What does it mean to have a Windows system if the database behind it keeps quitting? For ATRON Electro Industries Inc., a medium-sized, Toronto-based manufacturing company, it meant profits were being flushed down the toilet. The lighting and bathroom accessories manufacturer's database had corrupted files and frequently locked applications, leading to numerous slowdowns and frequent late shipments. "The most important part of our business is the relationship with our major trading partners," explains Bill King, ATRON president. "They require shipments to be prompt and without errors or we are penalized with a steep fine." The problems were clearly creating trouble between the business and its customers, so ATRON consulted with CA-Plus Business Solutions, Inc., a Toronto-based business solutions firm.

CA-Plus helped ATRON search for a reliable database solution that would help the company reduce its shipment errors. The chosen system also had to maintain its reliability and stability even when in use by several concurrent users. When CA-Plus showed ATRON the features of Microsoft® BackOffice® and a Microsoft SQL Server™ 7.0 database, ATRON knew it had found the best solution.

SQL Server was ideal for ATRON because it reserves a portion of hard-drive capacity solely for SQL Server applications, reducing the likelihood of disk errors and system crashes and creating overall database stability. And SQL Servers rollback features let users retrieve data if errors do occur during transactions, which gives ATRON's IT department an easy method for restoring data.

ATRON now has six users who run SQL Server applications on a single server. In addition, more than 70 employees work using the Microsoft BackOffice platform.

CA-Plus integrated ATRON's SQL Server database and ACCPAC accounting software with ATRON's Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) package - MISys/2000 Manufacturing - and the company's Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) package - EDISoft. This integration increased ATRON's transaction processing speed and enabled flexible report generation. "CA-Plus's introduction to these products has been a major contributor to the success of our business," says King. That's because, he explains, the stability of the database alone has saved ATRON approximately $10,000 per month in late shipment penalties. In a four-month period, King says, "the savings in late shipment charges alone pays for the total cost of ownership of all business-related applications. The fines are basically non-existent now." In addition, with increased operating reliability, ATRON has strengthened its relationships with its clients and has increased sales.