BRMS is an enterprise-wide application that lets your entire organization use a standard Web browser to run your licensing business. You use a standard--there's no client-side installation and it's scalable, flexible, and fast, regardless of how many people are using the system. BRMS is secure, real-time, licensing and brand management software. It automates all aspects of your licensing and brand management business and is designed to minimize costs and maximize revenues. BRMS serves brand owners, licensees, retailers, and related businesses with fast, effective, and secure mechanisms for creating contracts, managing the product approval process, reporting sales data and royalties, and reporting and analyzing sales data.
BRMS is flexible, modular, and extensible. The system is composed of a Central Administration module which coordinates and monitors all of the functions performed by the other component modules. BRMS is an Internet application and uses the inherent functionality of the browser as part of its intuitive user interface. BRMS has a proprietary data structure that is optimized for internal performance and scalability. It doesn't natively interface with legacy systems but Notara Professional Services can provide custom middleware to handle the exchange of data between BRMS and any legacy systems currently in place.
BRMS uses the power of the Internet to remove the barriers between people and information. You can innovate and share ideas and resources in real-time. With BRMS, you can respond to opportunities more quickly, accelerate product approval cycles, and improve relationships with your customers and partners. BRMS transforms a networked organization into a hyperlinked organization. It is designed to run on the Web and only on the Web and consumes minimal resources on your local machine. You can access the BRMS server from any standard Web browser. BRMS servers are Web-based and open-architected for easy administration, scalability, and deployment.
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On the client desktop, BRMS is a pure, browser-based software application. It requires no specialized hardware or software components other than a standard desktop computer with a Java-compatible browser. For best performance and results, use the following recommended components.
* With standard browsers, BRMS uses 40-bit encryption. 128-bit encryption is enabled (U.S. only) and automatically selected if your browser is set to run with 128-bit encryption. To set for 128-bit encryption, you must download the 128-bit upgrade from Microsoft or Netscape.
BRMS provides enhanced functionality with the use of selected, third-party components. It has been designed and tested to work best with the software components listed below. Note that some components (e.g. Excel 2000) may not be available for all desktop operating systems.
Component
Vendor
Used by
Notes
Office 2000*
(Excel 2000)
Microsoft
Licensor Sales Analysis users
Enables dynamic PivotTable data analysis and one-click connection to Excel 2000.
Crystal Reports 7.0 Smart Viewer plug-in (ActiveX or Java)
Seagate
All users
If selected, downloads on demand and free of charge from Notara. Enables better report formatting than standard HTML reports.
Acrobat 4.0
Adobe
All Product Approval users
Supports interactive, multimedia PDF files for product approval submissions, forms, and graphics, including "yellow sticky notes."
Acrobat Reader 4.0
Adobe
Licensee Product Approval users not using Acrobat 4.0
Available from Adobe at no charge. Provides basic PDF form entry submission and viewing.
* Requires additional port access via a named IP pipe to the Notara-hosted BRMS server.
BRMS is an object oriented, client/server, application that runs on the Internet. It has a fat server and a thin client. This means that the application is resident on the server, no application software or user data resides on the client, and you can access BRMS from any appropriate browser. BRMS has a multi-tier architecture that is built from the top down with integrated system components.
At the highest level, BRMS uses Microsoft Internet Information Server. IIS is Web server software that runs on Windows NT Server and lets the server function as a Web server. Other system components can reside on the same machine as IIS, can be distributed to different machines, or can even be scaled across multiple servers if necessary. For example, the Microsoft SQL Server database can actually be located in a separate server location if necessary. BRMS is comprised of the following basic components in an integrated, fault-tolerant environment.
The Internet Information Server (IIS) is an Internet file server and application server included with the Microsoft Windows NT Server operating system. IIS can be used as a standalone Web server, or with other compatible technologies to manage Internet commerce, to access and manipulate data, and to build Web applications that use server-side scripting. IIS also has built-in capabilities to run secure Web sites and to develop and deploy server-intensive Web applications like BRMS.
BRMS makes wide use of Active Server Pages and IIS has a built-in DLL to handle them. An Active Server Page (ASP) is an HTML Web page that has embedded programming code written in a scripting language like VB Script. When the browser requests an ASP page from IIS, the server executes the embedded code, generates an HTML page, and sends it back to the browser. Active Server Pages are similar to CGI scripts in that they allow Web pages to interact with databases and other programs. In BRMS, ASP pages are used to display data retrieved from the SQL Server relational database in which BRMS data is stored.
