the appropriate laws and legislations. Hidden video surveillance is illegal pretty much everywhere, you you're losing an opportunity to catch a dishonest employee selling off your trade secrets or telling your competitors about your plans. Finally, hardware-based surveillance can't record anything meaningful from the computer screens. You'll see dark and bright spots at best, and will never know what programs were opened, what Web sites were visited and what was typed in that chat window.

Software surveillance, on the other hand, is still unregulated by the governments and can be used without making your employees aware. Surveillance software disciplines your employees without causing the negative reaction to video surveillance and apparent video cameras. Finally, it is virtually impossible to abuse software surveillance because it works only on the employees' computers that are supposed to be used for only one thing: work. Consider surveillance software a performance control tool and not a system to monitor employees.

Besides the legal and psychological benefits the importance of which is hard to evaluate, software surveillance provides a number of direct benefits. With computer surveillance software you can record your employees' activities down to the last keystroke and mouse click. This low-level control is there if you need it, but if you don't you can always revert to the more convenient, higher level control. Good surveillance software recognizes popular chats and instant messengers such as AIM, ICQ or MSN and logs the conversations, allowing you to access formatted chat logs that are easy to go through.

If you decided on software surveillance against a video monitoring system, there's only one thing left: what surveillance software to chose from the many offerings? While there is no lack of software surveillance solutions, KGB Spy http://www.refog.com/ conveniently integrates the things that are most important to corporate users: security, convenience and features. Being a fully featured software surveillance system, KGB Spy offers all the usual gimmicks such as keystroke capturing, application logging and Web site monitoring. However, being a corporate-oriented product, KGB Spy goes even further, providing features such as remote access to logs via email or FTP, instant remote alerts on pre-defined events such as certain key phrases, and complete environmental control. KGB Spy makes periodic captures of the computer screen, showing you detailed snapshots instead of the blurred spots you would see on a video camera. Finally, KGB Spy is virtually undetectable and practically impossible to remove without knowing the administrative password.

And here's one last yet most important feature of software surveillance: you can download, install and evaluate a complete surveillance system for absolutely free! Get your copy of KGB Spy from http://www.refog.com/ and get comfortable with the advanced surveillance features before paying.

Title: Digital Signage Software – Dynamic Advertising Tool

Word Count: 739

Summary: Communication is the key to any organization's success. However, in today's fast moving market it becomes a bit cumbersome and tedious for a corporate to inform each and every employee with key information at one go.

Keywords: Digital signage software, digital signage solution, digital signage advertising, dynamic digital signage

Article Body: In today's hypercompetitive market each retailer needs to grow revenue and market share along with customer satisfaction. Retailers are using new technologies like digital signage to retain customers. Retailers not only provide additional value by facilitating their customers but also generate additional revenues by running branded advertisements. Static pop-up is a thing of the past. Digital signage is being placed in-store, showcasing product information, new arrivals, offers, clearance sales and information about availability of products along with their location. Huge video display screens grab comparatively more attention than other sources, influence customers and are a means of additional revenue and customer satisfaction. Communication is the key to any organization's success. However, in today's fast moving market it becomes a bit cumbersome and tedious for a corporate to inform each and every employee with key information at one go. One reason may be that all the employees do not have email ids like in floor shops, back offices or branch offices spread geographically.

