The article makes the case for the use of Program Generators in producing software for the Hotel and Catering Industr

McDonnell, Ciaran

O\u27Connor, Peter

Arrow@TUDublin

Technological University Dublin ARROW@TU Dublin Conference papers Digital Media Centre 1992-01-01 A Case for the use of Application Generators in the Creation of Software for the Hotel Industry Peter O'Connor Technological University Dublin Ciaran McDonnell Technological University Dublin, cmdonnell@tudublin.ie Follow this and additional works at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/dmccon  Part of the Databases and Information Systems Commons, Hospitality Administration and Management Commons, and the Technology and Innovation Commons Recommended Citation O'Connor, P. & McDonnell, C. (1992) A case for the use of application generators in the creation of software for the hotel industry. IMHCI Conference, Manchester, UK, 5-9 August. This Conference Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Digital Media Centre at ARROW@TU Dublin. It has been accepted for inclusion in Conference papers by an authorized administrator of ARROW@TU Dublin. For more information, please contact yvonne.desmond@tudublin.ie, arrow.admin@tudublin.ie, brian.widdis@tudublin.ie. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License A Case For The Use Of ApplicationGenerators In The Creation Of Software ForThe Hotel Industry.Peter O'ConnorB.Sc. (Mgmt), M.Sc., H. Dip.in H & C Mgmt, MIHCI,LICS.Ciaran McDonnellB.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. (Comp Science), MICSResearch SupervisorDepartment Of Computing and InformationTechnology, Dublin College Of Catering.Current Practice In The Irish Hotel Industry.Recent research has shown that the Irish hotelindustry has become relatively computerised1.Nearly 90% of the hotels surveyed now usecomputers of some sort in their day-to-dayoperations, with approximately half of the systemshaving been installed in the year prior to thesurvey.The most commonly computerised function was BackOffice accounting - debtors, creditors, generalledger and payroll systems - with 87% of hotelssurveyed using computers in this area. FrontOffice systems, whose normal functions are tohandle advanced reservation, register the guest,and to maintain house status and guest folios2,were used in 47% of hotels. Stock ControlPackages, which assist in purchasing, storing andissuing stock3, were used to control drink stocksin 61% of cases, and food stock in 50%.The ProblemThe survey revealed dissatisfaction with many ofthe software packages in use in hotels. Themajority of the complaints have two basic causes:Firstly/ the software in use was mostly of an off-the-shelf nature - it was designed with the needsof the industry as a whole in mind and is thusgeneral in function and methods of operation4. Thisleads to several problems. Some packages do notmeet the data storage needs of some users, havingto be supplemented by manual systems. For example,many hotels have to store reservation informationconcerning extra beds and cots manually as theirFront Office systems cannot be modified toincorporate the extra information. Others usemethods of operation which are not suited to theneeds of the industry. For example, some stockcontrol packages were originally developed for usein other industries. Such systems are unable totake into account hotel industry-specific factorssuch as deteriorating food quality during storageand shrinkage during cooking. In many cases, themanual procedures used by the hotel have had to bemodified to allow for the limitations of thesoftware product.Managers in the industry feel that instead ofmaking life simpler and more efficient, theintroduction of the computerised system makes itmore difficult5.Secondly, modifications which could more closelymatch the program to a client's needs - therebysolving some of the above problems - appear to bedifficult and costly to obtain. For example, thesemodifications must be carried out by skilledprogrammers and can normally involve a long time-delay. The leading supplier of hotel and cateringsoftware to the Irish hotel and catering industryestimates that it will spend the next three yearsservicing existing installations before it canbegin to develop new systems. In addition, suchmodifications can introduce inconsistencies whichmake the software "brittle" and ultimatelyunreliable6.As the existing software packages have suchproblems, the obvious answer would appear to be tohave all new software package custom written tomeet the needs of a particular hotel from theoutset. In this way, the hotel's exactrequirements are met and the system interfacesperfectly with existing manual procedures.The normal approach to such a development has beento use traditional programming languages, such asBASIC or OCBOL. (Indeed BASIC, in one of its manyflavours, has been used to develop all thesoftware produced by the main supplier of softwareto the Irish hotel and catering industry.) Aspecification definition is drawn up from theneeds and the program code is written from this byprogrammers over a period of time. A furtherperiod is spent testing and debugging the code toensure that the package actually works and matchesthe specification7.There are well-documented problems with thisdevelopment process. Firstly, such software isexpensive as all the costs of development must beborne by the purchaser. Secondly, even where auser "knows" exactly what he requires the softwarepackage to do, there may be problems in practicein successfully communicating these requirementsto the Systems Analyst / Programmer8.Lastly, even with all other things going well,there may be a significant time lag between theprogram's specification and its implementation.During this delay, the user's requirements maychange, resulting in applications which areobsolete before they are even implemented9.The Solution?This article proposes that more effective softwarecould be produced using application generators.There is no one definition of an applicationgenerator. Instead, it is held to be a collectionof related tools and facilities which togetherallow the creation of software applicationswithout the use of conventional programminglanguages10. These facilities include a relationaldatabase for the storage of data, a formsgenerator for the creation of data entry screensand a report generator for the creation of reportsbased on the information stored in the tables ofthe database.The process of creating an application using anapplication generator differs greatly from moretraditional approaches, as can be seen from figureone. Using traditional or third generationprogramming languages, the computer must beinstructed how to perform each individual actionnecessary to complete a process. However, when anapplication