I have a version of Mathematica 11.0.1 and it will not work with the latest system modeler, is there a way I can fix that
How Remastering Data for GDPR Improves Customer Service
Editor’s note: This article on data bias written by Syncsort’s Harald Smith was originally published on Infoworld.
The recent Equifax breach left millions of consumers wondering not only if their personal data was at risk, but also what data Equifax had about them in the first place. In a world where commenting “And now for something completely different” on someone’s Facebook post triggers ads for Monty Python T-shirts, it’s natural that people want to know what your company knows about them, how you are using that data, and whom you are sharing it with.
Now that GDPR is here, if you’re doing business with anyone in Europe, you will have to respond to these questions in far greater volume and frequency. Are your employees prepared for this influx?
Business leaders worry about this because tracking requests, identifying data, and reporting the results back to consumers will be costly and challenging to organize. But rather than treating each request as an isolated compliance nuisance, try to see GDPR as an opportunity to reimagine how you interact with your customers and their digital identities. As GDPR and other data privacy initiatives expand, your ability to respond quickly and transparently to customer questions about their data will be a testament to how your organization values and treats its customers, and a factor in retaining customer loyalty.
The challenge of GDPR: It starts in the connections, lineage, and linkage
You collect customer data in myriad ways and that data proceeds through applications and systems, integration tools and other communications channels to end up in databases and other storage media. When customers ask what data you have about them, it’s hard to trace because it is in so many—frequently disjointed—locations. Most metadata systems, usually tied to ETL tools, only tell a fragment of the story, and can’t give you a complete picture of what happened to an individual’s specific data.
That said, the connections captured and represented as data lineage are an important component in tackling the challenge. Data lineage gives you a high-level map of routes through your data architecture, much as a map of eastern Massachusetts provides me with a view of how I can get from my home to my office. But just as that map will not show me how I got to the office today, your data lineage will not show you whether you received data about Jane Doe today and where it went.
To get insight into the specific individual, you need to create links or keys across those records. Where those links are already established (e.g., a customer number) and stored in known locations, queries can retrieve those sets of data. Where they are not known or not consistent, record linkage (or identity matching) techniques must be applied. If data is being added into existing systems where those data quality functions are available, that works fine. But usually those techniques are unavailable for database queries. Further, the distribution of saved reports and queried results (often in spreadsheets) containing an individual’s information is not typically captured or retained across your information landscape, leaving significant gaps in the customer view.
Taking master data and metadata to the next level
The answer lies in thinking more broadly about the master data tools you have through the lens of GDPR compliance. For years, organizations have focused on MDM systems as a central point for customer information, but typically in the context of how they synchronize customer data in specific business systems (i.e., a golden record) or facilitate insight into their buying behavior in downstream reporting systems. But why not think about leveraging your MDM system as a hub for systemic information about a customer? After all, the customer information is already there, these systems are modeled to provide reference information, and they usually have user interfaces for information stewardship.
Extending master data models to include systemic information on a customer means you can build a reference hub from which you can respond to customer data queries. As new customer information is collected and passed through varying information supply chains, the points of storage, the metadata trails, and other matching and linkage data can be collected and brought into such a customer hub as new content. With that data associated to individuals, your data stewards can: (1) Respond rapidly to customers’ queries; (2) identify in which systems and through what process flows the data has passed; (3) provide reports quickly to the customer; and (4) identify where systemic corrections or possibly removal need to be made.
Options and next steps
Currently, no tool does all the above. For many organizations, customer information files or possibly data catalogs may provide points of storage for collecting and consolidating this data. Where you have not previously gathered this systemic information, you can look at existing data catalogs, metadata repositories and data lineage to trace likely storage points and data trails to build our inventory of a given customer’s systemic data.
Wherever you decide to collect the information, though, you must ask how you can help your employees better service your customers. Thinking about GDPR from a customer service outlook, you will ask the right questions and approach solutions from the right place, allowing you to get creative with tools you may already have and reimagine customer interactions from a support perspective.
If you want to learn more about GDPR, be sure to read our eBook on Data Quality-Driven GDPR.
