From initial analysis to installation we offer a full professional service including user training and ongoing support. Our database consultants have considerable industry experience gained over many years, working with small businesses to international organisations.

Previous projects have included client contact management applications, task management, stock control, management of data collected from automated internet research tools. Data sets range from a few hundred records to tens of millions of records. With all our projects the design of an efficient, robust, flexible data structure is a high priority.

A custom developed database can be an effective and economic solution where:

• The organisation’s administrative requirements are not entirely met by an ‘off the shelf’ package, or the requirements frequently change requiring a more flexible solution
• The organisation’s requirements can only be met by using multiple 'incompatible' packages resulting in increased data management costs, discrepancies between diverse systems and reduced options for organisation wide analysis
• The organisation would benefit from having flexible access to data for export, reporting and analysis
• Where the number of users is likely to grow to a point that licensing an off the shelf package will become prohibitively expensive

Topline also provide an analysis and development service up to the point of producing a detailed specification document for the client to put out for tender or development by the client’s contractors. This document can, if required, include guidance regarding the type of developer(s) that would be most appropriate to produce the system.

This service can be helpful to organisations that:

• Need to establish the approximate cost of development prior to committing expenditure
• Intend to contract out development but lack the in house time or skills to develop a sufficiently detailed specification for a developer to work from
• Are required to obtain multiple quotations for projects
• Would like an independent view from someone other than those quoting for the development

Data Conversion

Topline provide a data conversion service between formats and platforms which are not directly compatible. If a conversion tool is not available we can where necessary develop tools and conversion routines for specific tasks.

This service can be provided as:

• One off migration of data into a new environment
• Regular service for batch conversion of data
• Automated tool to reside on the client's systems
• Automated tool to reside on a Topline application server. In this scenario the client’s system can be set to deliver data to our server which will convert the data, leaving the result available for upload or delivery back to the client’s system