generatoris used, the computer need only be told what is tobe done, using a relatively simple menu driveninterface (such as the Control Centre in DbaseIV), and it will generate the step by Stepinstructions to carry out the task itself.Naturally the possibilities for errors and thedevelopment time for an application are greatlyreduced as a result11.Application generators cannot be used to create everytype of program. They are, however, most useful increating what could be referred to as "businesssystems" (Figure two) - _ systems where data isinputted, processed in various ways, stored in boththe raw and the processed states and output inresponse to requests from the user.A research project was undertaken in the Dublin CollegeOf Catering to determine the feasibility of creatinghotel related software. Initially a prototype FrontOffice system was created using a variety ofapplication generator-like tools. The applicationgeneration tools which proved most suitable were thenused to successfully create an integrated suite ofhotel software packages including a Front OfficeSystem, a Hotel Accounting System, a Stock ControlPackage, a Recipe Costing System and a Conference /Banqueting System. These are of a standard comparablewith commercially available packages but have theadvantage of flexibility in that they can be easily andsuccessfully modified to take different userrequirements into account.Using application generators also has other advantagesover traditional methods:Firstly the use of application generators can solve therequirements identification and definition problemnoted earlier, as the flexibility of the applicationgenerator allows the specification to be changed, bothduring and after development. Therefore incorrectlydefined or changed requirements can be corrected, thus,in most cases, reducing the danger of obsolesence.Secondly, a prototyping approach can be used to makethe above-mentioned flexibility more effective.Applications are quickly developed - thereby reducingthe time delay - and can subsequently be adapted totake changing requirements into account. This has afurther advantage in that the user quickly sees thelook of the completed application and the manner inwhich it will behave13. The user can apply his industryspecific knowledge to the prototype and changes can beincorporated if necessary, making the resultingsoftware package more useful, efficient andeffective14.The amount of technical knowledge necessary to modifyapplications is also greatly reduced15. While it wouldgenerally be beyond the capabilities of a "normal"manager to carry out modifications to an applicationusing a traditional programming language, it should bepossible for a computer literate manager to customisean application created using an application generatorby, for example, creating new reports as informationneeds change. In this manner, the manager's changinginformation needs are satiated as old reports can bemodified and new reports created whenever required.ConclusionThe two methods of purchasing computer software - off-the-shelf and custom written - have proven to beunsatisfactory in the Irish hotel industry. Softwarepurchased using the former method is too general innature and is difficult to modify to more closelymatch users' needs. On the other hand, use of thelatter method is costly and still does not guaranteeeffective software packages.The use of Application Generators is suggested as asolution. These allow certain types of softwarepackages to be created quickly and cheaply.Furthermore, these packages are flexible and can bemodified easily whenever necessary to take intoaccount changing user requirements.Biographical Note:Peter O’Connor originally trained and worked in hotelmanagement. Winner of the P.V. Doyle Post-Graduateresearch scholarship, he completed a Masters Degree inthe area of Application Generators applied toinformation systems in the hospitality industry. Hecurrently lectures in Computer applications in theDublin College of Catering.Ciaran McDonnell has worked within the computer industry, and education for twenty years. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and has worked for the past eight years at the Dublin College of Catering as Head of Computing and Information Technology. References:1. 0'Connor, Peter, "The Use Of Micro-ComputerBased Program Generators In The Design AndCreation Of Information Systems For The Irish HotelAnd Catering Industry", M.Sc. Thesis, University OfDublin, 1991.2. Gamble Paul R., "Small Computers And HospitalityManagement", Hutchinson, 1984.3. Mitchell, Ian D, Phipps, Diana K. and AustinElaine, "The HOTECH Directory", Oxford Polytechnic,Vol. 2, No. 1, January 1989.4. Durbin, G., "Off The Rack: The Case ForPackaged Systems", Information Strategy: TheExecutive's Journal, Summer 1987, pp 11-15.5. O’ Connor, Peter, "The Use Of MicroComputer Based Program Generators In TheDesign And Creation Of InformationSystems For The Irish Hotel AndCatering Industry", M.Sc. Thesis,University Of Dublin,19916. McFadden F. and Discenza R., "ConfrontingThe Software Crisis", Business Horizons,November / December 1987, pp 68-747. 0’Donnell D.J. and March S.T., "End userComputing Environments – Finding a BalanceBetween Productivity and Control", Informationand Management, No. 13, 1987, pp 77-84.8. Dos Santos, B.L., "MIS Project Management:A Contingency Approach", Management Decisions,Vol. 26, No. 6, pp 22-28.9. Meng C.E., "Prototyping, Participativeand Phenomenological Approaches to InformationSystems Development", Journal Of SystemsManagement, 12 August 1987, pp 12-5.10. Hamilton R., "Fourth Generation LanguagesAnd End Users - DP Management Attitudes",Industrial Management And Data Systems, No. 1, 1989,p13.11. Chang-Yang Lin, "User-FriendlyApplications Development In A RelationalDatabase Environment", Journal Of SystemsManagement, Spring 1988, pp 45-8.12. McLoughlin B and Keane D, "FourthGeneration Languages - Fact or Fiction", IrishComputer, June 1987, pp 35-37.13. Matos V.M., Misra S.k. and Jalics P.J.,"End-User Criteria For Selecting FourthGeneration Report Generators", Journal OfSystems Management, September 1989, pp 28-32.14. Sprague R.H., Jr. and McNurrin B.C.,"Information Systems Management In Practice",2nd edition, Prentice Hall, USA, 1989 p 266.15. Matos V.M., Misra S.k. and Jalics P.J.,"End-User Criteria For Selecting FourthGeneration Report Generators", Journal Of SystemsManagement, September 1989, pp 28-32.

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A Case for the use of Application Generators in the Creation of Software for the Hotel Industry

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A Case for the use of Application Generators in the Creation of Software for the Hotel Industry

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