Ease of integration and compatibility are key tenants of the BA design philosophy.
Microsoft Office compatibility — BA uses the same menu and toolbar navigation and shortcut keys as Microsoft Office 2007
Portable Documents — All BA Reports are created as Microsoft Excel and Word documents for greater portability and user interaction
Ad-Hoc Reporting — BA can create a Microsoft Access Database with all the links into the BA Server Database.
Report Accessibility — Both Historical and Current Activity Reporting can be generated from the BA Client (Windows) application, the BA Central web client or directly from Microsoft Office Applications.
Extensive Report Selection — Each BA Report Print Option has multiple report configuration settings providing a seemingly endless number of possible report options.
Web Enabled — Allows BA Central users to view historical reports or create new interactive reports without installing any software on the user’s desktop
Mail Enabled — BA will use Microsoft MAPI (Outlook) or low-level SMTP to email notifications or procedural requests to other BA Users
XML Enabled — XML (Extensible Markup Language) provides easier application data sharing. Users can Drag ‘n Drop XML data onto BA for automatic data entry.
Scalable Use — BA’s multi-tiered design allows more users to access the BA Database than would be possible with a shared file architecture (ex: Microsoft Access) with tremendous performance gains.
Documentation and Training
In addition to Context Sensitive Help, the knowledgebase is loaded with articles answering numerous “How To” questions.
Impersonation
A very powerful feature is the ability to see what your faculty and staff can see before they logon for the first time.
Document Library
Have you ever wished that all your related documents were simply just a click away? BA makes this wish come true. You can link any Account, Transaction, Person or Sponsored Project to any document placed in the BA Server database. Supported Formats include:
- Microsoft Office Documents
- Scanned Images
- Web Addresses
User Interface
- Compatible with the Microsoft Office family of products. A familiar interface means users spend less time learning and more time being productive.
- Drag ‘n Drop Data Directly into the BA Server Database from other applications
- User can customize data entry to eliminate unneeded or typically unused fields
- Tabbed dialog provides logical access to more data in less screen space
- Graphical Toolbar with tool tips and Status Line on all forms
- All data forms are environment-aware, allowing the user to display multiple forms or multiple copies of the same form simultaneously
Application Design
- Priority Software BA is built upon a true Client / Server Architecture minimizing network traffic and maximizes request turn-around times.
- Extensive use of the capabilities and features of Microsoft SQL Server 2000 / 2005 and 2008.
- Efficient use of network bandwidth allowing for remote access over dial-up accounts.
- Centralized Data Storage requires less maintenance and greater accessibility for the users.
Security and Permissions
BA has Multiple Levels of Security. Users are placed in “Areas” to allow department level customization and behavior. Permissions are Assigned to User and Groups on Table and / or Record-Level Permissions.
Areas
Areas allow the centralized database to be “partitioned” into multiple working environments permitting each College, School, Department, Division, Center, etc. to view only their data yet have the flexibility to share that data with whomever they assign.
- Record Level permissions are automatically granted to both individual users and groups
- Server-side security means that rules will be enforced on all outside applications that connect to the central database
- Security defaults for any number of Users/Groups are completely customizable
Software Installation / Development
Priority Software, Inc. (PSI) will provide all the server software installation and configuration. Other than backup, there is no IT involvement with the daily “care and feeding” of your Priority Software Server Computer. PSI remotely monitors and manages your server installation via our Priority Software Event Management System (EMS) product. In most cases, should a problem occur, we will typically have it resolved long before you or your users will have noticed. PSI has been supporting customers remotely for nearly 30 years. We pride ourselves on our support.
There is no client-side software to install as BA is an entirely web-based solution. There is no dependence on browser add-ons or ActiveX controls.