|
September 27th, 2011
Hire Excelisys…
and you get a team
Of experts, neat and clean;
Of gurus, young and old
Innovative and bold.
We reside
Outside the box not inside;
Adept in every field,
Technology we wield
As a tool
Using what is right and cool
And before you ask,
With every task
We give it serious thought
About what we ought
To use,
Listening to your views.
Though we may perplex
We recommend what is best
And don’t fear
We’ll tell you what you need to hear.
For the hours that you bought
You’ll get more than you sought
For we are thinking far in advance
Not locked in a rigid trance.
And yes we confess
There are those who’ll work for less
And who cower
At charging by the hour
But at the end of the day
It’s not what you pay;
It’s whether the job is done well
And not languish in development hell.
It’s not a crime
To charge for time
But it is a sin
To not deliver a thing
Or to have it done so bad
That all you get is mad.
Our team has won awards
And crossed swords
With many a tricky job.
Of course, we have a blog
And we publish quite a lot
That’s something we do not
Do for reward,
Or another award
But because we care
And we like to share
The knowledge that we gain;
And not refrain.
So, if there is something that you need
Think of the Excelisys creed
And know that it is true
That we can help … you
No matter what the case
Or how difficult it is to embrace.
And the one thing that we don’t know
Is the meaning of ‘No!’
© Michael Rocharde, June 4, 2009
Tags: Excelisys News, FileMaker News, Funny, humor, jobs employment, Web
Posted in Excelisys News | No Comments »
September 7th, 2011
2001 was very memorable for lots of reasons. FileMaker 5.5 was our tool of choice. We had hot computers like the new PowerMac G4 and cool PDA’s like the Handspring Visor Pro. You remember Handspring, er I mean Palm er, I mean HP, oh never mind. 2001 was the year the iPod was introduced! 5GB’s of music in your pocket for only $400! Whooo hoo!! Click wheel, smoooooth! Music on the go has never been the same.
This post isn’t about the latest computer or gadget, the real reason for this post is not to talk about how things used to be or how cheap things were (Gas $1.52 per gallon). This post is to celebrate our 1st 10 years of existence. That in itself should be celebrated. When a company starts 11 days before 9/11 and survives for 10 years you can bet they will be around when you need them 10 years from now in the middle of the night when your job is on the line.
The more things change, the more they stay the same…
Posted in Excelisys News | No Comments »
September 1st, 2011
Excelisys celebrates 10 years as of 9/1/2011 in building, supporting, migrating, upgrading, tweaking, fixing, and integrating quality custom database solutions and web applications.
Specializing in technologies like FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Go, MySQL, MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Adobe Flex, PHP, AJAX, ASP.net, Integration with QuickBooks, Excel to FileMaker conversions, iPhone and iPad integration, and other various database technologies and frameworks for Web, Mobile, and LAN/WAN deployment strategies. Our goal is to foster solid relationships, provide exceptional value, extreme high quality, intuitive end-user usability and excellent customer service for our clientele.
If you are a new or existing client of Excelisys, we have a present for YOU! Find us on FaceBook or Twitter, send us some wishes via a Tweet or FB post and we will give you an hour of our time, on our dime!
We look forward to celebrating the next 10 years!
Tags: Birthday, Excelisys News
Posted in Excelisys News | No Comments »
April 28th, 2011
Why We Are Agile Developers
Standards and consistency are two important elements in the development of any software. As a developer, I employed many different types of standards over the years, including no methodology, waterfall, spiral and now agile, just to name a few. As the VP of Production for Excelisys, I saw the need to have a common methodology for developing all of our projects, regardless of the specific development tools or the people involved. With multiple project managers, an array of developers and an infinite variety of clients and projects, having a single development methodology streamlines operations across the board.
There are, as you may or may not know, so many methodologies from which to choose, the three most common of which are “waterfall,” “spiral” and “agile” development. Waterfall development, much like the image it evokes, is a “top-down” methodology best utilized when the developer and the client both know all of the details of the project up front and expect little change along the way. There is minimal back and forth between client and developer. Instead, there is an initial gathering of force and a rush of uninterrupted, full-steam-ahead development activity.
While waterfall development sounds great in theory, it is in fact unrealistic and idealistic, especially when creating custom solutions. Often times, clients are unaware of what they don’t know. They’re not sure what details to gather or what the scope of their solution could entail. In a waterfall development scenario, they are the blind leading the visionaries. As a result, instead of a Niagara Falls solution, they’re left with a trickle down the mountainside.
