20. Thank You
Dane Drotts
ddrotts@genexususa.com
Reena Prema
rprema@genexususa.com
@GeneXusUSA
Editor's Notes
So during today we havebeen talking about Genexus and how GeneXus helpdevelopers becomemore productive .But developers are not alone, they are part of a company or organization where other people are doing other tasks that also relate with the software development process… so as developers are not alone, Genexus is not alone either, it is part of a tool-suite. In this presentation we will see how the GeneXus tool-suite can help transform your company.
A software project involves not just developers, there are also business analyst that define requirements, there are testers, there are people that manage the process… and also there are users and stakeholders. So there are many people involved in the software development process and it is important that all these people work cohesively in order for the organization and the software project to succeed. We are supporting a team, we have a solution for every person in the team. Therefore we devise a set of tools to help the entire team become more productive.
So we start with the developer, which is an important component in any software project. GeneXus allows developers to be more productive, to solve and build solutions in a 3rd of the time, to develop complete solutions regardless of the complexity of the technology. They don’t have to depend on someone else if they don’t know the technology, they can do it all and do it fast regardless of the technology they need to use. They can develop complex web or mobile applications, they can develop web-services, integrate with existing databases, create automatically others and complement with older technologies. Thanks to GeneXus, the developer is able become an expert in the business process rather then focusing on learning the new technology.
By using genexus your developer becomes more Productive focusing on business needsIt’s a simple tool with a fast learning curveAfter making an application they can deploy it to any platformAutomatic integration makes this tool more flexible for the developer and your businessAnd when new technology emerges GeneXus is able to integrate that and provide it to you
And as we talking about application, not all applications are just customer oriented web or mobile applications. Many times we are building application that have a clear business processes.For example we are talking about applications were we have a customer going to the bank to apply for a loan, you fill out an application, enter it in the computer, then someone approves or declines the loan, and it is sent back to you to either proceed or not to proceed. That is all a process and certain flow. So when we are implementing this applications we can hard code all that process in the logic of our application or expose the process in a clear, graphic way and program it from there.Basically, program it using workflow technology.For that we have GXflow, which is a BPM (business process modeler) completely integrated into GeneXus IDE that allows you to develop a workflow process in a very simple way.You can draw the process right into GeneXus and drag and drop GeneXus programs as tasks making very easy to change the flow at any time.GXflow provides out of the box a inbox type of interface that can be customized to execute the tasks, providing information for management to support and perfect the process such as how long tasks take, where the process is at any moment of time, delegation, statistical information and much more.
So what we get out of using GXflow?We can communicate in a very clear way the process so it is easy for the customer or manager to see the business process reflected in the application. It simplifies communication, as an image is worth 1000 words so clarifies requirements and simplifies development. Having it in a graphic diagram it is easy to see where the process is optimal and where it is not, making it very easy to optimize the process.It provides out of the box, without any need for program it information that supports strategic information to improve processes and furthermore as it is integrated with GeneXus, the developers don’t have to learn a different tool to be able to incorporate a workflow solution in their application.
So as developers work, in web, mobile or workflow applications using GeneXus, we want to be sure that as a team they are as productive as possible.We want to be sure, there is not much time spent in being sure they have the latest code, the latest version of a program, that they have to wait until the other developers releases a check-out object. We basically want to provide them an environment where teamwork is as agile as possible.For that we have GXServer!GXServer is a central repository where the code resides and solves automatically conflicts so there is no worried about stepping into each other work. Not only GxServer provides source control but also allows to create and froze version of the code and provides tools to manage versions and solve automatically the impact of branching the code and bringing changes of the current version into the existing version and its branches.It also provides the peace of mind of having a central location where to save all the code, and the corresponding versions.
So with GeneXus server we can provide to the teamwork the agility they need without loosing productivity trying to find out the right version of the code. It provides a centralized repository where to store the knowledge and from there developers always can get the current version of development regardless where they physically work. It also provides the piece of mind of tracking every change, which developer did it and also providing history of each object so if necessary changes can be reverted.It provides visibility of the versions as well as allowing to manage versions, froze them, branch them and indicate which version is the current one, in essence it is the perfect companion for an agile group of productive developers.
