“OCIE” Online Data Storage and Retrieval: Knowledge Management System
“The system is designed to acquire the data at the OCIE server, process it, and send the information back to the browser to view the results.”
For years we have all heard the promise of the “paperless office.” The reality seems to be that we generate more documentation and paper all the time, and even modern streamlined loan files require paper backup and signed documentation.
OCIE is an integrated hardware and software enterprise report management solution that enables online viewing, archiving, data mining, and research.
OCIE stands for Online Computer Information Exchange, and represents a modern practical application of network based online storage technology as it now exists and how it can help the medium to small size enterprise retrieve data and quickly analyze it into reports. It is specifically oriented towards retrieving report data and allowing rapid access and analysis of this data. OCIE is provided by Donnell Systems of South Bend, Indiana. It lets you automate data research and fill spreadsheets with data retrieved in a few seconds. This allows your enterprise to move your data from mainframes and other sources to an offsite data warehouse for archiving, while maintaining an onsite OCIE provided server to store data and reports as generated by the system. Data is maintained at the customer’s site on OCIE provided magnetic media, and copies are compressed and sent to the OCIE technical center.
The system is designed to acquire the data at the OCIE server, process it, and send the information back to the browser to view the results. This client/server application practically limits the amount of bandwidth required, since relatively little is required to actually transmit the output from the server to the client workstation and its associated browser.
Data can be provided to the OCIE server by any of a common number of formats used by enterprises and can be brought in by LAN, WAN, intranet, or the Internet. It employs client/server technology from Sun Microsystems.
The OCIE Java Edition provides a standard front-end interface across all platforms and allows for online viewing and data mining over any network or the Internet. A report annotation feature, OCIE-notes, allows users to create and view sticky notes linked for an entire report or particular line or page in a report. This tool automatically logs username, data, and time to create a trail of history on these comments. OCIE-notes are secure at the report level. Viewing notes on a report is restricted to only those users with security permission to view that particular report.
An ancillary product to the basic retrieval system is called Data Digger, a report mining and refining tool. Data Digger allows even non-technical users to extract report data in various friendly, usable formats for export into common applications, including Oracle, Sybase, Access, Excel, and Crystal Reports. As Donnell says in its own literature, “Data Digger can effortlessly scour mountains of data to unearth intelligent value.” OCIE is not just a remote data repository. It enables highly sophisticated data analysis, one of its key features to the large enterprise customer.
Any larger mortgage operation can readily appreciate the problem. Once files are closed and archived, how do you run reports and analyses on the data contained within? From this it is just a small step to complete online storage and retrieval of an entire loan file, with its required scanning of documents and signatures. OCIE does not pretend to provide the latter function (at least not yet), but the issue of rapid data storage and retrieval of archived information is readily solved by this online data storage system.
OCIE returned to magnetically based storage technology, but uses high speed disk drives similar to those in all desktop computers-but actively online and slaved together to provide high-speed access. This system of hard disk drives can provide typical access times, which are two to three times as fast as optically based storage systems.
OCIE allows the organization to offload its entire databases of production, underwriting, and servicing data, and quickly analyze this data via a network or Internet connection. The user can access this data a number of ways, including private dedicated data links, dial up connections, or via the Internet (the preferred, inexpensive alternative). Above all, OCIE is clearly designed around obtaining its information via a browser, in lieu of a dedicated front-end program. As we have all been seeing, the Internet browser itself is becoming the de facto standard front-end for any number of technology processes in the business. OCIE provides several versions of its program to allow access of the data but the obvious choice is the Java-based Web application.
OCIE eliminates other more mechanical solutions and provides a viable solution to the enterprise needing assistance with its data management and report generation requirements.
Program Overview
Name: OCIE (Online Computer Information Exchange)
Features: · Offsite archival storage
· Advanced reporting and analysis
· Data mining and research
Price:
OCIE is licensed by organization, server, and concurrent user. There is a one-time charge for each item loaded to OCIE and each item can then be viewed simultaneously by as many authorized users as needed.
OCIE’s scalable, client/server architecture accommodates a wide range of enterprises, from moderate to massive. Modest users loading a monthly volume of 100,000-200,000 report pages may expect a monthly OCIE application service fee under $1,500.
by Stephen Breden