ValBiz is written in JADE, an object oriented language/database.
Object Oriented databases are the latest generation, superceding relational databases (e.g. Oracle), which superceded hierarchical databases.

JADE is an industry strength client/server language/database created and maintained by Jade Software Corporation (head office in Christchurch, with satellite offices around the world).

It is used in real time 24/7 applications around the world.

Examples include:

English Welsh Scottish Railways – freight and locomotive management using GPS
Skipton Building Society – mortgage/investment management, branch automation, CRM
Fonterra – productivity tools
Australian Federal Police – case management and intelligence system
Port Otago – container management.

JADE 6 server and workstation requirements/limitations:
http://www.jade.co.nz/jade/op_reqs.htm

JADE runs using client/server technology, where the program logic can be designated to run either on the server or on the thin client (small ‘footprint’) workstation.
The default is to run on the server with an ‘app server’, also on the server, which manages screenshots passing between the server and thin client workstations.

The grunty processing is performed on the server and then all that travels between the app server and thin clients are relatively small screenshots in the order of Kilobytes rather than Megabytes.
If you are using the ValBiz database’s own Document and Photo Manager, it will mean that larger packets of information are required to pass between the server and the thin client when viewing/editing/saving documents or viewing/saving pictures. We recommend keeping the resolution of pictures low, e.g. 20-100KB rather than 2-4 MB.

Thin clients connect to the ValBiz database using the fixed IP of the server hosting the ValBiz database and a connecting port. All that is likely to prevent a thin client getting to a running ValBiz database are firewalls and virus software. We can advise if this is an issue.
A ‘remote thin client’ is where the ‘twisted pair wires’ of the network are replaced by the internet/modem. This enables customers to work from home or laptop in the field, and connect to the office multi-user ValBiz database, providing you have internet access.

Headway Systems Ltd offer a hosting service whereby we host your ValBiz database on our servers that are on New Zealand's main fibre optic backbone, and manage the ValBiz updates and backups. You then only require thin client shortcuts on your workstations; no server required.
 

We also promote ‘in the field’ data capture whereby you connect to our server using your own iPad to run the thin client shortcut on our hosting server. This gives the effect of you running ValBiz on your iPad (you are actually just using the iPad to connect to our server) and able to use the neat Apple features such as expanding and reducing the application screen size via finger touch.
We can assist you to set up these iPad connections.

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