Re: Best Package(s) for Large in-house Payroll Application Development

In article <31ADC1D1.71E4_at_iquest.net> David Di Biaggio <dibiaggio_at_iquest.net> writes:

>Ghost Rider wrote:
>>
>> I need some opinions on what the best client server package to use with oracle to
>> develop a very large payroll system. The system we currently have is on
>> ADABAS/NATURAL. We pay approx. 4000 employees with this system. It has a
>> sophisticated front end and behind the scenes logic. What ever package(s) are
>> picked must be fast, efficient and also have good windows front ends. Chances are
>> we will be using a Windows NT server. We will be distributing the payroll system to
>> about 5 or 6 locations, where they will have their own server and oracle database, then
>> at the appropriate time the information will be uploaded to us, where we will process it.
>> Our company has decided on Oracle for sure, but the language to use with it hasn't
>> been decided on. Some talk has been of Visual Basic(which I think would be too slow),
>> Powerbuilder(haven't heard many good things, but I'm not sure if that is just rumors),
>> Developer 2000 from Oracle, and Visual C++. It should have an easy way to develop
>> screens and front ends, and also be fast to handle lots of processing back and forth to
>> the database so the users don't have to wait a while everytime they hit Enter. Any
>> information on these packages or others that I have not mentioned would be helpful.
>> Just general opinions would be helpful also. Please keep in mind that lots of
>> information is being passed back and forth from the user to the database/server. It
>> should be a very interactive system, so users can get the information on the screen
>> quickly.
>>
>> Thank you very much in advance,
>> Gary
 

>I have to agree with Gary. There are several very good off-the-shelf
>packages out there (Oracle Financials, Peoplesoft, SAP, Lawson, SSA, to
>name a few...) that will do what you want practically right out of the
>package. There is so much complexity to a payroll/HR application that
>it doesn't make sense to "do it yourself" any more...

In every large city, there are also software companies (ourselves NOT included) who are specialists in payroll and accounting and who do nothing else. I strongly advise you to seek expertise in your own area because, while they may charge you thousands of dollars in expert-consulting fees, they could save you hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars in costs that you did or did not [know to] recognize in advance [but they did].

We're specialists in small-business database work in Access, Paradox, and Delphi, and even if you offered us $150,000 to work on a project like this one, we'd have to decline because I recognize immediately that we would never be qualified to take on such a project in good faith. I mean that perfectly seriously, and as a warning.

/mr/ Received on Mon Jun 03 1996 - 00:00:00 CEST