As GX developers are becoming more and more productive, they are able to make changes faster, which means more work for the testers. We need to provide testers with tools that will allow them to be as productive as the developers and not loose some of the overall productivity because of the testers take longer because there are more changes. For that we have GXT. GXT allows you to automate your testing,cases are defined at a higher level vs the native code way like the other testing tools. It automatically recognizes many changes in GeneXus so the testing scripts are automatically updated.
Testers can automate testing cases in a very easy way, by recording them or drawing them. It is very simple and easy to create them and it is not necessary to learn a new language or technology. Since it is integrated to GeneXus, whenever a change is made that does not affect the flow, like placement of controls on the screen, then your test cases get automatically updated without you having to do anything about it.Thus, we can bring the GeneXus productivity to our testing team!
As we build the systems, we automate processes and create tons of data. But the data is useless if we cannot transform into real information that can support business decisions, which adds value to my solution and to my company. So the key is to be able to extract valuable information from that data, and the person that needs that info is not necessary developers but technical administrative or sophisticated users, they need the right tools to produce information that help them make business decisions without having to ask for each report and each graph to be developed. You want to be able to create reports on the fly.
As we build the systems, we automate processes and create tons of data. But the data is useless if we cannot transform into real information that can support business decisions, which adds value to my solution and to my company. So the key is to be able to extract valuable information from that data, and the person that needs that info is not necessary developers but technical administrative or sophisticated users, they need the right tools to produce information that help them make business decisions without having to ask for each report and each graph to be developed. You want to be able to create reports on the fly.
For that we have GXquery/GXplorer that allows users to create reports and and analyze the data and trends by producing graphs and statistical information from summarized data. Creating reports from operational databases is simple and very intuitive.
We also need to put all these views of the system together in an integrated way that makes it easy to find applications, information, latest news, etc.So for that we need a portal and when we think portals, we don’t want to develop it from scratch. We want to use a portal that has already components but also is easy to extend so anything that the portal does not provide I can easily develop.
So for that we have GXportal, a agile portal builder tool that allows building websites and easily integrates to different applications developed in GeneXus. It has all the benefits of any portal tool, plus it can be easily extended with GeneXus and take advantage all the pieces that GXportal has out of the box, navigation, social media & Google integration, content, communication tools, etc. In the end, results makes it building applications even more cost effective.
A project has many phases, requirements, specifications, development, testing, implementation, support and maintenance. And throughout all these different phases it is important to communicate as fluently as possible, obtain as much information as possible and with the least effort as possible, I call that my 3 P’sWe need a project management tool that allows us to effectively manage the different phases of the project without loosing the productivity the different tools provide. XPM allows you to increase productivity throughout the entire application development cycle.In GeneXus, you're used to fast development, easy changes, quick results. You need a project Management Tool that can keep up with your productivity and doesn't slow you down. It shouldn't take longer to document a change than to actually do it. That's why we developed XPM.XPM is a Web-based Collaborative Project Management Software designed to increase the productivity of the entire project team. XPM allows team members to provide information easily and in a timely manner, and it gives the project manager control tools to ensure the project gets completed on time, always!
P - built-in automation, flexibility, integration and centralizationfeatures in XPM increases team productivity throughout the lifecycle of the project.I – To tools such as GeneXus, Word, MS Project, GXwiki, and GXserver, act as a team.A- repetitive and routine tasks, creating efficient management flow and saving time.A - All the documentation is centralized in a unique repository. In addition, the automatic maintenance of the GXwiki makes collaboration within the team very easy to achieve with XPM.
We have talked about all the different members of an organization but after all what this means for the company? For the owner? For the stakeholders?
It means that you have all the tools to transform your company into an agile, productive and integrated environment that better positions you to compete and change as quickly as needed.
