Batch updates at large companies…
Why is it that my clients, most of them relatively small to mid-size manufacturers are interested in and willing to put the money into real time updating of websites and databases, but the "big guys" aren't. I have had occasion lately to notice that some of the larger companies don't update their databases but once a day. Let's take for example, Blockbuster. You return a Blockbuster Online movie to the store, when does it show up as returned, sometime the next day (hint: after their batch upload is run!) that's not too bad and it's understandable. However, What about the shipping out of movies, sometimes I'll get an e-mail saying that my next movie was shipped and boom it's in my mailbox the same day. Do you think that this has to do with the efficiency of the postal service? I think not, I think it's batch updating again. Why, oh why, doesn't Blockbuster have online fulfillment centers? The lack thereof makes no sense to me, but nobody asked, so I guess they don't really care what I say, huh?
BS
BS
posted by blarney stoned at 12:32
2 Comments:
I think it has to do more with necessity than anything. Think about it for a second, Blockbuster is more like a franchise than a large company. The only reason, pre-copy netflix with a little twist, that they transmitted to the central database was to update financials....no need to have that happen real-time especially since most of the business occurs nights and weekend, people doing the financial work don't work those hours. And the accounting information was local, they aren't going to send late notices the second that a movie is late, why spend the extra money on an unneeded feature????? I think it would have gotten shoot down by the board.
Now comes the twist, blockbuster has become a new giant....expanding into a world that they have never dealt with before. They probably do have plans to realize the value of the real-time action, but things take time.
Understand that this is all speculation, and I could very well be wrong. Just figured I'd share some thoughts.
you really do choose the oddest things to rant about...
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