The ride’s open; test dummy goes first!
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About Krisgo
I’m a mom, that has worn many different hats in this life; from scout leader, camp craft teacher, parents group president, colorguard coach, member of the community band, stay-at-home-mom to full time worker, I’ve done it all– almost! I still love learning new things, especially creating and cooking. Most of all I love to laugh! Thanks for visiting – come back soon 
PowerApps Hackathon Event Recap
On July 1, PowerObjects hosted its first ever company-wide hackathon. The goal of the daylong competition was to empower PowerObjects employees to truly “Live the Technology” and gain hands-on experience with Microsoft PowerApps. PowerApps is one of Microsoft’s Business Applications that allows users to create custom mobile apps on a cell phone, tablet, or computer without any coding or development experience.
We had a tremendous day with nearly 20 different apps created across the globe, showcasing rapid development in PowerApps! We learned a lot and at the end of the day we increased our organizational knowledge around this very powerful tool. Check out a few of the apps that our employees created during the PowerApps Hackathon.
GPS Locator
Connectors: Flow, Bing Maps and Dynamics 365
What the App Does:
This apps allows users to quickly view nearby records by utilizing their physical (GPS) location and displaying all customers within a given radius based on the address field entered in Dynamics 365.
How it works:
By connecting Microsoft Flow to Dynamics 365, users are able to capture the geo-codes of the out-of-the box address fields (street, city, county, country, zip code) and map the data to the address 1: latitude and longitude fields. Using BingMaps API in Microsoft Flows, the latitude and longitude data is returned in to PowerApps. Displaying a list of nearby customers along with their record details.
Delivery Tracking
Connectors: Azure and Google Maps
What the App Does:
This app is designed to allow drivers to view a dynamic list of deliveries scheduled for a specific day with an optimized route and barcode scanner to track delivered packages.
How it works:
Azure Functions and Flow are used to call Google Maps API, which launches an in app navigation screen that displays the optimized route for the current deliveries scheduled for the truck. The PowerApps Media Barcode can then be used to scan barcodes on packages to indicate a successful delivery. Once a package is successfully delivered the app automatically updates and begins navigating to the next location.
Field Reporting
Connectors: Dynamics 365
What the App Does:
One of our current customers needed an app that all employees can use when in the field or during off-hours to collect information needed to create a new opportunity.
How it works:
This app connects to the Dynamics 365 entity “Opportunity Create” that allows team members to easily schedule a follow-up communication and assign that activity to the appropriate project manager or owner in CRM. The user can collect data and on-site photos from the potential customer and associate the information to an existing record in Dynamics 365. The data collected in the “OpportunityCreated” entity then ties to a dashboard to allow CRM to review the contact information collected and create a formal opportunity via their existing native processes.
PowerScan
Connectors: Dynamics 365
What the App Does:
This app allows you to use your mobile device to scan bar codes, QR codes, and business cards to deposit data into Dynamics 365. Instead of having to purchase a third-party scanner at a trade show to do the exact same thing and then get a CSV file to import into Dynamics 365. The app scans this information at trade shows, events or just anytime where you can verify the information, then qualifies and assigns the leads in real time.
How it works:
The out-of-the box PowerApps Camera captures and stores images as Notes or Attachments using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Text. These notes are can then be set Regarding to the Trade Show Lead record. OCR Text is processed with Regular Expressions to determine the type of data. Name, Email, Telephone, Address, etc., is saved to the Trade Show Lead record. From here, PowerApps can be used to launch Google Maps for driving directions, send emails or call a lead directly.
Want to see these apps in action?
PowerObjects is a Platinum Sponsor at this year’s Microsoft Business Applications Summit happening in Seattle, Washington July 22-24. Be sure to visit our team of experts at booth #1 for exclusive demos and experience the power of Microsoft’s end-to-end Business Application Platform solutions for yourself. You can register for the conference with our code: HCL100dc to receive a $ 100 discount.
Happy D365’ing!
