| Analysis |
| Is ad-hoc or dynamic drilling available? |
| Dynamic drilling is available in Dashboards and Analysis, and all attributes are drillable. |
| Can business users create their own charts, graphs and reports? |
| Yes. The Dashboard builder tools are based on familiar Excel features and any experienced Excel user can easily create their own charts, graphs and reports which will then be automatically refreshed by Velocity as data is updated. |
| Data |
| What level of detail can your system handle? Does it just take summary data or does it load store-level detailed data by item? |
| Velocity collects the most "granular" detailed data and stores them in its universal demand database. Although we encourage you to load store-level, item-level data whenever possible, many retailers to not provide it and Velocity will take whatever they send. This enables users to add calculations, change time frames, etc. without having to load multiple sets of summarized POS data. |
| How long does it take to process POS data from the retailer? |
| It can take only a couple minutes for a small number of items or chain-level data up to 2 - 3 hours if you sell thousands of items to a retailer who has thousands of stores. While processing POS data, Velocity is still available to users for reporting on the rest of the data. |
| When are data files processed to update the total database? |
| The data can be imported whenever you would like to have it processed, as long as it has arrived from your customers. Typically, EDI data processing is scheduled to run after your main system receives 852 files from your customers or your VAN (usually Sunday night or Monday morning). Velocity's processing is not date or time dependent. |
| Can new measures or fields be added to the data warehouse and used immediately? |
| Yes. Velocity allows you to append additional measures for reporting and additional user fields for item and store information. There is no limit to the number you can add. |
| Can data be accessed over the internet? |
| Data can be accessed from the Web using Dashboards or you can print/export reports to files, then copy them to a Web or ftp server for the field personnel to download. |
| Reporting |
| Can reports be scheduled and distributed automatically? |
| Yes, Velocity clients can generate reports on a specific schedule and distribute them based on specific store attributes. For instance, merchandising regions can be established and specific out-of-stock reports can be easily distributed for each merchandising region. |
| Are there exception and event alerts? |
| Exception conditions can be built into reports so you can receive only what needs attention and used to alert users. Event driven alerts, such as the arrival of new data or a problem condition can be distributed via email or text message. |
| Are standard reports included? Does the Report Center contain reports to support specific business processes based upon POS data? |
| RC does contain reports that support specific business processes such as out-of-stock alerts (both proactive and 'real-time'), high/low sales trend exceptions, no sales with inventory alerts, promotional/ad effectiveness analysis, SSO recommendations plus numerous decks of sales, logistics and marketing based reports. A best-practices report library is included. |
| Is there a report writer and, if so, what is its ease-of-use? |
| Velocity's Report Center (RC) provides standard and ad hoc report writing capabilities. It is designed to give an easy-to-use interface for all levels of users without sacrificing the needed sophistication demanded by power users. All reports are exportable to .xls, .pdf, .html and .txt formats. |
| Can users create custom groups of products or stores that can be reported against on a regular basis? |
| Yes, custom "filter groups" can be formed from any combination of retailers, items, stores, and dates. The filter groups can be shared across reports. Each user can have their own filter groups and there can also be "public" filter groups that are shared by all users. |
| Is it possible to create store-specific orders using send and omit traits? |
| Yes. Velocity archives specific send and omit traits by store in order to efficiently and accurately filter in and out the appropriate stores from the SSO process. Typically, key trait numbers are identified for download via Retail Link and archived in Velocity. These traits are then used to filter the appropriate stores out of or into any SSO calculation process. |
| Can reports be published to the web? |
| Yes. Reports can be published as PDF, Word, Excel, or HTML. They can be posted to websites, e-mailed to users, or linked from the dashboards. |
| Can users share self-made reports and templates with others? |
| Yes. Velocity's Report Center can package up 'Libraries' that can be shared across the user community. These libraries contain report templates and reports that include hierarchies, filters and any other setting associated with the report. |
| Is it possible to add comments to reports? |
| Yes. Dynamic text can be created in reports to note when specific conditions are met or exceptions are identified. For instance, you could have 'OOS' appear in the report when an out-of-stock appears at a store and highlight the value. |
| Can multiple fiscal calendars be accommodated? |
| Yes. Velocity can handle a different calendar for every retailer as well as your own corporate calendar. You can also identify the ending day of week, fiscal year type, and last fiscal month of the year. Velocity will calculate the fiscal day, week, and month numbers within a year and match them to prior years so you can do year over year comparisons. |
| Can fields be eliminated from pre-defined screens? |
| Columns in data grids can be selected or hidden. |
| Exporting |
| Can Velocity export outside of the system to Excel with all formats and formulas displayed? |
| Yes, all Velocity reports can be exported into Excel in any of several formats. Alternately, it can be staged into Excel either through the V-query tool or the Report Centers export function and be made accessible via Pivot Tables and Charts. Once the template is built within Excel, Velocity will automatically refresh the spreadsheet as new data is loaded. |
| Can Velocity export to other file formats? |
| Yes, all Velocity reports can be exported in PDF, TXT, RTF, XLS or HTML formats. |
| Support |
| What are the procedures for requesting enhancements to Velocity? |
| We often receive accept enhancement requests, which you can submit to the account manager assigned to your account or to our technical support staff. This has been an important source of features for Velocity over the years. Small modifications that do not conflict with other customer sites are often scheduled into our development process and may appear in an upcoming "minor" version or a major release. We do not charge for these. Large modifications or significant "add-ons" can be implemented through our consulting services. |
| How often are new versions of the software released? |
| Major versions (x.0) are released every 1-2 years. Minor versions or "patches" are released approximately 1-2 times a month. |
| Is user documentation provided? |
| Electronic (PDF) versions of all manuals are delivered with the software and updated with each new release and update. On-line help is also provided from all programs for every screen, menu pick, and field. |
| What types of User Training are available? |
| On-site user training is most widely used by our customers. We can also provide remote training through Live Meeting or training at our facility in Michigan. Our annual Users Conference is another way to obtain training and information about new features and upcoming releases. |
| What types of Technical Training offerings are available? |
| Our standard training classes are: Administrator training (business oriented administration), general user training, report center training, and advanced report center training. We can also provide custom designed training to meet your needs for both users and IT staff. |