The organization can update its employees based in any country, in any location with the latest internal news; can welcome the new joinees, keep the entire employee force abreast with the latest HR policies, transfers of employees, etc. The organization can even broadcast live internal and sporting events simultaneously. Using Digital Signage software these updates and events can also be displayed on LCD or plasma screens. Digital signage also helps in assisting visitors in accessing a facility's way finder, utilities area and other important information. The same can also be used to display the company profile and areas of expertise. Third party feeds like news, weather, stock market updates, financial news, etc., are added advantages for staff and visitors alike. Why is digital signage important in the transportation sector? Digital signage allows you to put live or real time data on to screens (LCD/ Plasma) fixed at the departure or arrival areas of airports, railway and bus terminals. Passengers can be updated with the current schedules in an interesting manner, rather than the boring numeric being currently used. This can be used to display useful information that a passenger would like to know - trip delays, news, sports coverage, stock market updates, currency rates, safety information, world clock and weather. All this can be displayed simultaneously. Interactive kiosks or touch screens make it easy for travelers to purchase tickets, check-in and locate where to board planes, trains, and buses and tourism info centers. Digital signage can delight customers by displaying their menu, along with their ingredients and calorie counts, price and the waiting time outside their premises. This could encourage the customer to have pre-decided his/her order once she looks at the menu thereby leading to the higher TRT (turn around time) leading to more revenue. Inside the restaurant besides the menu, entertaining videos, news, stocks etc can be displayed for customers. Digital signage is ideal for retail banking because it lets you deliver personalized information to individuals critical to the success of retail banking. It can be used to display messages from the bank's board of directors or head appreciating and thanking customers for their loyalty. Display screens fixed at waiting areas informs the customer about the current offers and services for different categories and testimonials along with tickers, live news feeds and stock data making his wait more entertaining. Further the head office can communicate with other branches simultaneously at a pre-defined time for all internal communication. Digital signage can play a significant role in making your guests stay memorable, for e.g. Screen at the reception desk, can be used to display different time zones of different countries dynamically which means a clock showing IST(Indian Standard Time) can have a background of The Taj Mahal and after predefined time it can show London time with Big Ben or video of London or a hotel logo as the background, this can also be added with weather conditions in multiple numbers, here imagination has no full stop. Likewise in the lobby area a screen can be used to display facilities and amenities available with-in the hotel like today's function, today's top menu etc. to facilitate customers and guests. This can also help your guests find their way to rooms, what's in for menu, type and time of restaurants, bar, rest room and other amenities etc. at touch of their finger tip along-with the city's tourist's places, entertainment venues and prominent market in interactive kiosk mode.

Title: Design Better PowerPoint

Word Count: 573

Summary: Designing better PowerPoint can help corporate communication.

Keywords: powerpoint, design, branding, slides, colors, typography

Article Body: In my line of work, I find myself constantly producing PowerPoint presentations. Sometimes these are just individual slides (like a diagram or case study), sometimes they are templates, and sometimes they are whole, individual presentations. Most of my PowerPoint work is completed at my day job where I am an in-house designer, but my freelancing alter ego occasionally comes across a client needing some presentational pick-up. Over the years, I have built and edited hundreds of PowerPoint files.

I know a lot of people think PowerPoint is the devil incarnate, but in the corporate world, it is an ubiquitous evil. To shake some of the negative stereotypes, I apply traditional design principals to make my company and clients look better than the competition.

We go to 120 trade shows a year, and we present at every single one. We also use Macromedia's Breeze for hundreds of online demos. Our PowerPoint is often the first thing a potential customer will see from us, so it is critical (and easy) to make a good impression before they even receive a brochure.

PowerPoint is used by nearly sales guy on the planet, with a whole industry of accessories built around the presentation guru / road warrior concept. It is employed for downloadable or live web demos, and it is even used (or abused, depending on your point of view) to pass along copy, concepts and notes between internal team members. With this volume of use, PowerPoint slide design becomes just another facet of a company’s identity program.

From Chuck’s Neighborhood PeeCee Warehouse to Apple Computer, the local cafe with the amazing bagels to Starbucks Coffee, every business benefits from a unique identity, a look and feel that separates them from competition. The company logo is only a small part. Corporate colors, type treatments, illustration styles and repeated graphic elements are all parts of the greater whole. This identity is carried through to stationary, trade show graphics, packaging, advertising and yes, PowerPoint.

