The challenge
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of
Great Britain (RPSGB) is the professional and regulatory body for pharmacists
in England, Scotland and Wales. It also regulates pharmacy technicians on a voluntary
basis, which is expected to become statutory under anticipated legislation. The
primary objectives of the Society are to lead, regulate, develop and represent the
profession of pharmacy.
True Clarity were brought in to review the existing data and applications structure
of an existing database which was established several years ago using Access as
a repository for staff in the field to enter and amend information on visits to
pharmacy premises throughout the UK.
Over time the database had become less effective as additional demands were placed
on it. Also as the original application had been written by staff who had subsequently
left the organisation it was difficult for new members of staff to maintain and
manage.
Problems were exacerbated due to additional functions being written in an attempt
to resolve issues. As a result the users were finding it increasingly difficult
to work with the data base and this in turn brought about issues with data synchronisation
and reporting problems.
RPSGB was anxious to ensure
the database was brought back into line with the original functional requirements
and able to integrate with other contemporary applications and databases.
The ability for field-based staff to be able schedule, visit and record information
relating to inspections effectively was a key requirement.
The initial phase required an in-depth audit of the existing database.
The solution
This 15 day True Clarity Discovery™ phase started with the RPSGB Technical Team providing a snap shot of the system
which was uploaded to the True Clarity servers. An exhaustive process commenced
to thoroughly audit the database.
Using the True Clarity Framework™ solution, we proposed a bundled replacement solution
comprised of several leading industry recognised technologies. These included an
SQL Database, C# Web Service, C# Application, MSDE database and XML data transfer.
A SQL database was created to hold all of the information within a central repository.
Local MSDE database copies were also created for each user. The database was designed
in accordance to standard database design and replaced the many tables used by the
original system.
This application allows the synchronisation of information between the MSDE databases
and the central database. This is done through the use of XML datasets extracted
from each database. It is this step which minimises the amount of data transferred
during synchronisation. Users are notified that synchronisation is taking place
through the use of an icon on the taskbar. The process is initiated automatically
during connection to the RPSGB
network.
This application allows remote access to the data within the new IROV SQL database.
The Web Service is used by the Synchronisation Application to extract and update
XML datasets from the IROV database.
The site launch date meant that pressure was put on the development team and change
management activities were also carried out with the users to minimise any issues
related to the replacement of the established system.
With these priorities in mind the development team at True Clarity worked closely
with the Technical Staff at RPSGB
to address any issues that might arise. Where issues did arise the diligence and
the determination of both technical teams meant that they were quickly overcome.
The result
The new system has now been in operation for several months and running smoothly
with the Inspectors experiencing the benefits of a more robust and easy to use database.
The next phase of development is now being planned.