The Advantage System is an YPA ELITE compliant Yellow Pages Order Processing System with additional modules for client billing, accounts payable and dealer solicitations. Advantage began as a legacy system nearly 20 years ago and has evolved into a client/server-based system utilizing many different technologies. Users communicate with Advantage through their Local Area Network or over the internet.
The Advantage server component runs on a Windows 2000/2003 server that has Internet Information Services installed. Advantage does not require a third party database system (like Oracle). All data resides in ISAM files located on the server computer. Advantage programs can interact with relational databases such as Microsoft SQL Server via ODBC. Additionally, the Advantage System has the capability to produce XML documents.
The Advantage client component is a Visual Basic program that operates on computers running Windows 98SE and above with Internet Explorer installed. The client program uses the standard, freely available Microsoft Visual Basic run-time files.
All reports created on Advantage use Crystal Reports software and can be converted into a number of formats including Excel and Acrobat (PDF). The Crystal Reports viewer in the Advantage client program allows the user to (pre)view and print a report to any printer.
Dealer Solicitations can either be printed or e-mailed. Advantage has worked with many of our clients to create ASP web sites that dealers can use to view current advertising and respond to solicitations on-line regarding Yellow Pages advertising they may want placed. Depending upon the interfaces used, data can be shared between Advantage and external web sites in near real time.
The Advantage System is being offered to the CMR community in two ways - as a "Stand Alone" system or as a "Service Bureau" approach. With the Stand Alone, we can set up the Advantage System to operate on your hardware and server network giving you all the system's features and in-house data control (ELITE transmissions, etc.). Software maintenance would be handled remotely and any system upgrades will be uploaded automatically to your server via the internet. With the Service Bureau approach, you would access Advantage remotely from your offices to our computer center in Atlanta, Georgia, and we would be responsible for all data processing functions, ELITE transmissions and system maintenance, both hardware and software.
Either way, whether your requirements call for a "Stand Alone" or "Service Bureau" approach, you can count on Advantage to deliver. Why choose anything else?