The BRMS application runs on a dedicated server. Client-side access is from any Netscape 4.x or Internet Explorer 5.x browser to a secure, password-protected URL on the server. In its most basic form, BRMS is simply an application on an IIS server that runs embedded code, queries the database if necessary, and delivers HTML pages and data when requested.
BRMS is ASP-based which means that the HTML pages are created on the fly. They are dynamic pages created in response to specific user requests rather than static pages rendered the same way every time. When BRMS calls an Active Server Page, the client and server work together:
BRMS also uses local intelligence derived from the Document Object Model that HTML acquires when used with Active Server Pages. For example, on ASP pages, certain HTML elements such as form, page, or text box have built-in routines that are initiated "on click" or "on mouse over". BRMS uses this built-in intelligence to speed performance and enhance throughput. Similarly, BRMS uses distributed objects. The server-side script can call any BRMS object in the system in order to perform some function or action. After the call, BRMS runs the server-side code using the appropriate DLL, runs any additional client-side code, and then renders the results as a complete HTML page.
BRMS software is objected oriented so that individual pieces of code can be reused and interchanged between modules. The software basically consists of interrelated DLLs, images, and ASP pages that are designed to work with the Internet Information Server. A Dynamic Link Library (DLL) is an executable program that is only loaded and launched when needed by an application for additional functionality. BRMS DLLs are proprietary software modules that function individually and together. Each BRMS module has three types of associated DLLs. They are the basic architectural components of BRMS:
BRMS also has helper DLLs that are used by all modules. The e-mail DLL, for example, makes calls to the mail server and manages the flow of e-mail notifications between modules and throughout the system. The navbar DLL renders the navigation bar: it checks security keys, and displays the tabs and functionality that are appropriate for your level of security.
The tree applet is a Java applet that runs in the browser. It displays information from the database in a tree structure. The tree applet is compiled code that is used to display, filter, and select critical BRMS entities such as products and territories. The tree applet is written in Java so that it is cross-platform and can run on all browsers. For more details, see Data trees.
BRMS is essentially a private network that includes all the elements you need to run a secure, enterprise-wide system. It is a highly-secure, Web-based application that runs on a Notara server behind a sturdy firewall. A firewall is a software application that protects a network. Firewalls provide virus protection and access control and are widely used to protect Web servers from hackers and other unauthorized users. In BRMS, there are three additional levels of security that protect your data as it moves over the link, through the operating system, and within the application.
BRMS data is confidential and no one sees a document except the intended recipient. Only authorized users can access a module or task and display or modify data. Each transaction is logged so that data cannot be altered without leaving a record of the changes. The system log creates an electronic paper trail that enforces accountability for all BRMS transactions.
On the server side, BRMS uses the facilities provided by Windows NT and by the SQL 7.0 database. On the client side, BRMS is protected by rigid authentication requirements. Authentication is the process of allowing users to access BRMS based on a user name and password pair. This user name and password pair are stored as a secure file in the SQL database. The BRMS logon window is actually an Active Server Page that queries the database before authenticating a user.
In BRMS, all data that moves over the Internet between client and server uses HTTPS for security. HTTPS is secure HTTP; it enables the Secure Sockets Layer and provides secret key encryption. SSL provides secure communication by protecting data with 128-bit encryption in the U.S. and 40-bit internationally.
BRMS also uses digital certificates to create a secure path between client and server. Digital certificates provide a handshaking mechanism between client and server and guarantee that the data you are receiving comes from a reliable source. BRMS certificates use state-of-the-art RSA encryption. RSA uses a two-part encryption key. The private key is kept by the owner; the public key is published. Data is encrypted by using the recipient's public key, which can only be decrypted by the recipient's private key.
On the server side, Windows NT requires assigned user accounts for all operations, and access to Web content is controlled by limiting the user rights to these accounts. Windows NT maintains account lists of local users and of all users and groups in the domain. Every operation on an NT computer identifies who is doing the operation. The user name and password that you use to log on identifies who you are and defines what you are authorized to do.
Window NT uses NT File Server. This lets you set security at the directory level and at the file level. The NT File System creates a control list that can restrict access to any file or folder.
