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The EnSite Safari Suite^® Enterprise application was designed with the rapidly changing nature of deregulated energy markets in mind. The application allows unlimited functional extensibility due to the open nature of the application framework and associated component interface API. This architecture allows the application to evolve over time with new integrated components that operate seamlessly in the framework with existing components, including base product components and custom application components for individual clients.

The application architecture also contains a flexible and integrated reporting function to allow reports to be embedded in the application for retrieval by users on the fly. This reporting architecture utilizes the power of Crystal Reports to provide robust reporting features for both printed and electronically distributed reports. The reporting architecture allows administrators to integrate parameter-driven reporting directly in the application for seamless retrieval by users.

Since the application was designed for multi-market extensibility, it contains many configurable settings and options to allow customized processing logic to be applied without the need for custom programming. Similarly, when creating custom components or processing logic specifically based upon client requirements, the application architecture allows this logic to contain dynamic user-configurable parameters as well.

Database/Application Scalability

Data storage scalability is a function of database design and database server performance. The EnSite Safari Suite^® application accommodates data storage scalability with a carefully designed and developed data model combined with the robust platform of Microsoft^® SQL Server on the back end. The EnSite Safari Suite^® database design is normalized (a process that eliminates redundancy, organizes data efficiently, reduces the potential for anomalies during data operations and improves data consistency) and properly indexed, with internal primary keys on all tables, appropriate foreign key relationships, and logical and appropriate database object naming conventions followed. Storage scalability is limited only by the limits of hardware and the Microsoft^® SQL Server platform, which is very robust. There is no practical limit to the number of customer/account records which can be stored in the application. Internal testing has been performed on databases hosting over 1.5 million accounts, with no significant degradation in application performance encountered.

The Microsoft^® SQL Server platform provides integrated connection pooling on the server side to further enhance concurrent user scalability. The result of this design is fast data retrieval for the user, without significant degradation in performance when adding concurrent users.

Processing Load Scalability

The EnSite Safari Suite^® application supports high-volume batch processing for many functions related to data interfaces (EDI, Non-EDI, etc.) and mass calculation routines (Invoice processing, Forecasting, etc.). The application components used in these processes were designed for large-scale application in mass market environments. The design of these components employs the use of limited datasets featuring indexed data retrieval methods, precompiled stored procedures, elimination of table views, and other high-performance database retrieval methodologies. Server-side processing is utilized for data-intensive tasks to leverage the power of the database server.

EnSite Safari Suite^® Scheduler

The EnSite Safari Suite^® application can be used in concert with the EnSite Safari Suite^® Scheduler component to allow unattended execution of any batch processes, such as data imports/exports and other batch functions. This component allows administrative definition of one-time or recurring processing schedules, priorities, and processing parameters. The component runs as a Microsoft^® Windows^® Service application, either on a dedicated application server or a database server, and functions as a virtual user of the application, automating tasks continuously and around the clock. The EnSite Safari Suite^® Scheduler component accesses EnSite Safari Suite^® application business objects directly on the server for high-performance processing.