Bridge ships with a Microsoft Access 97 database. It is not required that
you have Access installed on each client in order to run Bridge. It
is, however, recommended that you have one copy of Access 97 available
to allow direct access to the database if needed.
Acquisition of one of the four other supported DBMS's, as well as any required client
software (SQL*Net, etc;) is the responsibility of the customer.
Kemma Software provides installation support at no extra
charge.
Bridge is an ODBC application. The Access ODBC driver is provided by Kemma Software,
while drivers for the other DBMS's are supplied with those
products.
The server can be any platform which can accommodate one of the Bridge
supported databases and support an ODBC connection from
a Windows client. While this is normally an NT 4.0 server, it could be NT 3.51,
Novell, OS/2 or Unix. A PC in a peer to peer network is also
an adequate server.
Internet deployment of Bridge Windows application --
An alternative to Bridge Web Interface
The full-featured Bridge Windows interface can be run through a standard Web
browser by deploying the application through MetaFrame from Citrix. When Bridge
is deployed in this manner, the fastest performance is via a T1 (or higher)
line. Performance is adequate when using an ISDN line, but
remote access via modem is slow.
This type of deployment should not be confused with Bridge
99's Web interface component.
Bridge
Eliminates communication bottlenecks in your IT Department or Support Operation.
With this easy-to-use, Windows-based client-server software, everybody who needs
to know about issues will stay informed. No more nightmares about problems "falling through
the cracks!"
Easy-to-use
Bridge is a Windows-based, client-server program. Easy to learn
too -- no cryptic commands to type in.
Web Interface
Bridge comes with a web interface component! This component allows unlimited users to add and update
issues, view hotlists, and access the new knowledge base feature. Enhance the many features of Bridge
with this powerful add-on package.
Knowledge Base
Issues can easily be transferred to Bridge's internal knowledge base. You select which fields in your issues
are transferred to the knowledge base in the form of "keywords." Plus, you can add to the keyword list.
Retrieving information from the knowledge base is made easy with navigational options. Select from a tree
control or perform keyword or full text searches.
Customization
Customize all the major windows of Bridge 99. You decide where fields will be positioned, what the fields will be
titled, and how they will look. Personalize the application to
meet your specific needs.
Scalable
Bridge is a client-server application which works with Microsoft Access, Sybase SQL Anywhere,
Sybase Adaptive Server, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. You can start using Bridge with Access,
and as your needs grow, you can scale up to a more powerful
database, such as Oracle or MS SQL Server.
Issue Entry
Problems are entered through an easy-to-use interface. All information about an issue is stored together in a five-tab
window.
Notification
Bridge now allows you to specify totally flexible criteria to trigger an automatic e-mail of an issue.
You can trigger notification based on the age of an issue, as well as any other criteria, such as status,
priority, system, category, etc. Notifications can be sent to
individuals only once, or at designated intervals until the issue is closed. Notification rules can be
checked automatically (on a timed basis), or manually when you
request them to run.
Reports
Crystal Reports is now integrated with Bridge 99 to provide the best reporting features available.
You can create a variety of reports, and export them to various file formats, such as Word,
Excel, 1-2-3, HTML, plain text, and many more. You can even
e-mail your reports from directly within Bridge through most major e-mail systems. If you use
Crystal Reports to develop additional reports for use with
Bridge, you can integrate those reports and run them from within Bridge. Although a large
variety of reports can be created with Bridge, some clients have specific reporting requirements.
For those situations, Kemma Software can build a customized report to fit a
client's needs.
Status Bar
The status bar is visible on Bridge's main application frame window (present at all times),
and shows you a count of issues that are important to you (My Open Issues, High Priority Issues,
etc...). You can have up to four issue counts available at all times. A right
click on any issue count allows you to open a list of those issues. The status bar is fully
customizable -- allowing you to be constantly aware
of whatever types of issues are important to you.
Query
Whether or not you have a formal help desk, Bridge makes problem solving easier. It gives you instant access to your
complete history of past problems and how they were solved.
Dynamic definition of fields
There is no limit to the number of custom fields you can define for tracking. Fields may be of any
data type (alphanumeric, numeric, dates, times, etc.) Once a field has been defined, it automatically
appears in the main "issue" window.
Hotlists defined by users
Each user can be automatically notified when problems or issues
arise which meet your defined criteria.
E-mail enabled
Information can be forwarded through most e-mail systems, including Lotus cc:Mail and Notes, MS Mail, SMTP (Internet
Mail), Novell and many others.
Graphs
Any fields in the system, including the ones you define, can be used to create pie charts, bars,
columns, stacked columns or 3D graphs.
Paging
With the click of a button, Bridge can automatically page the
person assigned to an issue.