Data from various sources can be integrated into single comprehensive reports.  Imagine looking at a management report that contains Production Performance from your MES, Sales Forecast from your ERP and Safety performance from your OSHA system. 

APEX is capable of gathering information from any number of structured data sources (Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server) as well as non-structured data sources (Excel, text).

Real-time information is maintained in and distributed from the APEX central repository.  APEX can manage and distribute information to hundreds of users concurrently without any impact on the data sources from which the data originates.  The Advanced Data Management and Distribution also ensures zero wait times for requested information while keeping the information up-to-date and real-time.

APEX provides many available tools and objects for presenting the information in highly graphical forms.  Rich graphics are very critical in getting the attention of the users and enhancing their experience.

We have paid vary close attention to this fact. Much work has been done on creating these graphical objects and making sure that they create the desired visual effects.  APEX provides an easy to use and highly intuitive user interface for managing and manipulating these objects. The look and feel of each graph and display is fully customizable by the admin user without any need for programming.

All available reports can be emailed to designated recipients on daily or weekly basis.  APEX can group multiple reports into a single easy to read PDF document and email it to designated recipients.

It is possible to create email events for various groups within the corporation.  Each group will receive the reports that are specific to them.  All reports contain real-time and up-to-date information.

Emailed reports can also be designed to be blackberry friendly.  These reports can also be viewed by the people on the run.

APEX allows very easy creation of alarm events.  The user can specify conditions under which red flags are raised and alarm notifications produced.  Upon the occurrence of such conditions, notifications are sent to designated people.

This has been a much desired tool across all industries.  Being able to identify potential problems early on has always been a desire across all management levels. Real time red flags allow the management to identify potential problems in their early stages and take proper actions before they become real problems.

Live Channels are used to broadcast information to the end users. The users can view the Live Channels through the APEX web based dashboard and portal. Live Channels can be viewed on large scoreboards in strategic locations throughout the company or simply on a laptop onsite or offsite.

Each channel can be customized to contain the mission critical information relevant to the needs of the users in the surrounding area.  For example, the channel viewed by the CEO must contain information that the CEO requires such as production and performance trends or sales forecasts.  The channel that is located on the plant floor should display the information that the operational people require such as current production status.

There are three types of Live Channels:

• Static Channels
  Static channels contain multiple graphs or grid objects. Although the static channels always display real-time and up-to-date information, the display type is static meaning that it constantly shows the same type of information. These displays are ideal for cases where the amount of information to be displayed is low.

• Slide Shows
  Slide Shows allow for several Static Channels to be played in sequence. The user can select multiple static channels and specify a display sequence as well as display duration for each. The slide show will display these channels in the specified sequence in an infinite loop.

• Dynamic Channels (SuperChannels)
  SuperChannels allow the user to divide a screen into multiple sections. Each section can be setup as a slide show. This allows for design of highly versatile scoreboards. In this case the critical information can constantly remain on the screen while the less critical information are displayed in sequence as slideshows.

The information displayed on the Live Channels is always real-time and up-to-date.  There is no user intervention needed for the up-keep of the displays.

Apex is able to take contents from the web and integrate them into its reports and live channels.  Contents may be taken from popular news sites such as CNN, CNBC and ESPN.  The contents may come from the company’s own website such as company news or event notices.

The web contents may be displayed alongside typical information on any report or scoreboard.  The web contents add a whole new level of attraction to the displays by mixing business and non business information.  For example, the scoreboard in the cafeteria may display the crew performance and ESPN sports news side by side.

One of the greatest assets that APEX provides is its intuitive and easy to use interface for data gathering and report design. This interface allows the administrative user to perform various tasks such as:

• Data source definition
• Query management
• Component design (grids, charts, gauges, etc)
• Report design
• Channel design (for overhead displays)
• Email scheduling
• Alarm definition
• User groups and security management

The user is able to customize every bit of detail in each report and channel. APEX has incorporated object oriented concepts in its report design. Each component such as a bar chart may be used in any number of reports by a few clicks of a mouse. All this with no programming. Now that's innovative thinking!