The software has become so ubiquitous that I consider it part of a greater paradigm shift in mainstream communication. The only problem is that this evolution is hindering communication. Like text messaging or 200-pixel banner ads, the information is compressed to a set of key buzzwords, crippling the message by stripping the skeleton of any meat. Bullet points become rapid-fire metadata. I give you the words "purple" and "fish" -- you figure out what I am trying to say.

* Leverage your existing technology * Realize rapid ROI * Streamlined implementation

Is about as meaningful as:

* Parsed cabbage flux capacitor * Disco glitter manifestation * Expressive giraffe BLT

Maybe a hundred years ago those phrases denoted something, but by sheer repetition and abuse, the PowerPoint generation has crushed the meaning like 200,000 people at a Stones concert trampling through a flower garden.

In the same way a good logo supports a successful identity program, good PowerPoint transcends half-assed bullet points and reinforces the speaker -- their personality, message and purpose. It doesn't recycle the same, tired messaging over and over. Not only does it look awesome, good PowerPoint hammers home the presenter's message with unique phrasing, interesting design elements and a certain disregard for the status quo bullshit buzz-speak.

All the flashy backgrounds, painstaking animations and intense clipart research are for nothing if the message has been gutted from the shell. So while I "design" PowerPoint, I design for the audience because I am focused on how they will react to the information.

Title: Deleting browser Cache – without software

Word Count: 441

Summary: If you are like the majority of people, you surf the internet on a shared computer. You might know already, but if you don't: Everywhere that you go your computer is keeping record of; leaving your finger tips all over the place for others to find.

There are a few quick and easy things that you can do to remove these traces, without buying any software, that a lot of people advertise.

Keywords: search engine, browser history, internet browsing, internet explorer

Article Body: If you are like the majority of people, you surf the internet on a shared computer. You might know already, but if you don't: Everywhere that you go your computer is keeping record of; leaving your finger tips all over the place for others to find.

There are a few quick and easy things that you can do to remove these traces, without buying any software, that a lot of people advertise.

Under normal settings your Internet browser is always storing your browsing history, cached files of pages, and saved form information. These are three easy places to get busted for your past browsing habits. These things are all meant to make your browsing experience quicker, and more convenient however they can also become a nuisance when you don't want other people to know where you are:

Cache is an actual stored copy of a web page that sits on your local computer, so that your browser can load it rather than always downloading pages from the Internet.

History is the browsers way of tracking where you have been both in the address bar to help make future url input faster, but also to help you retrace and find pages that you recently visited.

Saved form information is a very handy tool that allows the browser to remember what you enter into forms, to help speed it up the next time that you use a form.

Removing Traces from Internet explorer - Open Internet Explorer - Go to "Tools" - > "Internet Options" in the Menu Bar - Select "Delete Files" - In the pop-ip select "Delete all offline content" - Next select "Clear History" - At the top select the "Content" tab - Select "AutoComplete" - Select "Clear Forms" (You might even want to turn it off altogether) - Your done - Internet Explorer is clean!

Removing Traces from Mozilla Firefox - Open Mozilla Firefox - Go to "Tools" - > "Options..." in the Menu Bar - Select "Privacy" on the left hand side. - Clear "History" - Clear "Saved Form Information" - Clear "Download Manager History" - Clear "Cache" - * You might even want to clear your cookies, but note that often times useful information such as remembered logins,etc are stored here. - At your own Risk! - Done!

*Note Use at your own risk - These steps are to be used as a guide, and have been proved effective under normal scenarios. Paul Ryan is not responsible for any malfunction or any other problems that occur from this tutorial. They have been tested and work, but in case something goes funny with your current configuration, he is not liable. --- You may copy this article to use on your ezine provided that all links and biography information is left in tact.

Title: Database Deployment: Synchronizing Database Structures

Word Count: 536

Summary: Manually synchronizing new revisions of database structures with an already running system can be a nightmare. Learn about the tools you need to easily synchronize database structures.

