Our interfaces fall into two basic categories:

• Direct Connect Interfaces
  • Direct Connect Interfaces are created when a client has an ERP that sits on top of an SQL database and we can establish an ODBC connection to that database, then we can create a Direct Connect interface where the user just sets the date they want to process and the interface issues read-only queries directly against the underlying data and then uses the results of those queries to create the ADP upload files for Periodic, Monthly and Quarterly purposes as necessary. Using Direct Connections to the underlying data, will reduce the number of steps for a user and have more of a integrated feel. However, this interface type is slightly more expensive and can be affected by upgrades to the ERP database.

• Discrete Export Interfaces
  • Discrete Export Interfaces are created when a client’s ERP does not have a way for us to connect directly to the underlying data or if a client prefers to not allow direct connections. In those situations, we must rely on export files created either using standard reports provided by the ERP or custom reports if the ERP has a custom report builder. Users of our interface then select the files needed for each type of ADP upload file, chooses the processing dates and then the interface imports the selected files, extracts the needed data and creates the ADP upload files with the extracted data. Data cannot be extracted from PDF files, but most other formats are acceptable including Excel, CSV, Tab Delimited, etc. This interface type is usually less expensive to create since we are working with a finite data set and as long as the file format remains the same, the underlying data can change frequently without necessarily requiring upgrades to the interface.