Schenker Simplifies Complex Web Application with Nitobi Grid

International logistics and shipping firm, Schenker of Canada Ltd., needed a new resource planning system that would reduce the manual effort and complexity involved in accessing pricing information in its outdated, cumbersome system. Rather than manually transferring information from emails and PDFs to Excel spreadsheets and MS Access databases, Schenker needed an online internal pricing system capable of processing and analyzing large amounts of raw data into clear, concise outputs. Additionally, with more than a thousand regular users around the world needing immediate access to the application and its massive datasets, easy distribution was essential. An Ajax-based, web application would help meet these requirements.

Spreadsheets were an important part of Schenker’s internal processes, so Excel capabilities needed to be integrated into the new web-based pricing system. Schenker Application Specialist, Christian van Eeden considered building complex web forms that would mimic the general appearance of a spreadsheet, but that could result in difficulties separating discrete data and sluggish performance. Instead, van Eeden used Nitobi’s easy to deploy Grid component to mimic Excel spreadsheet behavior, provide copy-and-paste interoperability with Excel, enable real-time communication with the server to commit data to the database, and provide on-demand access to external information.

“With Nitobi’s help we created an ‘Excel on the web’ feel to the application. It was great to finally have some advanced tools that use all that Ajax has to offer. Our first rollout was on Monday, and I am getting some good feedback from users,” said van Eeden. “I’ve always been impressed with the degree of performance and efficiency within the Nitobi code base. I look forward to using the new components and being able to write my own within the new framework,” he said.