Keywords: Database synchronization, sync databases, compare databases, linq to sql, sync dayabase structures

Article Body: Developing and deploying a new database is never easy. Manually synchronizing new revisions of database structures with an already running system can become a nightmare. If your assignment includes modifications to the structure of an existing database, your options of performing the task without disrupting the workflow are limited. Read this article and learn about the tools you'll need to synchronize database structures much easier than ever before.

The Obvious Way

The simplest and most obvious way of synchronizing two databases would be by deleting the old database and creating new structures on top of it. If you back up the data before deleting the old database, and restore it from the backup after you're finished updating the structures, you might just get away with it. However, this approach is unacceptable in many environments as it disrupts the workflow and does not provide reasonable security.

The Cheap Way

Coding a set of SQL statements and running the script on the client side is a better idea, but still has many weaknesses as it consumes a developer's time on routine operations, and opens the possibility for errors. If you are upgrading a database to a new version, you'd have to apply all intermediate patches, introducing a lot more possibilities for something to go wrong.

The Easy Way

Thinking logically, one can purchase a specialized synchronization tool, install it on the developer side as well as distribute it among the customers. This does allow a certain time-saving, but the method is costly and often requires paying for client-side licenses.

The Right Way

If you don't want to code all of the updates manually, and don't want to distribute third-party software to perform updates with your application, consider implementing the necessary update functionality into your own application. The built-in functionality will handle structural updates and database upgrades directly from within your application.

Database Restyle - Library by Perpetuum Software LLC (http://perpetuumsoft.com/) automates the complex process of database synchronization as much as possible without the drawbacks associated with most third-party solutions. Database Restyle builds directly into your application, eliminating the need to run external applications or distribute separate solutions to your customers.

Database Restyle performs the most complex updates of database structures, allowing both fully-automated and manually-controlled operation. Database Restyle can be used in a wide variety of cases. It can sync the two databases, but it is not limited to just that. Database Restyle works with other entities beside databases, such as business objects, and supports the Linq To Sql model.

An intuitive visual environment allows Database Restyle to take snapshots of database structures, as well as analyze, compare and synchronize databases. Running Database Restyle as a wizard allows database developers and administrators to solve typical tasks without coding by simply clicking the mouse. Full command line support allows you to take snapshots and update databases from the command line.

Database Restyle - Library builds directly into your application, releasing you from any obligations and concerns about the code. Using Database Restyle does not require any additional licensing fees, allowing you to save on client licenses.

Handle database synchronization and updates in the right way. The free evaluation version of Database Restyle - Library is available at: http://perpetuumsoft.com/

Title: CSS Mistakes

Word Count: 406

Summary: Cascading Style sheet or CSS is one of the most used and convenient way of coding the mark up languages.

Keywords: CSS Mistakes, CSS Faqs

Article Body: Cascading Style sheet or CSS is one of the most used and convenient way of coding the mark up languages. Most of the websites are built on an HTML platform and hence it is important for us that the CSS is also correctly applied so that the information that the website wants to transmit to its viewers is correct. But, designers often commit fundamental mistakes that can make things go terribly wrong for a website. The css-faq.com mentions some of the common mistakes occurred in CSS known as CSS Mistakes.

You don't waste bytes by adding units such as px, pt, em, etc, when the value is zero. The only reason to do so is when you want to change the value quickly later on, otherwise declaring the unit is meaningless. Zero pixels is the same as zero points. In order to get the accurate choice of the color, you must specify the hex code rather than writing the color in plain English. Never forget to add hash “#” at the start of the code so that it can be parsed correctly. Otherwise, you will have to remember to add another hash to prevent errors.

