transformal GmbH:ALI

»ALI« is an abbreviation of the German word »Aufgabenliste«, which means »task list« in English.

The idea of this software product was to develop a generative tool and corresponding method for web applications, supporting highly formalized work procedures.

The project began in September 2006. Applications are operational from June 2009 until 2025.
ALI applications are meant and used as prototyping device for enterprise workflow solutions. The ALI software product is a simplification of systems like Sharepoint.
Until release v1 this was an educational project with, then as students: Robert Anniés, Benny Clauss, Kornelius Kalnbach, Fabian Otto, Joanna Ryćko and Robert Schulze.
Starting with release v14 (RC14) in 2018, product and application development are done in cooperation.

Reference Application

The reference application supports inventory management of promotional material and worldwide online ordering of such material by sales representatives and their office staff. It was implemented to relieve staff from the cumbersome and error-prone use of spreadsheets for the same tasks. It supports inventory management, workflows for warehouse clerks, processing of orders and their shipment to different countries with different legal and documentation requirements, as well as automatic inventory reports, invoices and accounting within the corporation and with suppliers. The combined effort for solution development was two months, spread over a period of six months, with 19 successive versions to refine workflow specifics and the information model for a perfect match. Since it has become operational, on average, 3 refinements or changes come up each year. Each command from a few hours to a few days of work. They are either due to changed organizational procedures, or changed technical operating conditions.

The economics of this application is due to the perfect modeling of work procedures, which are too complex for spreadsheets, and require too much (and expensive) customization of standard office or industry solutions. The approach and its application prevailed against serious competition for more than 15 years.

Product Summary

Task lists

ALI applications allow to manage task lists. Tasks can be linked with each other, filtered and edited. Tasks have a status, which documents them being handled. The status can initiate events, for example the creation of documents or sending email messages.

Small businesses

ALI applications without further ado support several hundred users. Development and operating costs are cost-effective for application scenarios with more than 7 employees and a short run-time of the application. ALI applications can be developed and operated by single individuals, if they have the respective skills and experience.

Modeling

Implementing an ALI application rests on the definition of typical tasks, documents and messages, which together define the relevant work procedures. As opposed to traditional or public web applications, ALI applications understand roles. Users can access specific information the application maintains only according to defined roles.

Generation

The ALI system enables the developer to immediately generate a fully operational application from this model. A key feature of ALI applications is the automatic migration of all data the previous version of the application contained already. Changes of the application are operational immediately, without loss of previously entered data or migration efforts. Therefore even solutions for very detailed work flows can be developed on-the-fly.

The specific disadvantage of model-based development is the high effort for implementing features, that require changes to the model itself.

Profitability

Developing ALI applications happens very fast, changes to them become productive within days. They require an ALI developer, whose training, depending on previous experience, takes one to three months. This is cost-effective for specific and complex workflows of small teams. ALI applications can handle the entire exchange of messages (E-mail) and commercial correspondence (invoices, receipts). Or well established workflows, where customization of standard software products comes along with inappropriate costs. Domains are project management (vs. MS-Project), resource planning (vs. Tenron, Saviom), inventory management and many others.

Excel (Microsoft) and Email

Improvisation tools like spreadsheets are a good starting point for the fast development of an ALI application. It then will have the advantage, that inconsistent data and work procedures are avoided.

Lotus Notes (IBM), Sharepoint (Microsoft)

A prospective ALI developer will need from one to three months to become proficient in modeling, generating and operating ALI applications. They will not require training beyond manuals that come along with the product. Even far-reaching changes of an ALI application, they will then be able to launch at a day's notice.

Features

ALI applications allow a simple navigation of complex data models. They utilize well-known interface elements, that require no training for new users.

Export and Import

ALI applications feature the export, external modification and reimport of selected parts of the data model without vendor interference and by using a non-proprietary data format.

Authentication

ALI applications feature self-registration and approval of unknown users and multilanguage user authentication by email address and password.

Roles and Access Rights

ALI applications features changes of data according to dynamic role-based access rights.

Journal

ALI applications feature a configurable online journal, for all changes to the data model. Using this journal, they can be audited.

Navigation

ALI applications feature quick access to all parts of their data model. They feature efficient browsing of complex data models, sorting of information according to application specific criteria, filtering from user defined deep filtering to application specific predefined filters.

Translation

User perspective: User input can be translated on the fly. Professional work of translators is supported by dedicated dialogues. Authentication, registration, filtering, sorting, exporting and importing, sending emails, generating documents and usage protocols respect multilingualism. Several arbitrary languages can be used as target language.
Developer perspective: Manuals are available in German and English. Other languages can be provided on the licensees request.
Operator perspective: Static text for the user interface can be exchanged on the fly. This then automatically provides a framework for dynamic text. The ALI distribution comes with interfaces in English, German. And with a Finnish interface as an appetizer. Other languages are provided on a licensees request.

Architecture

ALI applications can be used with Internet Explorer since (and including...) Version 6, Firefox since Version 3, Safari since Version 3 and Google Chrome. Platforms. They can be hosted on Mac OS X, on several Linux platforms, FreeBSD 7.1/i386 and virtual platforms. Third Party Components. They require a database management system (MySQL, PostgreSQL, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle). They require an Email system (like sendmail/procmail). As web server Mongrel, Nginx and Apache are supported.

Release history

v16

Scope: Native interface for mobile devices
Indicating missing translations
Click for the German version
Release: July 2020

v14.14

Scope

Updating the release states of all third party components.

To be released: December 2017
Release

February 2018

v14.14.1

Scope: Optimizing the response time of the Search function. Release: January 2019.

v14.15

Scope: Supporting mobile devices with small monitors.
To be released: 2019

v14.1 to v14.13

Scope

Ongoing maintenance. Dispatches:

(Release candidates 12 and 13 are obsolete)

February 20, 2016 (v14 RC11)

March 5, 2015 (RC10)

March 18, 2013 (RC9)

August 27, 2012 (RC8)

February 20, 2012 (RC6 and RC7)

June 9, 2011 (RC5)

March 29, 2011 (RC4)

February 11, 2011 (RC3)

January 3, 2011 (RC2)

November 29, 2010 (RC1)

v14

Scope: Refactorization, with the additional benefit of simplified operating procedures, unified and extended migration features. June 10, 2011.

v13

Scope: View »Statistics« and maintenance, April 20, 2010.

v12.1 to v12.6

Scope: Paging, filter-defined dynamic lists, extended email interface and maintenance. Frequency: monthly. Dispatch: October 20, November 17, December 15, 2009, January 19, February 16 and March 16, 2010.

v12

Scope: Dynamic access rights and maintenance. Dispatch: September 22, 2009.

v11 and v11.1

Scope: Revised event notation and maintenance. Dispatch: August 18 and September 1, 2009.

v10.1 until v10.5

Scope: Maintenance. Frequency: bi-weekly. Dispatch: June 23, June 30, July 7, July 21, August 4, 2009.

v1

Scope: self-registration, dialogs for multilingualism, Internet Explorer 6, attributed reference lists. Dispatch: June 10, 2009.

v1 (Beta)

Scope: Requirements Specification v074 dated November 21, 2006. Plus calendar and time sheet. Dispatch: October 2008