All remote workstations of the CBS are used for provision of services to customers. With minimal functionality every remote workstation shall allow to enter documents and send them to bank. It is also desired to get immediate reporting, for example, current balances on accounts of customers that use services of this workstation. And the best functionality of such workstation shall allow to perform all possible bank operations.
The most simple way to organize such workstations is terminal access. With minimal requirements to transmission capacity (from 9600 baud) terminals provide full functionality of bank. Natural requirement for such terminals is permanent connection to bank during the whole period of work. Of course, there are different ways of organization of such remote workstations on the basis of the idea of terminal access. The logical limit of this diversity of methods is operating management of bank database and performance of real operations directly on the main server of bank. In CBS Scrooge this solution is called «replicating subdivision» because it is organized on the basis of mechanism of conditional transactional replication of data of SQL server.
It is enough to have one computer with Microsoft Windows Workstation + MSDE to organize a small remote workstation following the «replication scheme». Simplicity of such solution, however, implies serious requirements to transmission capacity of channel. Usually it is not less than 19200 baud for terminal solution (required capacity shall be determined by developers of terminal software) and not less than 33600 baud for «replication scheme». It is commonly assumed that in case of direct access to CBS servers the lower threshold of transmission capacity is 64 Kbit.
In case of disconnection from CBS servers full-functional work of such solutions is impossible. That is their second disadvantage. If you use direct access and terminal solutions disconnection will stop all the operations. replication scheme allows only to read existing data.
Organization of remote workstation on the basis of local database is used to get rid of disadvantages of direct work with CBS servers. In the simplest case this involves preparation (entry) of payment documents without connection to CBS servers and transmission of prepared data packet after connection. Such technologies are widely used. For example the majority of «Client-Bank» systems is based on this idea.
When we try to create a fully functional workstation we face with network problems and organization of more complicated workstations, for example, interest accrual or work with foreign exchange cash. Of course, CBS used by bank has such workstations. But to apply same technologies on remote workstation we need to install the full-size CBS of bank or to redevelop all these applications for software installed on remote stations. If application installed on remote workstation is not bank's CBS we will need an administrator (technologist) to maintain this software.
For fully functional autonomous work we have to solve a range of technological tasks. First of all we shall allocate a range of numbers to all subdivisions for creation of new objects. Otherwise we will have regular troubles with new accounts having same number. For example, we will have to decide what to do with different accounts having same number opened for depositors by different subdivisions and what to do with agreements and positive amounts on these accounts.
Requirements to transmission capacity of channels for solutions based on local database will depend on volumes of data exchange between bank and subdivision.
Possible ways of organization of remote workstation:
A logical recommendation comes from the above approach: when you select method for organization of remote workstation focus on local network. Where it is possible develop bank network infrastructure. This provides many advantages, for example, enables transparent integration of remote subdivisions to unified internal document processing system. Also this allows to organize remote workstations on the basis of off-line technologies or use most simple means, for example, software based on Client-Bank technology, or organize fully functional workstations with same requirements as for a new full-size branch. It will be natural to apply software that is used by bank. This approach allows to take advantage of 100% of bank's functionality and apply 100% of new technologies implemented by bank at remote outlets. In CBS Scrooge the way of organization of such workstations is called «Autonomous Outlet»