Unless you are likely to be changing your code much, avoid using several lines when only one line can serve your purpose. For example, when setting borders, some people set each side separately when each border is the same. So condensing the code is required here. It is okay to style the same element twice, if it means avoiding the repetition mentioned in the point above. For example, let's say you have an element where only the left border is different. Instead of writing out each border using four lines, just use two. But sometimes designers like to waste a lot of space in their code, by using plenty of unnecessary line-breaks or spaces before and after code. It'll only make the stylesheet bigger, meaning it'll cost you more in the long run, as your bandwidth usage will be higher. Of course it's wise to leave some space in to keep it readable, though some people like to condense everything, leaving no space at all. Designers must be careful about some common mistakes so that they can design the web pages in a proper manner and convey the message to its reader correctly.

Title: Convert RAW pictures to DNG format for peace of mind when archiving photographs.

Word Count: 552

Summary: Discusses why it is important to convert RAW image files to DNG files for archiving photographs.

Keywords: RAW, DNG, TIFF, JPEG, GIF, RoboImport, import software, digital camera downloader, image management software, digital picture organizer album software, digital asset management software, photo database, photo gallery software, photo organization

Article Body: RAW image files are proprieties of the cameras manufacturer their file extensions are unique to its own and do not exchange well over other programs they consist of ".RAF" for Fuji ".ORF" for Olympus, ".NEF" for Nikon and ".CRW", "CR2" for Canon, just to name a few. Adobe has also developed a RAW image file extension, ".DNG" meaning digital negative in 2004, Abodes DNG was created with the intention of unifying the individual RAW camera file formats.

Your RAW image is at its most pure, but there is no guarantee that your cameras RAW image will be recognized by available software applications sometime in the future. You may have the most up to date software to read your Nikon RAW images today, but long-term archival of your RAW files do present some concerns. Perhaps 25 years later when you want to access your archived photographs, of your family are looking for that special photo of "Aunty Jan" as a kid, or another photo that might have some historical significance that your photos many not be accessible. This was a great concern to Photographers at the beginning of the Digital photography explosion, and even the reason why many today still shoot with film despite the advancements in digital photograph quality.

DNG image file format is the answer to this concern.

DNG files also have the added security advantage of saving all of the image information supplied with the RAW files, i.e. keywords, descriptions and copyright notices. Basically you can have your RAW file completely intact after converting to DNG.

DNG files have the ability to store full sized files or JPEG previews making it possible to preview your photos in your selected photo viewer.

Using RoboImport (http://www.roboimport.com) as your selected digital photo management program gives photographers the ability to convert your RAW files to DNG files by including the specially developed Adobe DNG converter and enabling the option. Most impressive is RoboImports ability to embed the original RAW image file into the DNG file. Certainly this does produce a much larger DNG file, but it does allow for those occasions when you want access to your pure RAW image. This really is having the best of both worlds.

With so much to be said of the benefits of RAW and DNG files many new digital photographers might be wondering why in the world all the other image formats may be necessary. Below is quick explanation of some other image formats. This short list is not intended as a comprehensive compilation, but just a presentation of a few of the most common.

JPEG- A common image file format that supports 8-bit color, and produces smaller files with less available information. JPEG is a compressed image format and images to suffer some degradation on conversion.

TIFF- Tagged image format is a flexible format that supports 16 bit color, or less. The flexibility of the TIFF has unfortunately created its own problems with many different variations both lossy, and lossless, some photo viewers are unable to recognize the variations. TIFF although is still supported by many printers as standard for its ability to handle device-specific color spaces such as CMYK.

GIF- Graphic interchange format is limited to a small 8-bit color palette. Gif files are very small making them ideal for internet webpages and animations.

Title: Computer Problem Solutions can be undertaken in a variety of methods

Word Count: 661

Summary: Welcome to Inavid.com – Get Computer training education, online computer help at inavid. Learn computer skills in a video through one of our 10,000+ videos. If more information at www.inavid.com

Keywords: Computer forums, computer help, computer tips, computer troubleshooting, computer tutorials, windows xp help, in home computer service, computer servi

Article Body:

In now a day's contemporary world, computer learning programs, computer training is considered to have the most importance to almost everyone. Computer skills, business computer solutions are a must no matter whether you are entering the workforce. The usage of computer, e learning has grown beyond basic word processing and balancing your check book to advanced technology. The computer, e learning has invaded almost every face of our modern lives, and thus it has become a necessity to be able to use and understand the computer.

