Managing Multi-Portal Data

Background

Our Client is into multi-product trading and to supplement revenues operates a number of online directories (yellow-pages). Some of these directories are industry-specific while others allow multiple category/ class enlistment. The strategy was to have a cluster website arrangement with cross-populating databases. To manage the disparate database across multiple portals the Client approached Net4India for a possible solution. In response, Data Manager® was proposed. It is an application developed using client - server technology and serves as a data-bed for management of scores of related records.

Porting the data

More and more companies are finding directory service a global and cost effective medium to reach out. Thus our Client's online directories had already become a sought after resource. The challenge was to pull out data from industry specific listing websites and populate the general listing website and again the reverse. This was a effective way to maintain separate industry website identities while cross-populating every listing. The advantage point was that these directories, being built by Net4India on an earlier assignment, had built-in flexibility to 'talk-to' common data-management software. But yet there was a challenge. The challenge facing the business handling enormous transaction of data by companies across the website cluster.

Net4India realized that the system required:

- Offline simulation of the online business activity
- Data porting among directory cluster
- Removal of data duplication on any individual listing

Stitching the needs

To describe the services and its interface we chose to deliver the solution as an independent client-server application - administering both restricted and general operations - on Visual Basic platform supported by scripts written in ASP to thrust data transfer from main data pool in Microsoft Access file format to site specific data recorders in form of Microsoft SQL 7.0 and vice versa.

Functional and scalable

The approach proved very helpful. The implementations proceed without impacting existing business services. More effectively now the Client's businesses can look beyond horizon to see a way, how time management and careful planning can make the global reach and penetration in respective market a more new exciting and easy. Today, the Client's online directories are getting hundreds of hits per month transforming it into one of the biggest of its kind.