Spiral development is a modification of the waterfall methodology that accounts for continual feedback and revision, but still relies on a great deal of solidified details up front. So instead of an uninterrupted rush of water, spiral development includes a series of plateaus where the water can collect, spin and then fall to the next level. Metaphorically, that is.
We at Excelisys employed a spiral development process until we found that it could no longer accommodate both our talents for troubleshooting and our clients’ needs. What’s more, we found that we often did not possess enough information up front to utilize either of the aforementioned methodologies to their fullest potential. So I chose to adopt the third, waterfall-less agile development methodology.
Agile development is a lean development methodology that involves constant delivery and communication between developer and client.
The work is completed in pre-determined chunks that are presented and reviewed with the client before proceeding to the next stage of the solution.
Best of all, within the agile process, we develop against a defined set of features, written from a user’s perspective. These features are intended to be as specific as possible, and refer to a single distinct task that a user would perform, such as “print a report showing the monthly sales totals by clicking a button and specifying a date range” or “click a button on a form view to add a new invoice and go to the invoice data entry form.” Once all features are listed, they are prioritized, and assigned to specific stages of client review called releases and iterations.
It is important to reiterate the fact that in agile development, you only deliver as much as is necessary to complete the feature and nothing more. This eliminates loose ends and focuses the development. And, if better solutions arise along the way, the agile method allows for and assumes that a certain amount of re-factoring of code is going to be a part of the process.
We at Excelisys have found agile development to be an efficient and effective approach to solving our clients’ custom software needs. It allows us to begin developing right way, without the long discovery and specification time required by the waterfall and spiral methodologies. It affords us the opportunity to work closely with our clients to develop the solution that is perfect for them. Finally, agile development encourages open communication and collaboration, as clients have a great deal of input into the functionality and design of the solution, and we have the ability to quickly adapt the development to suit the needs of the client.
Ultimately, the agile development process best reflects Excelisys’ organizational strengths and talents, as well as our approach to building strong, collaborative relationships with our clients. In The Agile Manifesto, the creators of the agile development process might have said it best when they outlined the values system of the agile approach:
• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan
“While there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.”
We couldn’t agree more. And that’s why we’re agile developers.
Author: Kurt Knippel – VP Production/Project Manager, Excelisys, Inc.
Posted in Business | 1 Comment »
March 15th, 2011
Excelisys, Inc., a database solutions and consulting organization specializing in quality custom database application design, development, and consulting, is pleased to announce the promotion of Rick Middleton to Vice President of Sales. In addition to his new role as VP, Rick will become Excelisys’ fifth partner, joining Christo, Kurt Knippel, Greg Furry and Geoff Ryle.
“It’s been a pleasure working with Rick for the past few years, he has shown a true knack for sales and been a real asset in client relations,” said Kurt Knippel, Vice President of Production. “His dedicated service to the team makes this promotion a win-win for everyone.”
Middleton joined the Excelisys sales team in 2006 as an account/business manager. Before he began securing new business for Excelisys, he served in the United States Marine Corps, where his main duties included security forces, counter terrorism and information technology. After leaving the Marines, Rick ran his own business, installing security cameras for clients ranging from Gander Mountain to 7-Eleven. “In my own company, I was everything: sales, accounting, purchasing, etc. Here at Excelisys, we have a team approach, which works great for me. If one of us needs any help, someone else is there to assist and keep us moving.”
“Rick has been an incredible asset to our team,” said Christo, CEO and Co-Founder of Excelisys. “This isn’t one of those political internal promotions. Rick worked his way up and has earned his current position.”
“Rick knows the value of good communication and following through,” said Geoff Ryle, Co-Founder and President. “With him, nothing ever falls through the cracks. His promotion is indicative of his dedication, because he really gives a damn about his job.”
“Rick is always looking at ways to make the sales process easier for our customers before the sale and throughout the entire project lifecycle with Excelisys,” added Greg Furry, Vice President of Technology.
As Vice President of Sales, Rick will oversee the Excelisys sales team and their international client base. As Excelisys’ fifth partner, he will join the strategic leadership ranks of one of the world’s premier database solutions and consulting organizations.
“Taking over the reigns as VP of Sales and joining the other four partners here is a great honor. These guys are the best. They care about our clients and they care deeply about our developers and sales staff. Without them, we are nothing.”
About Excelisys, Inc.:
For over 9 years, Excelisys, Inc. has been helping companies become more efficient, reliable, and profitable by providing solid, integrity-driven consulting and development software services. From custom FileMaker® Pro database development, consulting and eX-File products, to Web Site/Application design, development and consulting services, Excelisys is your first strategic partner of choice for all your company’s technology needs.