When you log on to BRMS, the Internet Information Server starts a session on the server. The logon page is protected and you can't log on without a valid user name and password. The session also times out after a specified interval if there is no activity at the keyboard. This timeout variable is configurable for each licensor. Under IIS, each HTTP request from a Web browser runs under a user account on the NT machine that is hosting IIS. The operations that are performed during the execution of the HTTP request are limited by the capabilities granted to that user account on the NT server. IIS validates the user account and validates the access rights to the requested files or directories.
Anyone can display the BRMS logon page but in order to actually log on to the system, a valid user name and password pair must be stored in the SQL 7.0 database. You can't access that database unless you have a valid NT name and password. Moreover, the only way to access the database is through a BRMS database object and you must be an authenticated user to get a database object. If a user is not authenticated, a record is written to the log and access to the database is denied.
On the client side, BRMS functionality is determined by whether you are a licensor or a licensee. A licensor can access all BRMS modules. A licensee cannot access Central Administration or Sales Analysis, and can only view Contracts. These modules are not even displayed on the licensee screen. Regardless of whether you are a licensor or licensee, the user interface is dynamically constructed each time you log on and the screen only displays those items for which you have access rights.
Within the application, BRMS restricts users at the module level and at the task level. This means that access can be restricted by module or by the tasks within a module. To do this, BRMS maintains a list of user names and passwords and a list of user groups that are assigned various levels of permissions.
BRMS security is based on the model used by Microsoft, Oracle and others for applications that require security at the group level and member level. This model is designed to enforce security requirements without impacting or restricting performance and is based on the use of security keys. Security keys are simply labels used within the application to assign specific rights. Security keys are created by Notara and are assigned by licensors to each user. As a licensor, you can assign keys but you can't create or change keys.
Each user has a figurative key ring that programatically holds all the keys they have a right to use. At logon on, the system queries the database and authenticates the user name and password pair. This authentication determines the access rights for that user. To implement BRMS security, you need to define the users within your own organization and also the users within each of your licensee organizations. Defining BRMS users means creating user groups and defining individual users. Creating groups means assigning security keys at the group level; defining users means identifying individual users and assigning them to groups.
Each user is assigned to one or more user groups that already have defined security keys. As a licensor, you configure what security keys belong to each user group, then you add each user to the appropriate groups. A user group is associated with a company and consists of users and security keys. A variety of pre-configured user groups are provided with BRMS and as a licensor, you simply add your users to the appropriate groups. If you want to create a new group, you give security keys to the group and then add users as necessary. You never give keys to individual users.
Security keys provide access to specific BRMS modules and also to specific tasks within those modules. All users are defined as individuals and as members of user groups with specific security keys. These keys give the group a specific set of access rights. A key concept is that each individual user who is defined as a group member inherits all the rights of the group. For example, Approval Group1 has the rights to Submit and Approve items and all members of Approval Group1 inherit those rights.
Similarly, if you have a user who needs specialized rights, you simply create a group with the security keys for those rights and then assign that user as the sole member of the group. In Approval Group2 for example, User4 can only Submit items. This security model is designed from the top down to handle the unique requirements of almost any organization.
BRMS provides a complete suite of inter-related application modules. It is a fully integrated system for operating a product licensing and brand management system that serves your entire enterprise. BRMS modules provide a seamless and focused solution for all aspects of licensing and brand management. The user interface is dynamically constructed each time you log on and the screen only displays those items for which you have access rights. The BRMS home page (see below) is the first window displayed after you log on. The modules and the tasks displayed within them depend on whether you are logged on as a licensor or a licensee.
The Central Administration module lets you configure the BRMS application to match the unique requirements of your own business. It configures application security as well as data tree and e-mail parameters. Central Administration also provides access BRMS tools and lets you create and manage reports.
The Sales Reporting module is used to collect sales data from licensees in a consistent format. It gathers sales information, calculates royalties, and displays the results in real-time. On the licensee side, sales information can be easily and securely reported directly from BRMS or by using a flat file to upload the data. Sales figures and royalty data is verified and saved in a dedicated database. On the licensor side, the Sales Reporting module streamlines the reporting process because it eliminates the need to manually re-key sales data submitted by licensees.
The Sales Reporting module automatically processes the sales figures submitted, and calculates the appropriate royalties, based on the specifics of the corresponding licensing agreement in Contract Management. The licensor sales database is automatically populated with the latest data, which can then be exported as custom sales reports to general business applications like Microsoft Word or Excel. This same data is also used to populate the PivotTable. This module is also used to create and manage sales accounts.