4 Common Causes of a Sluggish Ecommerce Website
Posted by Mark Sweeting and Diego Cardozo, Principal Performance Engineers
The speed and overall performance of ecommerce websites has become a priority for businesses, as the patience of customers dwindles. An online store must offer a fast experience or you risk losing conversions and perhaps future earning opportunities.
Countless things can cause ecommerce performance problems, but there are a few we come across frequently as performance engineers. The issues we address here should be the initial points on your checklist if your site is lagging. Some of these problems can be resolved without the expertise of a developer – business users rejoice!
Content delivery network not enabled
A content delivery network, or CDN, stores a cached version of your web store content on servers around the globe. This dramatically reduces load time because it improves latency, which is the time it takes for a page asset (e.g., an image) to load after being requested. That’s because these CDN servers are much closer to most consumers than the origin server, so the bytes don’t have to travel as far.
Most people understand the importance of a CDN. However, it’s common to turn the CDN off when someone is making changes to your site so this work-in-progress version is not cached. But people are forgetful, and they may not remember to turn the content delivery network back on. This is more common than you think.
So how can you check if the CDN is working correctly on your website? CDNPlanet is a tool that allows you to see if you’re using a CDN, though it will not reveal the source of the problem. For instructions on figuring out why the CDN is not working and enabling it, take a look at this article on our developer site. Enabling it may be as easy as checking a box on the back-end of your ecommerce platform.
Unnecessary content creates delays
You know your site is sluggish, but what is slowing it down? There’s an easy way to find out with a tool called WebPagetest. Simply enter your website and run a test to get a visual representation of how long it takes each piece of a web page to load and see if anything is taking an unreasonable amount of time.
WebPagetest also provides a pie chart that breaks down load time by images, fonts, CSS and more. Unnecessarily large images are the most common source of delays. Use a program like ImageOptim to downsize them and you will see an immediate improvement in load times. There’s no reason for your site to carry needless extra weight.
Third parties impede page rendering
The valuable features of WebPagetest do not end there. Running a “visual comparison” test will provide a filmstrip view of how a web page looks in one-tenth of a second increments. It displays the percentage of the page loaded at each benchmark, as well.
Slow page rendering is often the result of third-party requests that you may not even realize are part of your website. If this is an issue, you can block those individual requests or domains using the “Block” feature built into WebPagetest and re-run your test to see if there is any progress.
Note that every test in WebPagetest has a unique URL, so you can bookmark your tests for future reference. That’s really handy if you want to test at a later date and compare results!
Heavy fonts are another common source of sluggish page rendering. If you think speed is deterring buyers from visiting your site, ask yourself if you can make do with the standard fonts built into all web browsers.
Slow time to first byte
Content on single-page applications (SPA) is generated by the JavaScript single page application. Though SPAs are generally faster and have other benefits, search engine crawlers cannot always understand JavaScript, so they don’t know how to index your website. This is why you need a tool that translates JavaScript into HTML that the search engines can crawl, something known as an SEO page generator. The SEO page generator ensures your web store is indexed properly in the all-important search rankings.
However, sometimes an SEO generator can create a high time to first byte, which is how long it takes for the first piece of incoming content to reach a customer’s browser. Here’s what you can do to figure out if this is the problem:
- Add ?seodebug=T&seoprerender=T&preview=201806151215 to a URL on your site (example: http://www.example.com/some-page?seodebug=T&seoprerender=T&preview=201806151215).
- Replace that string of numbers at the end with the current date and time to avoid cached results.
- Open the page source in Google Chrome by clicking on the three vertical dots in the top right corner, then selecting More Tools à Developer Tools.
- Once in the source code, make sure the main DIV tag is not empty, then do a control-F for the words “error” and “status 502” (a failed request).
If you find any red flags, it will help a developer pinpoint and resolve the problem.
This is a basic overview of common triggers for slow online stores. For a more technical explanation of website performance issues, check out Nine Key Areas to Look At When Troubleshooting Ecommerce Performance. Your development team will find it extremely useful.