Contact
Excelisys, Inc.
South Bend, IN 46635
Phone (sales): 866-592-9235
Media Contact: 574-273-5805
Email: info@excelisys.com
Web: http://www.excelisys.com/
Copyright 2011 Excelisys, Inc. All rights reserved. FileMaker Pro is a registered trademark of FileMaker, Inc.
Tags: database development, Excelisys News, FileMaker News, promotion, web application development
Posted in Excelisys News | No Comments »
February 28th, 2011
This was brought to our attention from one of our respected and beloved collegues, Steve Abrahamson of Ascending Technologies.
I thought we would recap here on our blog for those wanting to know the issue and the resolution. You can find here as well on the FBA List.
– THE ISSUE –
So I went to implement a little drag and drop sorting goodness in a solution tonight. A while ago I downloaded a demo from Exelisys on drag & drop sorting, so I fired that up and went to put it in… and it doesn’t work with TSM.
I got it here: http://www.excelisys.com/tips-tricks-filemaker-downloads.php
You see, the technique relies on an Auto-Calc field evaluating during a script execution and setting some $$variables. Unfortunately, with TSM, that data field is in a different file, and hence, the $$variables are not visible to the script during execution.
Took me a good 45 minutes to realize that, of course. *sigh*
Does anyone know a good drag & drop portal sorting technique that WILL work in TSM?
– THE SOLUTION OFFERED BY EXCELISYS–
Easy modification:
1. Create unstored calcs in the other file that reference those global variables
2. In the interface file, reference the unstored calcs instead of the global variables
– ADDITIONAL TWEAK INFO VIA STEVE –
Thanks! It does work; note that it requires one more modification: an extra script in the data file to be called at the end, to clear out the $$variables there
The only real *problem* is this: there’s a 2-3 second lag with this, which feels just short of forever… and that’s running locally on my development machine. I’m not sure what performance will be like in production, but it won’t be faster than that. (Andrew’s original file executes instantaneously, which is great.)
Conceptually, the original technique is great for FMP, though oppositional to TSM: it requires the addition of 2 extra TOs in the data file for every place where you want to implement this UI feature; the idea of TSM is to have this detritus in the UI file, so conceptually, it rankles. It’s untidy. That’s just me being anal.
I was trying to make a version that, instead of relying on an auto-evaluate field, rather uses two triggers, one on field entry, one on field modification, plus one OnTimer call. It’s a bigger script by a long shot, but was hoping it’d be cleaner in execution, and all script, no field-level stuff. As it is, I need to get going on this project, and since this works (awkwardly, but works), this may get tabled for now.
Please extend my thanks to your guys for the assist. I’ll put a happy response up on FBA Tech Talk. Everybody likes happy, don’t they? Especially when it ends that way.
Posted in FileMaker News | 3 Comments »
February 22nd, 2011
Come to the FileMaker Developer Conference 2011 and discover just how far your FileMaker solutions can go. Learn how to build more professional databases, extend your solutions to the web or deploy iPhone and iPad solutions using FileMaker Go.
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned developer, you’ll increase your technical expertise – along with your career potential – in just a few days. Go farther when you come to San Diego by meeting people from over 35 countries to network and exchange ideas. And DevCon is the place to go when it comes to learning all about the latest products and services at the Exhibitor Showcase.
Come to DevCon and you’ll go farther.
Tags: DevCon, filemaker devcon, filemaker developer's conference, FileMaker News, FileMaker Pro
Posted in FileMaker News | No Comments »
October 18th, 2010
OPPORTUNITY: Remote Skilled Individual Sub-Contractor, 20-30+ Hours a week.
Excelisys Inc., is an international organization of talented, self-motivated individuals that specializes in consulting services and custom software development. We have provided a variety of companies, organizations and industries worldwide with innovative and diverse custom development services.
But let us cut to the chase: The solutions we create on behalf of our clients are really good. We have won the hearts of many, and they have told their friends about our fine work. As a result, we are currently experiencing growth and demand for our services. That’s where you come in.
We are seeking entrepreneurial self–starters to join our expanding team of professionals. If you like setting your own hours, working from a hammock on the beach, or from a cabin overlooking a snow-capped mountain, or whatever idealistic work-from-home scenario you currently envision, Excelisys might be the perfect fit for you.