The Sales Analysis module analyzes sales data for trending, exceptions, and performance. It helps you review and analyze sales data from licensees. Sales data can be summarized and presented in the form of quantitative reports or can be displayed and manipulated in the PivotTable.
The PivotTable requires Microsoft Office 2000. It links directly to an OLAP database on the server. On-line analytical processing arranges sales data according to multiple dimensions that correspond to different dimensional aspects of your business, such as products, territory, and distribution channels. The Sales Analysis cube represents a three-dimensional array, that lets you "slice" across any one of the dimensions for a unique view. This module is not available to licensees.
The Product Approval module manages the approval process from initial design to final approval. It makes product design a real-time, collaborative process between licensors and licensees. Licensees can use custom Product Approval templates to package the information and graphics samples required by licensors for a product submission, and then submit this data electronically for immediate review. Licensees can also submit standalone graphics, separate from the template. In either case, the template with the appropriate graphics are stored electronically, and can be quickly retrieved for download and review. The Product Approval module removes the guesswork from the product development process. It logs all revisions, tracks changes, and documents sign-offs. You can track the development process at every step, monitor any changes, and share decisions in real-time.
Licensors can open and review the contents of these submission packages in real-time, and make text comments or graphic markups to the submitted package. Licensees then retrieve the package with these comments and markups, and use them as the basis for design modifications. This exchange of text and sample graphics occurs electronically. The review and approval of concept artwork, product prototypes, or product samples, happens without shipping, packaging, or paper.
The Contract Administration module automates contract creation and enforces adherence to contract terms. It automates the creation and management of contract term sheets, and integrates licensing and brand management contractual agreements within the functionality of other BRMS modules. Contractual terms are automatically integrated with the Product Approval and Sales Reporting modules. This helps to enforce compliance with the terms of the agreement.
The Support & Services module provides access to Professional Services and Documentation. This module is designed to provide help when you need it. Professional Services will help to customize BRMS to meet your specific business requirements. Documentation provides online help and technical documentation, as well as release notes, white papers, and other technical documents. BRMS also provides context-sensitive online (see below) help within the application. The help pages displayed from within the application depend on where you are in BRMS when you press the Help button.
BRMS has numerous, integrated components that are used to structure, transfer and display information. These components are used to some degree by all modules and some of the most notable ones are listed below.
BRMS uses automatic e-mail generation to alert users of important system events. For example, e-mail is automatically generated and sent to designated recipients when new users are added or when a an item in the product approval cycle needs attention. E-mail recipients are configured individually, depending on their need to be notified of specific events.
The e-mail events component handles the automatic generation and routing of notification messages, to both a standard and customized list of recipients. The standard recipients are the licensor and licensee users defined to the application. The custom recipients are those you specify through the e-mail events task. These events that trigger the e-mail messages are built into the application, as part of module and task processing. Whenever the event occurs, the e-mail automatically goes to the users defined to the application, and any other specified users. The e-mail events task involves two things: turning individual e-mail events on or off, and defining individual licensor and licensee users as custom recipients for e-mail events.
BRMS includes comprehensive, custom-designed reports that provide up-to-the-minute data on your business. To conserve network resources, all reports are processed on the server rather than your desktop. All BRMS modules provide reports and they can be exported to a wide variety of popular formats including Microsoft Word and Excel. Reports are organized in report groups and access is controlled by assigning membership in the appropriate groups. Report groups are generally organized along module lines; the individual reports within a group generally show module-specific information. The Central Administration module provides a Report Management task that lets you create and edit report groups, as well as add new reports created outside the application.
BRMS has two different reporting mechanisms: the PivotTable and Crystal Reports. The Sales Analysis module uses the PivotTable to get sales dynamic data. See OLAP Database for more information. All other modules use pre-built Crystal Reports to get static data from the relational database.
If Office 2000 is installed, you can use the PivotTable to display, print, or export detailed Sales Analysis reports from the OLAP database. If Office 2000 is not installed, you can use MDX expressions to manually query the database. MDX (multidimensional expression) is a highly-functional expression syntax for querying an OLAP database. MDX reports are usually created in response to specific Sales Analysis requirements. They can be saved and re-used but you must be familiar with MDX to use them effectively. Note that the PivotTable provides interactive, visual access to this same multidimensional data without using MDX.