Posted on Thu, July 12, 2018
by NetSuite filed under
by NetSuite filed under
New White Paper! Layers of Data Security
In this age of data breaches and cyber-threats, the best way to secure your environment is through layers. Fortunately, this multi-faceted solution doesn’t have to be complicated. Syncsort has released their “Layers of Data Security” white paper to show some potential layers that an organization may choose to protect when thinking about a security plan.
To be effective and as close as possible to foolproof, data security must be layered. Some types of threats can be blocked only at certain layers, and omitting the relevant layers will result in there being no protection against those types of threats.
See how the most critical IT systems shouldn’t have to rely on a single approach to security. The strategies and research here can help your company stay resilient by removing the most common security vulnerabilities.
Why Automakers Are Turning To Resilient Lean
Risk management is at the heart of every production process and supply chain. Companies are realizing that it can take one little problem to completely stop manufacturing operations, often leading to unexpected downtime and missed deadlines. The automotive industry is no exception to this issue.
Most automotive manufacturers want to have greater control of their production lines. Many technology companies, material suppliers, and OEM parts builders help make vehicles that will satisfy customer demand. If even one of these companies experiences an issue, production runs can come to a complete stop. This scenario can create lost time and profits that affect the automotive manufacturer’s bottom line.
To further enhance their processes, manufacturers are turning to resilient lean methodologies. These principals provide better control over several factors of the production process and supply chain.
What is resilient lean?
When talking about resilient lean, you have to look at the concept as two separate entities working together for the good of the factory. Lean manufacturing means that the automaker is looking into ways that help lower product waste while maximizing productivity. Resilient manufacturing is when a company aims to create a sustainable supply chain system that can recover from any type of disruption. These disruptions could be natural disasters, brand negativity, quality issues, or even customer demand loss.
Resilient lean principals seek to offer continual improvement to production processes. The concept makes processes cost-efficient and stable while reducing material and energy waste. Then, processes can weather any unpredictability. This factor helps manufacturers with their risk management initiatives.
Key areas to apply resilient lean
There are many ways to apply resilient lean to the production process and supply chain. For automakers, some key areas can include production management, scheduling, and materials optimization.
Production management flexibility
One issue in managing production processes and supply chains is relying on a multitude of plants to complete vehicles. Parts are being sent from one factory to the next. They are being refined and built out before the final product is shipped to its destination. When adopting resilient lean, an automotive manufacturer seeks to integrate processes in a single plant. It can better use available assets in a more cost-effective way. This approach lowers shipping expenses and fuel costs while increasing productivity.
The automakers also can gain more transparency in their processes as well as improve factory locations by using the Internet of Things (IoT) and real-time data connectivity. These technologies analyze user demand so that automakers can determine the best locations to create new plants that are closer to their customers.
In addition, sensors on equipment can analyze every step of the production process to search for equipment issues. Automakers can improve machinery output levels and manufacturing cycles for more resilient operations.
Real-time scheduling
Creating vehicles can become a long and arduous process. Automotive manufacturers rely on time-to-market scheduling to determine the amount of time it will take for a vehicle to be designed, developed, tested, redesigned, completed, and shipped. Any issue that crops up in the time-to-market schedule can slow down the entire process. Unfortunately, customer demand may wane to the point where, once the vehicle is ready, nobody wants to buy it.
Real-time data information technologies can create faster time-to-market schedules for production lines. Computers, robots, and systems can communicate with each other using real-time data to improve workflow. They can also communicate with workers over quality issues to reduce downtimes, as workers can immediately address problems in a timely manner. These technologies help companies reach resilient lean initiatives for optimized operations.
Materials optimization
Another key factor that can benefit from resilient lean methodologies is material waste. Automakers always want to be able to create enough vehicles to satisfy demand without overburdening the current market. Since new models roll off production lines on a yearly basis, dealers can get stuck with too many vehicles that are not able to be sold, which in turn creates excessive inventory in factories since there are no requests for vehicle shipments.
Resilient lean can focus on improving the supply chain by providing accurate and timely analysis regarding customer demand. By using IoT, automakers can gain important customer feedback and move production processes to focus on other vehicle designs at the appropriate time. This method reduces excess materials, saving more working capital for the automaker.
