The Value of Continuous Availability for ERP Systems in Offline Data Collection
- Data Collection
- Offline Mobility
If your business uses an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for inventory operations, then you know system uptime is crucial. As the backbone of your supply chain processes, material movements must be recorded in the ERP for financial and efficiency reasons.
Continuity of these inventory operations relies on connectivity to various enterprise software systems, including the ERP.
When ERP connectivity is interrupted, mission-critical activities grind to a halt. Unexpected downtime means loss of productivity and revenue.
Any activities that do take place during periods of downtime aren’t recorded in the system, necessitating rework or manual data entry.
Organizations that operate at high capacity or around the clock can’t afford to wait for enterprise software systems to come back online.
So, to combat downtime due to system connectivity loss, organizations are turning to offline data collection solutions like RFgen’s Continuous Availability. By leveraging data center capabilities for high availability and disaster recovery, these solutions provide redundancy and safeguard applications against outages, ensuring seamless continuity of operations 24/7, 365 days a year, while the ERP system is offline for any reason..
Understanding Continuous Availability
Continuous Availability refers to a technology solution that provides uninterrupted service for supply chain data collection, regardless of ERP connectivity state.
The Continuous Availability solution enables sustained operational activity and rapid recovery from interruptions when connectivity to the ERP system is unavailable due to technical issues, system maintenance, or lack of internet connection to cloud systems.
This way, the workforce can proceed with important activities using data stored through replication and synchronization, even without live communication with the ERP software.
Unlike other, simpler offline solutions, Continuous Availability for RFgen is an advanced robust business continuity technology that proactively increases operational performance, driving competitive advantage.
What is Continuous Availability?
Continuous availability is a critical feature that ensures your ERP system remains operational at all times, even during unexpected disruptions. By combining high availability and disaster recovery solutions, continuous availability guarantees that your applications are always accessible, preventing downtime and data loss.
In the context of vRealize Operations, continuous availability involves separating the cluster into two fault domains. This setup protects the analytics cluster from the loss of an entire fault domain, ensuring that the system continues to function without data loss as long as one node from each node pair is available.
The core of continuous availability lies in the use of primary and replica nodes. The primary node is the active component responsible for collecting and storing data. In the event of a primary node failure, the replica node, which stands by as a backup, takes over as the new primary node. This seamless transition ensures that data collection and storage continue without interruption.
Additionally, continuous availability relies on data nodes and witness nodes. Data nodes are responsible for storing the data collected by the primary node, while the witness node acts as a tiebreaker in case of a network connection loss between the two fault domains. This setup ensures that the system can make informed decisions about which node should take over as the primary node, maintaining business continuity.
Continuous availability is essential for businesses that depend on proprietary IP, e-commerce sites, airport systems, and financial transactions. It ensures that your operations remain uninterrupted, meeting the demands of the always-on economy and delivering on service level agreements (SLAs).
In summary, continuous availability is a vital feature that combines high availability and disaster recovery solutions to ensure maximum uptime. By utilizing primary and replica nodes, data nodes, and witness nodes, it provides robust protection against downtime and data loss, ensuring that your business can continue to operate smoothly even in the face of unexpected disruptions.
How RFgen Continuous Availability works:
ERP Integrations for Continuous Availability Solutions
RFgen Continuous Availability ensures that your inventory operations continue seamlessly even if your facility is disconnected from the ERP system. Analytics nodes are structured and deployed across different fault domains to ensure data integrity and availability in case of node or fault domain failures. This robust system design helps maintain operational efficiency and data accuracy.
ERP Integrations for Continuous Availability Solutions
RFgen Software is the only provider of the Continuous Availability solution, which is available for the following ERP systems:
Explore Other Offline Mobility Solutions
LEARN MORE »Benefits of Continuous Availability for Business Continuity
Continuous Availability provides highly reliable mobile data collection activities 24/7/365 by utilizing node pairs for data synchronization, enhancing system resilience and preventing costly interruptions, delays, and stoppages to the business.
Additional benefits include:
- Seamless business continuity for supply chain operations
- Reduced downtime and productivity loss
- Increased operational performance and throughput
- Enhanced cost control
- Protection of brand and reputation integrity
The Challenge of Remote or Unreliable Connectivity and Primary Node Failure
As an enterprise operation, you are already aware of the connectivity challenges facing your business. Implementing Continuous Availability offers a way to solve these common connectivity scenarios:
- Remote warehouses with unreliable connectivity to the central ERP system
- Locations with periodic or unreliable internet access
- Scheduled or unscheduled connectivity interruptions with cloud-based ERP systems
- ERP downtime for maintenance or technical issues
JIT manufacturing operations with aggressive schedules
Challenges with ERP connection are exacerbated when multiple sites are collecting data. When a data node becomes unavailable, it can disrupt data synchronization and operational resilience, leading to roadblocks in other parts of the supply chain, particularly downstream.