Computer training, computer problem solutions can be undertaken in a variety of methods, and can cover computer tips a variety of subjects. Let's take a look at some of the options out there that are available to the computer troubleshooting, the average user, and even the self-proclaimed ‘expert’ computer user. Many long term computer users find that on taking a computer training, computer troubleshooting class occasionally they can keep themselves updated computer tech support and stay on top of the ever-changing technology and computer learning software of the computer industry.
Computer training, online training has always stayed with the traditional way of classroom. Across all the countries many young people are being trained in online training computer use. In fact, the most of the times e learning starts much earlier in developed countries like the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. Colleges also offer courses on e learning computer use.
And the other method of computer training, software training, and training videos can be also through correspondence courses. Online classes, online tech support are available for many websites, and some offer complete course loads online training, so you can get a websites completely from home, by just attending to the software training conducted on the net.

Computer training that is worth noting is that of software tutorials using video and/or audio software. However, today you can purchase specialized software or videos software training that will provide you training at your own pace, hands-on, without having to be online.
There are an endless variety of ways to get these training videos, and some people even prefer to teach themselves based on specific subjects of web based software training interest and their ability to conduct research.

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Welcome to Inavid.com – Get Computer training education, online computer help at inavid. Learn computer skills in a video through one of our 10,000+ videos. If more information at http://www.inavid.com

Title: Chiropractic Software Program Comparisons

Word Count: 781

Summary: It is important to choose a software program based on what it can offer your practice, and not solely on cost. It is understandable that most new chiropractors come out of school with a lot of debt and want to get started for as little money as possible. Scrimping on something as important as your office software could cause you big headaches and even more money in the long run. If you have to upgrade to a better program, not only will you have to contract workers to perform the upgrade, your office staff will not be able to access your records for a period of time until the upgrade process is effective. These are thoughts to consider when reviewing your software options. Chiropractic software comparison is a necessary evil when finding your perfect software match.

Keywords: Chiropractic Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Chiropractic Office Software, Chiropractic Software Comparison

Article Body: It is important to choose a software program based on what it can offer your practice, and not solely on cost. It is understandable that most new chiropractors come out of school with a lot of debt and want to get started for as little money as possible. Scrimping on something as important as your office software could cause you big headaches and even more money in the long run. If you have to upgrade to a better program, not only will you have to contract workers to perform the upgrade, your office staff will not be able to access your records for a period of time until the upgrade process is effective. These are thoughts to consider when reviewing your software options. Chiropractic software comparison is a necessary evil when finding your perfect software match.

Weeding through the various types of programs available can be exhausting. Some programs offer insurance billing specifically, while others focus on only patient records. Prepare to spend several hours in reviewing your options and be sure to speak with your office staff about their needs. Since the staff will be the ones using the programs, it is absolutely imperative that their input is considered. The Internet is a good search tool when looking for chiropractic software comparisons.

One of the most utilized programs today is Eclipse® Practice Management Software. This company has been providing office solutions for over 20 years and has one of the most comprehensive office management software packages in the industry. According to their website, “ECLIPSE includes billing, scheduling, EHR (electronic health record), daily notes, an extensive alerts system, certified HIPAA compliant electronic claims & remittance, security features that include patient data access tracking to help you run a HIPAA compliant facility, and myriad reports fine-tuned by two decades of client feedback”. Eclipse also boasts of the software’s abilities to streamline your office records and create a virtually paperless office.

