Case Studies

Dominion Resources

Nuclear simulation and fuel analysis system

For Dominion Resources, Data Directions created a custom application named "Warden" to improve their nuclear simulation and fuel analysis process. Their original process involved manually editing text files, copying and pasting data into spreadsheets, and stitching together the output from multiple applications from different vendors. This combination made the work tedious, error-prone, and time-consuming. Data Directions worked with Dominion's Nuclear Analysis and Fuel division to identify areas of improvement and opportunities to automate much of the work. The result was the Warden application, which provides a streamlined workflow within a single application. The application builds on top of their existing programs and replaces other tools entirely, cutting down on errors and saving time as well. Warden even implemented new safety measures and improved the efficiency of Dominion's existing peer review process. Since Warden has been introduced, Dominion has begun to identify other internal processes that could benefit from integration and automation in a similar fashion. 

Covington International Travel

Customer Database

Covington International Travel is one of the top 25 U.S. travel management companies as ranked by airline ticket sales, and is regarded as one of the premier travel agencies in the United States. Data Directions, Inc. designed and built a custom application to centralize the modification and storage of customer information. The new system, named Maestro, interfaces to many internal and several external data sources to allow Covington’s travel agents to access their customers’ information from one location. The project started as a feasibility study and progressed to successive stages of analysis, design, coding, and implementation. DDI managed this process and provided the primary technical development and currently supports the application. Maestro has provided Covington with unprecedented ease of access and analytical capabilities for their customer information data.

Appalachian Labs

Water Quality System

Appalachian Labs is a state certified water testing laboratory in Beckley, West Virginia. Primarily servicing the coal industry. Appalachian Labs collects and analyzes water samples to ensure compliance with EPA mandated limits of chemicals and metals from mine runoffs. Data Directions developed a custom application (the Water Quality System) that would assist in the collection, analysis, reporting, and accounting of the water samples tested by Appalachian Labs. Some of the primary benefits afforded Appalachian Labs and their clients by the Water Quality System include:

• Appalachian Lab’s clients have immediate access to their sample results via a secured website.
• Appalachian Lab’s clients are notified automatically if their sample exceeds EPA standards.
• Appalachian Labs sends reports in .pdf format via email to clients instead of printed reports.
• Appalachian Labs can generate the mandated NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) reporting in minutes instead of days.
• Duplicate sample entry into a supporting billing system has been eliminated.
• Formatted interface files are sent to some clients to allow additional historical and trend analysis of the water samples.

Overall the Water quality system reduced data entry effort, allowed greater access for clients to their data, and reduced the effort to create the mandated reports

James River Equipment

Equipment Management System

Data Directions,  designed and developed an Equipment Management System for James River Equipment that operates a network of fourteen John Deere equipment dealerships.

The application tracks and manages heavy equipment inventory from receipt to sales. The primary functions/modules in the application are a powerful search function to identify equipment with specific attributes, a rental module that tracks consumer rental of the equipment, move log processing that tracks the physical location of all equipment, a work order module that tracks the type and cost of work done to each machine, and a sales analysis module that records details of consumer sales.

The application was developed using Visual Studio.Net utilizing C#.Net, VB.Net, XML, Office Excel, and a SQL Server database. The application consists of over 50 tables and uses approximately 75 views, 250 stored procedures, and 25 User Defined Functions. 

United Dominion Realty Trust

Property Book Application

United Dominion Realty owns and manages over 200 apartment complexes across the United States. Data Directions,  designed, developed and implemented an online “Property Book” System that tracks extensive detailed information regarding each apartment complex. Information such as detailed infrastructure type and condition, appliance type and condition, recommendations to hold or sell the complex, budget information, and digital pictures of the property are managed in the application. Before the application was developed, UDR maintained this information in a series of large and unwieldy spreadsheets that were obsolete before they were printed and distributed. The application is hosted on UDR’s Intranet and has built in security that restricts employees to view and modify only the appropriate information for their region of the country and role within the organization. This Property Book application allows UDR immediate access to the type of data that support the requisite analysis for managing and leveraging their property portfolio.

Massey Energy Company

Sales Information System

Massey Energy Company is the 4th largest coal company in the United States and uses an application designed, built, implemented and supported by Data Directions. This application supports the coal sales, shipping, sales accounting and accounts receivable for this large and dynamic organization. This system greatly enhances the automation supporting their coal sales, shipping, and accounting activities providing "cradle to grave" reporting from sales to accounts receivable. The system is robust, highly scalable, and uses an email interface to automate data entry of shipping information, aiding the user community by reducing the need to re-key information. The project was delivered in stages and evolved and grew in scope as new opportunities for sophistication and business needs were identified.