In addition to retaining your independence and your right to work in shorts from your living room couch, you will become part of something bigger than yourself: a collective of like-minded, talented programmers, developers, project managers and sales gurus. You’ll find that, despite our autonomy and our unique individual talents, abilities and personality quirks, we share a common goal: to foster long–term technology partnerships with our clientele, and to provide a creative and positive environment for our team members that empowers each with the confidence to thrive and do his or her best.
We are looking for talented, experienced, charming, cunning, take-no-prisoners web application developers and designers who can hit the ground running; who can take a project from concept to deployment; who can please every client with solutions that blow minds, win hearts and exceed expectations.
Experience in any and all web technologies are welcome, but we are specifically looking for individuals well–versed in the following areas:
Web Application Developer: HTML, PHP, CSS, Java, JavaScript, MySQL, MS SQL Server, *AMP, strong understanding of application design, relational database theory.
Web Application/Page Designer: HTML, CSS, strong design skills, color theory, page layout, typography, understanding of web application design. Other technical skills as above are a huge plus.
The individuals we’re looking for can handle projects of all sizes and posses strong analytical and creative problem–solving skills. In addition to being well organized, efficient, and able to work with limited supervision, you must possess strong communication skills, have your own computer equipment (really, if you apply for this position and don’t have Mac and PC capability, it would be like an axe-less lumberjack looking for work), 24/7 high speed access to the internet and your own stress-free and comfortable work space.
This is an excellent opportunity for a seasoned and self-motivated individual. You can focus on what you are good at (we hope creating amazing web applications) and not have to worry about sales, marketing, bill collection, invoicing or a soul-sucking commute!
Responsibilities
Yourself
Report to and work closely with Project Manager & Client
Provide build progress reports and deliverables to Project Manager and Clients
Writing and debugging code for custom solutions
Meeting or exceeding deadlines set by Client and/or Project Manager
Compensation and perks
Hourly compensation at a % of the billable hour
End-of-year profit bonuses
Potential lead generation commissions
Remote or telecommute working arrangement
Base % compensation rate is determined by skill set and proficiency
More About Excelisys
Employment Opportunities
Samples of your work will be reviewed as part of the interview process. If interested, please send cover letter and résumé in PDF format to (opportunities at excelisys dot com).
Tags: FileMaker Jobs, Hiring Developers, PHP Jobs, Web Jobs
Posted in Excelisys News | No Comments »
September 30th, 2010
The Illusion of Fixed Pricing
The economy sucks, and we’re all working within tighter budgets that have been squeezed down to the bare essentials. In this economic climate, when choosing between custom solutions providers who employ fixed pricing or those who charge by the hour, fixed pricing would appear to be the right choice. At first glance, it appears to allow you to set aside a pre-determined sliver of an already thin budget and afford you the opportunity to forecast a number of different projects with greater accuracy.
But appearances can be deceiving, especially when you’re seeking a custom solution. In fact, I would argue that a truly custom solution cannot be created within a fixed pricing model. How could one promise to deliver a custom solution—one made according to the specifications of a unique individual—within a pre-determined framework? In other words, if you do not know EXACTLY where you are going, and no one has gone there before, then you cannot know how long or difficult the journey will be.
Cutting Corners, Padding Hours and the Bait and Switch
The truth is, in the world of fixed pricing, quotes and bids, someone loses, and that someone is usually the unsuspecting client. In order to stay in business, businesses have to turn a profit. Some of them ensure that they turn that profit by padding their fixed prices and their quotes so that you pay more for less work. Others low–ball on the front end—or offer something for free—and pad their hours later. (Think about it: a profitable business wouldn’t low–ball itself on a fixed price.)
Still others hit you with the bait and switch: They get in the door on a low-ball price, go over on hours, play dumb and then hope that you’re in deep enough to surrender to their demands for additional hours until the job is complete. In other words, they bank on your exhaustion with the process.
Fixed pricing also stifles creativity and TRUE problem solving. The best solution for your unique needs might take more time or more research than originally estimated; a better solution might be discovered midstream that would necessitate additional hours of work. When a business operates within a fixed price, it will turn to the kinds of solutions that have been profitable for them in that pay range in the past. Corners are cut. Crappy code is produced. The idea of a “custom” solution is abandoned. Clients are furious.
Penalties for Customization
Another shady practice that advocates of fixed pricing employ is to build into their contracts a clause that enables them to begin charging you by the hour once your solution exceeds the original fixed budget. Why do they do this? Because every change you make, every little thing you add—in short, every time you wish to give input that would render your solution more customized—affects the time required for the project. And that’s when they pounce.
Why Pay for Anything Besides Completed Work?