All other modules use Crystal Reports. The BRMS server has a built-in Crystal Reports engine. On the client, no special software is required except for a plug-in viewer. If you want to create your own reports other than those provided with BRMS, you need to purchase and use Crystal Reports 7.0. You simply create the report with a unique name and description, add it to the BRMS server, and then assign it to a report group within the application. All reports are saved on the server and you run a report by simply selecting it.
BRMS lets you view Crystal Reports in three different "viewers" that are available from within BRMS. The viewers are simply plug-ins that you are prompted to download from Seagate if not already present on your machine.
Each report is dynamically constructed based on query options you select at run-time. Query options provide generic search options for each report. These generic options let you set specific parameters for the information you want to retrieve. This means you can drill down and get data based on the specific parameters you select. The query options for each report are also constructed dynamically. BRMS parses the report description in advance and only displays options that are appropriate for that report.
Crystal Reports 7.0 is a report generator that lets you design your own reports. Basically, you connect to a database and specify the tables and fields you want in the report. Then you drag and drop the fields onto the report, arranging them any way you want, adding text, images, etc. You can view the finished report in an interactive window and change formatting or add text using a variety of formatting and layout features. You can even have the appearance of fields automatically change, based on content in the report. Contact Notara Professional Services for more information.
In BRMS terms, a data tree is a visual representation of hierarchical data. Data trees use inheritance which means that when you select a category, you are also selecting all of items below that level. For example, if you select and delete North America, you are also deleting the US, Canada, and Mexico. This tree concept is used throughout BRMS. For example, when you report sales data, the first thing you do is to choose the categories and products on which you will be reporting from the Product tree.
The tree applet data is stored in the database and retrieved by an ASP page. The tree data actually resides in relational database tables that are designed to minimize retrieval time. It is designed so that the entire tree is not populated at once and individual nodes can be rapidly expanded. Each request gets just enough information to populate and expand that node. BRMS has four data trees that are used in different parts of the application:
The data tree in BRMS is actually a Java applet that displays information from the database. Licensors and licensees see the same trees and the same data. The product tree, for example, shows the complete product offering of your organization typically arranged by product, territory, and distribution outlets.
All data trees are hierarchical. In Windows 95, for example, the Explorer is a data tree that organizes folders beginning at some top level like My Computer. Data trees typically have branches and leaves: all items on the same level are branches and all items below branches are leaves. BRMS uses levels and nodes to describe this same structure. Levels are nested and their number reflects your product structure. Nodes are individual items on the same level. The Territory tree has three levels: (1) World, (2) Continent (with nodes North America, South America, and Europe), and (3) Country (with nodes US, Canada, and Mexico).
Levels and nodes are defined during initial BRMS configuration and you can have as many levels and nodes as you need to represent your product structure. You can add or delete nodes (that are not referenced in a contract or a sales record). For example you might want to add a new product to the Product tree. However, once set, you can't delete levels or change the number of levels.
PDF forms are a basic component in the approval process. Portable Document Format is a proprietary imaging technology introduced by Adobe Systems. A PDF file is created from a PostScript file and retains all the formatting characteristics of the original document. It is independent of the application in which it was created and can be displayed in a browser or in a standalone Adobe Acrobat Reader. PDF files are widely used in the graphics industry because of their small size and easy portability. The Acrobat Reader is freely distributed by Adobe Systems.
Product templates are used in the Product Approval module. They are customized Adobe Acrobat forms used to submit product concepts, artwork, or samples for review and approval. The template is a fill-in form that captures the required information and enables the licensee to attach graphic images of the product. Each template is customized with respect not only to the licensor organization, but also to the particular material-type classification of the product like metal or plastic.
Licensees can use custom product approval templates to package and submit the information and graphics samples required by licensors for immediate review. Licensees can also submit standalone graphic, separate from the template. In either case, the template with graphics sample or the standalone graphics are stored electronically, and available for download and review at the click of a button. PDF lets you save all versions of a design proposal for quick review at anytime during the approval cycle. This automated archiving of proposals helps maintain data integrity throughout the development cycle. You can always go back and review a previous submission if necessary.
For licensors, Adobe Acrobat software is recommended because it has annotation capabilities. For licensees, the Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe. The Acrobat Reader makes it possible for the Licensee to display and use the template, to submit graphics, and to display and review licensor annotations.
