Designer

Built as an extension to ArcFM, Designer provides an integrated design solution for utilities of any size through an intuitive graphical user interface. Designer leverages on a unified solution platform, using a single, configurable, architecture. Building on the ArcGIS architecture, Designer is an integrated design solution that minimizes data redundancy, improves the accuracy and consistency of corporate data assets, and offers a range of functionality to support the diverse needs within a utility.

This extended application architecture enables simplified implementation. As an open, fully scalable solution, Designer provides the utility user with facility editing, work sketch, posting, plotting, and engineering calculation tools. Utilizing feedback from our users, Miner & Miner recognized the need to provide a single solution with functionality for drafters, designers, job planners, and engineers within the utility industries.

As this technology evolved, it became apparent that this software should address the following needs:

Overview

Designer provides an integrated environment for preparing construction work sketches, job cost estimates, and an automated means to update the baseline corporate GIS database. It also furnishes a convenient environment where the end user has seamless access to the tools of the enterprise resource planning/work management system (WMS/ERP) to provide detailed work requests, scheduling, and material costing information. Designer also provides its own workflow component. Workflow Manager allows users to create and track work requests and designs as well as the associated costs. Utility companies may choose to integrate with an existing WMS/ERP or use Workflow Manager provided with Designer.

Designer Tools
Designer tools include:

Designer Goals
The functional goals of Designer are as follows:

ERP/WMS Integration

In addition to the facility editing and modeling provided by ArcFM, Designer also symbolizes ERP/WMS-specific functions. This includes the ability to display facilities based on work function as well as provide the ability to symbolize where work is occurring based on job status.

A key business operation of any utility is the construction and maintenance of facilities. An ERP/WMS assists the utility with establishing and tracking the work performed. While very broad in nature, for the purposes of Designer, an ERP/WMS can be seen as a set of functions that manage the information regarding a work request. This traditionally includes information regarding the work request, multiple design scenarios to be built for the work request and estimating the cost of the job to be built by associating standard Compatible Units (CU's) to the scenario.

The Designer Cost Estimate Tool
Designer also has easy-to-implement interfaces to an ERP/WMS. The critical challenge faced by Designer: to be able to provide a well-integrated and productive environment for the end user while minimizing the effort required for implementation and ERP/WMS integration. Designer provides a set of components and objects that assist in the construction of custom interfaces to different ERP/WMSs, using VB and the Object Model.

Designer exposes Component Object Model (COM) interfaces and XML so that interaction with any ERP/WMS vendor is possible. These interfaces must be implemented for each specific vendor. XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a language for documents containing structured information. Structured information contains both content (words, pictures, etc.) and tags indicating what role that content plays. For example, a section heading or footnote has a different role than a figure caption or a database table and has a different tag. In the context of Designer, XML supports the data exchange with third-party work management systems for ERP in a neutral and industry-standard format.

The Designer Interface Architecture
Designer does not replace existing functions found within the ERP/WMS; rather, it uses those functions to create a seamless work sketch/work management environment. Typical functions the ERP/WMS provides include the creation and management of work requests and designs. It also performs all cost estimating. Designer provides the data necessary for the ERP/WMS to perform these tasks.

Designer has built-in capability to avoid incompatibilities between the ERP/WMS and Designer designs, prompting the user to resolve inconsistencies resulting from changes to CUs, attributes, labor type, etc. Relevant files can be associated with a work request (WR) or design, and are displayed by their file type icon and can be opened from within Designer. Designer also enforces status synchronization of WRs between Designer and the ERP/WMS.

The Architecture of Designer

Designer is based on ArcFM and relies on this software for all display, selection, query, editing and transaction management. Designer is built through ArcFM's extension architecture so that updates to ArcFM will be seamlessly integrated into the Designer application.