ARCHITECTURE

Selltis Sales 5.5 is a web-based hosted application built as an ASP.net 3.5 solution. Its n-tier architecture makes it highly scalable and extensible. The data storage is provided by Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The production environment consists of web servers running IIS and data servers running multiple customers' databases in SQL Server. SOAP web services provide universal data access and are used for several of our client-side utilities, such as a Microsoft Outlook add-in and a utility for linking with Word and Excel. Selltis Sales 5.5 is compatible with Internet Explorer 6 and above browsers. FireFox compatibility and the support for small-screen devices are planned.

CUSTOMIZABLE SOLUTION

Selltis Sales 5.5 is more than a CRM/SFA solution--it is also a metadata-based platform for building web-hosted applications. While the Selltis engine provides metadata services, data access, security, tools for building forms, views, and reports, page history and other services, the application is completely defined in metadata. This allows customization of the product to the point of potentially building totally new applications, all within the same login and the same browser instance. Customization is available on various levels and can be performed by the customer, by our professional services personnel, and by our partners.

HYPERLINKING

Selltis is unique in how it supports the many-to-many (N-N) linking of data with our "Hyperrelational"™ technology. In a typical CRM product, an Opportunity, for example, can be linked to only one Contact. In Selltis, not only can multiple contacts be linked, but multiple links are defined for different types of relationships between Contacts and Opportunities. You can link main contacts, key sponsors, and any other contacts that may be involved and access all data via any link. Additional links can be defined as needed and added to forms as additional linkbox controls. This ability to interconnect all related records in multiple dimensions or "Link The Way You Think"™ allows not only categorizing, but also contextualizing data.

Selltis facilitates contextual linking through the Selltis Create Linked™ feature. The user selects a record in any view or opens it on a form and then selects what to create--activity, opportunity, lead, e-mail, or any other record--from the Create Linked menu. The system not only automatically links the new record with the selected one but also "inherits" all pertinent links from it. This way the new record is properly contextualized with minimal or no additional effort on user's behalf. Having a common, easy-to-use system for contextualizing data at the time of data entry is critical for gaining insight into real-world relationships. Almost all competing systems fail in this respect, putting emphasis on search tools that rely on flat-file textual entries instead of real-world links.

Links also can be added and removed directly on the form through "linkbox" controls. These controls allow linking records either one by one or by filtering and linking whole groups of them. Linked records can be inspected in detail by double-clicking them either in the linkbox control or the drop-down selector. The ability to link records using filters is integral to creating marketing campaigns, categorizing customers, managing leads, etc.

Hyperlinked data wouldn't be useful without the ability to view and analyze it with ease. While other products require IT-level services for building reports and supporting "complex" columns such as N-N links, our hyperlinking engine allows the user to add link columns to views and to filter and sort on links as if they were ordinary fields. Links also can be used to group and total records in report views. Reports allow users to open each record, manage columns and change filtering and sorting just like regular views do.

While views give insight into fields and links from one table, Selltis "desktops" let users see data in multiple, interlinked views. Selecting a record in one view causes all linked views to refresh automatically, showing linked records. Our "mini-views" layout, which shows multiple views together, is particularly helpful for those who need to keep all related data "in sight, in mind"™. Filtering views by a selected record and date range allows building extensive reporting desktops that give users deep, multi-dimensional insight into their information.

RICH CLIENT ENVIRONMENT

Despite the limitations inherent to a browser-based product, Selltis is well-connected with client-side applications. For users who run Selltis Sales on their PCs, a downloadable setup program installs a web-service-based e-mail link to Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes and Novell Groupwise. An Outlook add-in makes logging received and sent e-mails a single-click operation. Appointments and Contacts also can be synchronized with Outlook, in both directions. For sending correspondence and marketing pieces, Selltis provides template evaluation ("mail merge") using Microsoft Word. Views can be sent easily to Microsoft Excel. Additional links and client-side utilities are planned. Users who are away from their PCs can still send e-mails directly through the server, or they can queue them or any other correspondence or views for sending through their PC.

Please send comments and inquires to info@selltis.com