Inadequate job scheduling module in MFG/PRO
ERP system
IT Infrastructure
MFG/PRO
2 HP 9000 K580 servers
HP-UX
Realized Benefits
Automation of complex job scheduling calendar
Multiple dependency batch jobs now handled effectively
10-15% reduction in workload on systems administration
staff
Improved levels of benefit from MFG/PRO to the
business
"Implementing COSbatch has freed some
10-15% of system operator time. It also enables earlier completion
of batch windows and of vital business processes."
Bob Keller, IT Operations
Manager
OSM Products
COSbatch
OSM Services
Configuration
Installation
Training
At St. Jude Medical, batch job processing
was too complex for the simple scheduler offered within QAD’s ERP suite,
MFG/PRO
COSbatch automates the process simply
and cost-effectively
St. Jude Medical, Inc. is a $1.6 billion global cardiovascular device
company with headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. The company sells products
in more than 120 countries and has 19 principal operations and manufacturing
facilities worldwide.
St. Jude Medical runs the MFG/PRO ERP suite from QAD in an HP-UX environment.
While MFG/PRO comes with a simple module for automated batch processing,
St. Jude Medical had not found it adequate for the company’s requirements.
The calendar function could only cope with simple, regular schedules. Since
St. Jude Medical’s scheduling needs were complex, the calendar required
continual manual review. It was also difficult to cater for job interdependencies
and pre-conditions and, in the event of a parent job failing, dependents
would run erroneously as a result. The system also did not provide failed
jobs notification, requiring systems administrators to check the success
of processed batches manually.
As a result of these issues, IT resources were being consumed inefficiently,
users would not always receive reports on time, and business processes such
as manufacturing, dispatch and invoicing were being put at risk of delay.
To accommodate the company’s scheduling requirements, St. Jude Medical
initially sought to utilize UNIX cron table utilities and to adapt
the module in MFG/PRO in its native programming language. But developing
a comprehensive solution would have been an expensive and risky challenge.
The company sought alternatives, discovering the availability of packaged
solutions such as COSbatch, the scheduler from OSM’s COSMOS suite
of integrated systems management applications.
"We selected COSbatch over other automation tools we evaluated,
because it is a pure batch scheduler offering exactly the functionality
we required. It is also a module of an extendable suite, which could be
useful in the future. And since it runs on UNIX, we could avoid investing
in a Windows NT server and associated skill sets," explained Bob Keller,
IT Operations Manager at St. Jude Medical.
St. Jude Medical elected to engage configuration and implementation assistance
from OSM’s Professional Services Team. "We engaged around two man-weeks
of consultancy time from OSM. The consultants were skilled in COSbatch
and the world of batch processing management, of course, but could also
understand our IT and business requirements. We worked as a team to ensure
a successful solution for St. Jude Medical," said Keller.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) procedures required St. Jude
Medical to run COSbatch-based scheduling in a test environment initially,
until proven successful. Once testing was complete, the solution began handling
batch processing in the live, production environment starting in June 2002.
In terms of functionality, St. Jude Medical values the sophisticated
scheduler and its accommodation of interdependencies. Automated notification
of failed jobs and the resumption of the batch process upon their rectification
have also proven useful.
"The great benefit of COSbatch is that it automates our complex
batch process reliably. Implementing COSbatch has freed some 10-15%
of system operator time. It also enables earlier completion of batch windows
and of vital business processes," concluded Keller.
All COSMOS applications are built around the OSM Toolset, a Rapid Application
Development environment. The modules are tightly integrated with a common
look and feel for users. These were serious considerations for St. Jude
Medical since this integration will promote a quicker time to value if the
company adds other tools in the future.
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