Truly custom solutions involve significant client input and change. The more a firm gets to know you and your unique needs, the more efficiently they can work on your behalf. Many pre-packaged, fixed pricing solutions leave little room for the depth of discovery that customization requires.
NO ONE can claim to have the psychic ability necessary to quantify the unquantifiable. That’s why, when you hire a firm that charges by the hour, you pay for the work they complete. Period.
Disclaimer: Some amateurs might view an hourly billing model as a free pass to rack up ridiculous hours of work on your dime. You will know these shysters when you see them. But rest assured, a consummate professional will respect your budget and stay within agreed upon parameters. That doesn’t mean you can expect the Taj Mahal on an outhouse budget, but it does mean that you can expect to get what you pay for.
Author: Christo – Founder/CEO of Excelisys, Inc.
Tags: Custom Development, Hourly versus fixed pricing
Posted in Business | 4 Comments »
September 22nd, 2010
FileMaker Announces Significant Updates to FileMaker Go for iPhone and FileMaker Go for iPad
Free updates allow users to create PDFs, email databases, insert photos, and more
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Sept. 22, 2010 — FileMaker, Inc. today announced version 1.1 of FileMaker Go for iPhone (http://www.filemaker.com/fm_go_pr) and FileMaker Go for iPad (http://www.filemaker.com/fm_go_pr), the popular new apps that let users work with FileMaker Pro (http://www.filemaker.com/products/filemaker-pro/) databases on iPhone or iPad. These significant updates, are available free from the iTunes App Store, and include enhancements for creating PDFs, sharing databases via email, and inserting photos in databases.
Users can now produce PDFs directly from FileMaker Go and either save them on their mobile devices or email them. This feature lets mobile users easily save and distribute reports, create invoices, and share project status directly from their iPad or iPhone.
Another enhancement is the ability to save a copy of a complete database and email it directly from FileMaker Go. With this feature, iPhone and iPad users can exchange databases from their devices without needing to dock with a desktop or laptop.
The update also delivers new ways to work more efficiently with photos and other media and information. FileMaker Go users can capture photos on an iPhone, or take photos that are already in the photo library of an iPhone or iPad, and insert them directly into a FileMaker Go database. Photos stored in a database can be emailed out later using FileMaker Go.
Other file types, such as spreadsheets, can be emailed directly from FileMaker Go.
Also new is the ability for FileMaker Go users to import records from local or hosted FileMaker databases using script steps.
iOS app developers may take advantage of the newly enhanced URL protocol from FileMaker for calling FileMaker Go. Using the URL protocol, developers can now specify a FileMaker Pro script and script parameters. This allows developers of commercial and in-house iOS applications to extend FileMaker Go databases and provide a wide spectrum of useful solutions such as bar code scanning.
“FileMaker Go for iPhone and FileMaker Go for iPad have stirred up huge excitement in the FileMaker community and beyond. Initial acceptance has been strong and this is just the beginning,” said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president of marketing and services for FileMaker, Inc. “With these free updates, we are already making both apps even more powerful and adding new ways to share information remotely.”
FileMaker Go, which launched in July 2010, has already received much editorial praise, including a 4.5 mice rating from MacWorld magazine.
FileMaker Go: Access FileMaker Pro information anywhere
FileMaker Go lets user view, edit and search FileMaker Pro records on iPhone or iPad. Databases can be accessed directly from files hosted on FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server, or database files can be copied locally onto FileMaker Go via File Sharing in iTunes.
Compatibility, Pricing, and Availability
Compatible with FileMaker Pro 7 and all later versions, FileMaker Go 1.1 is available now as a free download for existing FileMaker Go users from the App Store. FileMaker Go for iPhone and iPod touch (running iOS 4) is $19.99 and FileMaker Go for iPad (running iOS 3.2) is $39.99. Additional details are available at http://www.filemaker.com/fm_go_pr.
About FileMaker, Inc.
FileMaker (http://www.filemaker.com) is the leader in easy-to-use database software. Millions of people, from individuals to some of the world’s largest companies, rely on FileMaker software to manage, analyze and share essential information. The company’s products are the FileMaker Pro line – versatile database software for teams and organizations, for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and the web – and Bento, the personal database for Mac, iPhone and iPad. FileMaker, Inc. is a subsidiary of Apple.
Customer contact:
800-325-2747
http://www.filemaker.com
Copyright 2010 FileMaker, Inc. All rights reserved. FileMaker and Bento are trademarks of FileMaker, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Posted in FileMaker News | No Comments »
|
|
|
|
|
|
Explore the eX Cetera Blog
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
eX Cetera Blog
Excelisys.com