Additionally, industries operating in extreme conditions, such as offshore oil platforms or in far-flung harvesting operations, may find digital data collection especially challenging.
Solving these challenges with an RFgen Continuous Availability solution can alleviate bottlenecks and increase visibility.
The Best Strategies for Effective Offline Inventory Control in the Warehouse
READ NOW »How RFgen Enhances ERP Integrations with Data Nodes
As the backbone of your supply chain operations, your ERP system is the heart of your company’s digital ecosystem. Integrating a Continuous Availability solution can extend the life of your ERP investment.
Normally, when a facility loses communication with the ERP system, any remaining work must be completed outside the system. Later, someone manually updates all the transactions in the system, leading to extra effort and the possibility of human error.
With Continuous Availability for RFgen, automated data collection continues using data replicated from the ERP. The primary node role ensures that operational protocols and failover mechanisms are in place, promoting a primary replica to primary status in case of a primary node failure. When the ERP connection is restored, RFgen intelligently synchronizes the data in the background. It’s as if the connection was never lost at all.
This not only enhances the resilience and reliability of ERP operations but also ensures that data integrity and system functionality are maintained, even during unplanned outages or scheduled maintenance windows.
Manufacturing Guide: Essentials of 24/7 Inventory Visibility
DOWNLOAD NOW »Key Features of RFgen Continuous Availability
As part of RFgen Continuous Availability’s robust offline support, the solution comes with the following features:
- Offline ERP transactions
- Native ERP data replication
- High reliability via resource redundancy (99.9% uptime)
- Intelligent queuing and data submissions
- Backup or synchronize multiple RFgen systems
These features allow data to be collected offline accurately and efficiently, minimizing the risk of data loss or corruption. The RFgen architecture supports diverse operational environments, providing a scalable and flexible solution to meet the unique challenges of each disconnected or off-network scenario.
Real-World Applications and Case Studies
While innovative, Continuous Availability is not an experimental technology. Instead, it is a proven and mature solution already in use by companies around the globe to drive operational excellence. Let’s explore some of these case studies.
(Note: RFgen Continuous Availability was previously called RFgen High Availability.)
National Food Products Company (NFPC)
National Food Products Company (NFPC)
NFPC, a premier food and beverage company in UAE achieved 99.9% inventory visibility with RFgen and Continuous Availability.
Faced with ongoing expansion of its widespread operations, NFPC digitized inventory processes at its facilities and implemented RFgen High Availability (now called Continuous Availability). As a result, the company enhanced continuity of operations with 99.9% system availability and data access.
Trident Seafoods
Trident Seafoods, a national leader in U.S. seafood production, gained efficiency and visibility with Continuous Availability at remote plants.
As a vertically integrated harvester, processor, and marketer, controlling inventory and quality across its operations are vital—but difficult at widely distributed processing plants. Implementing RFgen Continuous Availability helped close the gap and triple overall transaction volume in the company’s JD Edwards ERP system.
Closing the Offline Gap with RFgen Continuous Availability
Today’s supply chain operations move quickly. With the pressing need for quality, speed, and accuracy, pausing work for ERP or connectivity downtime hinders business continuity. To ensure predictability and resilience, companies struggling with connectivity issues must look to specialized solutions like RFgen Continuous Availability to close the gap. Failing to correct for this inefficiency negatively impacts cost and reputation.
If your enterprise uses a major ERP system and wants to connect remote or disconnected operations within your digital environment, reach out to the experts at RFgen Software today.
FAQs
Addressing Common Questions about Continuous Availability
What is “High Availability”?
RFgen High Availability, now called RFgen Continuous Availability, is an innovative offline data collection solution that enables operational continuity during periods with the ERP system is offline or unavailable.
What data does RFgen download from the ERP?
It downloads the latest ERP validation data, ensuring accuracy in offline operations.
Is it suitable for remote countries?
Absolutely. RFgen supports operations in remote locations lacking reliable infrastructure, ensuring inventory control and data synchronization with the ERP system.
How does Continuous Availability differ from Offline Mobility (“Batch” Mode)?
Continuous Availability provides server-side support for continuous operations, unlike Offline Mobility’s “batch mode,” which is a short-term, device-level solution.