Another popular chiropractic software program is Lytec®. Founded in 1989, this company is well-known as a leader in helping chiropractic offices streamline their records and superior customer support. Lytec specializes in the efficiency of patient billing, insurance filing and appointment setting. Included in their software package is a patented program called Code Import which loads CPT-4, ICD-9 and HCPCS directly into the Lytec software to greatly reduce coding errors. Another interesting feature of the Lytec software program is the Fee Schedule Import feature. This feature “automatically loads Medicare fee schedules into Lytec saving time and improving accuracy.”

ChiroSoft® is a software program designed especially for today’s chiropractic offices. It was first launched in 1982 and has had over 20 years experience in fine-tuning the software for the busy chiropractor. One of the most recognized and appreciated features of this program in the fee slip feature. According to their website, “A fee slip is printed on each patient before they see the doctor, this allows for easy communication between the front desk and the chiropractor. The front desk must post services into ChiroSoft® to cancel out that daily fee slip. This prevents billable services from being missed by the office staff.” Many chiropractors find this feature very valuable and recommend it to others.

Chiropractic Complete Max Pro® is another widely used software program for chiropractic offices. The tagline for this company is: save time, improve efficiency, reduce costs, increase productivity, and maximize profits. This product seems to offer a variety of necessary tools to maximize the performance of the chiropractic office. It offers flexible appointment scheduling, automated payment plans, statistical reports, the ability to bundle procedure codes that are used daily for quick reference, Multiple case management without creating double patient accounts, mailing list creation, electronic patient records, front desk management, and marketing tools. This is a bundled program that seems to offer nearly any tool that a chiropractor needs.

Finding the appropriate software for your practice can be very time consuming. When you first begin your search, it is likely that you will be overwhelmed with choices. Remember to consult with your office staff to determine what their needs may be. That is a good starting point in deciding which programs to purchase. Getting the right software in the beginning can save a lot of trouble in the future. If you have to change programs, you will have some lag-time where you will not be able to access your records. Finding a good vendor who understands your needs and who will offer excellent customer support is also a very important step. It may take some time, but with all of the products available on the market today, with a little research and thought, you will find the product you need to make your business successful.

Title: Check Status of Remote PC with SI Ping

Word Count: 380

Summary: Test communication with remote computer and check its online status over the Internet with free and visual Ping tool for Windows.

Keywords: ping, visual ping, lookup, traceroute, ping remote computer, ping ip address, check online, online status, icmp, ping.exe, windows ping, free ping, freeware ping, visual ping, free visual ping

Article Body: Test communication with remote computer and check its online status over the Internet with free visual Ping tool for Windows.

What did your mom do when you got sick as a kid? Most probably the first thing she did was giving you a thermometer to check your body heat. If you are trying to access a remote computer and are not getting a response, chances are that computer is not functioning properly. In other words, it might be sick. But how would you give a thermometer to that PC?

There is a free tool called ping.exe that comes with most versions of Windows. You can use this tool to poke the remote PC and check its response. To use ping.exe, you would typically invoke a command line, which would open a black console window, and type ping.exe followed with IP address of the computer you want to check. Usually you would get a response right in the console window in a matter of seconds. You would judge - or, rather, guess, - the remote computer's health by the cryptic numbers printed as decimal integers. If the remote computer is not available, or if the network is not available, or if some link or a piece of hardware in between you and the remote PC has failed, you'll get nothing. It is up to you to guess what and where have failed.

SI Ping designed by Software Institute http://www.softinstitute.com/ , on the other hand, gives clearly legible and well formatted output by providing easy to understand and well explained numbers. It displays all the vital information, such as time to access the remote computer, in milliseconds, and allows you to ping more than one computer by simply selecting their address from a combo box. Thanks to its user-friendly, convenient user interface, SI Ping is much more convenient to use than the Windows ping.exe, being a great free replacement for the old-fashioned console-based tool.

Software Institute releases well-designed, simple to use products that help computer users solve one particular problem. Our products are free, and typically perform just one task, such as ping, trace route, or lookup, but do it in a convenient manner. We offer a number of free networking tools from http://www.softinstitute.com/soft/