Creating robust supply chains with resilient lean
Seeking improved manufacturing processes and supply chains using resilient lean principals can seem like a daunting process. Yet with the new technologies that are available, automotive manufacturers can create smart factories that help lead to faster production lines and lower material waste for a more robust and efficient factory environment. Investing in these digital technologies at the optimal time can provide transformative solutions to the automaker’s processes so they can stay competitive in their industry market to please their customers.
Learn how to bring new technologies and services together to power digital transformation by downloading The IoT Imperative for Discrete Manufacturers: Automotive, Aerospace and Defense, High Tech, and Industrial Machinery.
Credit Knowledge is Power
This is a guest post from Rourke O’Brien, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Does regular consumer access to their FICO® Score influence financial knowledge and behavior?
Professors Abigail Sussman, Tatiana Homonoff and I recently completed a multi-year research study with 400,000 Sallie Mae customers. Using a randomized control trial research design, we studied whether student loan borrowers who check their credit scores regularly make better financial decisions and manage finances more responsibly. The answer? An emphatic YES.
Kelly Christiano, SVP at Sallie Mae and I had the opportunity to present the findings at this year’s FICO World. Sallie Mae was the first national private education lender to offer free access to quarterly FICO Scores through the FICO®Score Open Access program.
Our research found that after one year, student loan borrowers who logged on to view their FICO Score had fewer past due accounts and took steps to establish a credit history. These positive behaviors ultimately translated into higher FICO Scores for borrowers.
For students who want to improve financial health, it is important to be aware of the terms of opening new accounts (only open new lines of credit when needed) and to make sure that payments are on time. Moreover this research suggests that all consumers, not only student loan borrowers, should regularly check their FICO Score to be thoughtful and empowered about how their credit behavior impacts their long-term financial health.
You can also review the full research details here “Does Knowing Your FICO Score Change Financial Behavior? Evidence from a Field Experiment with Student Loan Borrowers”
Stairway to heaven
About Krisgo
I’m a mom, that has worn many different hats in this life; from scout leader, camp craft teacher, parents group president, colorguard coach, member of the community band, stay-at-home-mom to full time worker, I’ve done it all– almost! I still love learning new things, especially creating and cooking. Most of all I love to laugh! Thanks for visiting – come back soon
Agile or Waterfall?
As Microsoft Dynamics 365 projects evolve, the overarching question that project managers need to ask themselves is “which framework best fits my project?” In this blog, we discuss some pros and cons of the “Agile” and “Waterfall” frameworks that might assist you in deciding which is the best fit for your project.
Waterfall
This framework is named “Waterfall” because each life cycle is a sequence that flows downward in a series of phases. Typical phases are Feasibility > Plan > Design > Build > Test > PROD > Support.
Pros:
- Waterfall is a structured process defined in phases with deliberate deliverables in each phase.
- There is an emphasis on documentation such as requirements and design documents.
- Requirements are defined in advance with little flexibility in allowing change once requirements have been signed off.
Cons:
- Changes in design must go through a formal change control process that can impede timelines and budget.
- Oftentimes stakeholders aren’t completely sure of the design they are asking for. Waterfall is rigid in its design and its ability to change with the clients evolving requirements.
- The inability to change things done in previous stages.
Agile
The agile framework is based on an incremental and iterative approach. Instead of all the planning being up front, the framework allows for changing requirements over time.
Pros:
- Change is part of the process and not seen as a weakness to designing the product.
- Since delivery is iterative, issues and problems tend to come to light much quicker.
- User feedback is crucial throughout the entire lifecycle of the project.
Cons:
- Documentation can sometimes be neglected. The Agile Manifesto refers to the value behind working software then comprehensive documentation.
- Planning tends to be less “fixed” since the requirements are continually growing as the product evolves.
- There is a risk that the final product may look quite different from the original design.
The goal of each framework is to deliver a functional and quality product. At the end of the day, everyone who is contributing to the Dynamics 365 project must collectively decide on the best approach.
Be sure to keep checking our blog for more Dynamics 365 tips!
Happy Dynamics 365’ing!