Feb-March 2003

Our impression

Regular readers of our product review section know we look quite closely at new hardware and applications, and put any claims made for them through a vigorous reality check. We aren't interested in whether new hardware has all the latest gizmos or how empowering an application is. What we want to know is, does it actually do what it says on the box, and what benefits is it going to bring to the business sector it's aimed at?

So when Dexterra asked if we would like to review their new field service application, we were both intrigued and concerned. Intrigued, because Dexterra has developed what it claims is the first business application for Pocket PC mobiles to be based on Microsoft's new .NET platform for mobilising enterprises; concerned, in the sense that we weren't quite sure what this might actually mean in real terms.

It was a good start, though, to find Dexterra actually believes that mobile devices are just expensive toys unless they extend the enterprise out of the office. It says mobile solutions have so far tended to be too extensively customised and difficult to change, leaving too much data residing on the server and not putting enough on the Pocket PC device.

 

Using the .NET platform, it therefore set out to create a generic framework that resolved connectivity and data synchronisation and access issues, over which specific applications should be laid.

Hence the development of Dexterra Client, a "fat" client application (Dexterra itself prefers the term "smart client"). All the business processes a worker needs in order to do his or her job reside on the handset. Dexterra says this is critical if mobile workers are to be truly integrated into the corporate network. There is a communications layer, a job queue with prioritised activities, and a Role Navigator to launch the required business process. The unit will use the cheapest form of communication available: first WiFi, then GPRS and finally GSM modem.

The processes are arranged into a logical nest of screens called ForceFlow. There are three categories of ForceFlow ­ an information screen; an activity screen, which requires workers to do something; and an update screen, where they are prompted to enter data for transmission back to the host application. On each screen is what Dexterra calls a FormFlow that takes the worker through each step of the process.

Another useful tool is FieldFlow. This comes into action if, for example, a part has failed and the engineer needs to search the databases for matching parts (update) or help in diagnosing the reason (lookup).

All neat, clear and logical ­ and best of all, it works.

Our Verdict

One of the most impressive things about the Dexterra application is that it manages to apply quite rigid controls over the work process, yet remains user-friendly. The business wins because it controls not just how the data is presented, but also how the activity is carried out. Yet the user never feels it is a hindrance or unnatural (maybe that's down to the logicality of it all). I found it reassuring not to have to worry about connectivity to complete tasks, and conversely to know that databases could be consulted if necessary.

It is quite easy to see this solution appealing to companies with large mobile workforces, including logistics and express delivery companies.