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The MetaFi Server forms the core of the solution and includes Web Services, Application logic, Database Schemas and UI Applications. All of these components are consumed by the MetaFi Console but can also be made available to customers for consumption by ERP, Accounting, Inventory Management and other commercial or proprietary back-end systems. |
UI Applications
UI Applications present the web user interface to the users of the system, including the administrators configuring the system and the managers and employees using the system. The MetaFi Console utilizes this component to deliver comprehensive and centralized monitoring of inventory levels. The UI can also be easily changed through Cascading Style Sheets to meet the needs of a custom look and feel while operating with the MetaFi Web Services.
Web Services
Web Services are comprised of seven backbone services that coordinate the configuration, entity and location data caching and persistence as well as the policy engine, events and actions. The Web Services maintain their respective database tables and employ opportunistic caching of data reads by the MetaFi Agents, the MetaFi Console and by third-party applications. Third-party customer applications can interact with MetaFi Web Services to create or react to Actions, Policies and Events in order to create a full life cycle process for inventory monitoring.
For instance, an authorized customer could integrate their Inventory Management system with the MetaFi Action Service so that each time the inventory levels of specific products at a specific location fall below a certain threshold (working in conjunction with the MetaFi Policy Engine), a tailored ‘Product Re-order’ event is generated by MetaFi and sent directly to the Inventory Management system. A customer might also integrate their point of sale system with MetaFi so that each time a product is purchased a tailored ‘Product Purchased’ event is sent into MetaFi so that the inventory levels can be reconciled against products that are actually on the shelf and a warning event can be generated for any items that have been removed but not purchased.
External APIs
External APIs are REST APIs used with adapters to facilitate the integration of Web Services with third-party systems.