SNaP-Information Technology (SNaP-IT)

Transcription

1 SNaP-Information Technology (SNaP-IT) SNaP-IT is a web-based application managed by the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Networks and Information Integration used to collect data for the DoD Information Technology(IT) Budget. The IT Budget is used to prepare multiple reports to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the United States Congress.

2 Background Project Goal Replace an existing web application that collects business case and budgeting information pertaining to IT related projects within DoD. EX-300 Survey EX-300 (Exhibit 300), a 250+ question OMB mandated survey. Survey is collected across DoD for selected high risk and high dollar projects EX-300 contains 250+ questions, consisting of yes/no, drop down lists, narrative, and dynamic table formats The end result is strictly enforced XML submitted to OMB Previous Method Weaknesses (collecting the EX-300) Server intensive (many post back to refresh pages) leading to performance issues on the server Difficult and time consuming to maintain, especially since the format, the guidance, and questions changes from year to year Extensive code to convert the survey data into valid XML A visually plain UI for data input

3 Original Concept The Adobe Based Solution Take the work of preparing the EX-300 completely off-line Build the EX-300 survey using an intelligent Adobe form (Adobe Form Builder) Tie the mandated XML Schema to the data fields on the form Use Adobe Reader Extensions to sign and make the EX-300 savable Have user download the form, and work independent of the web application Completed forms would then be uploaded to the server and the data extracted Problems Initial form Size EX-300 form was large (42 pages without data), making downloading as well as form manipulation sluggish Saving Issues - Because of an issue within the Adobe Reader, downloaded forms would grow increasingly large each time a save occurred. Revised Concept Break the EX-300 into small manageable sections Eliminate the download process Work with the form directly in the web browser

4 Implementing the Solution General Information about SNAP-IT Created using.net technology. Used Adobe Form Builder to build EX-300 survey, implementing the OMB supplied schema Implemented the Form Sever SOAP client to talk to the Form Server service Forms Functionality Provides an interface to select, check-out, save, and print, survey forms and their data Allows more than one user to work on the different sections of the same EX-300 simultaneously Includes methods to retrieve and store the EX-300 data as XML Includes methods to pre-populate XML data nodes from existing database information (SQL Sever) Includes methods to extract (XML) data and save in an existing database format

5 Benefits of Solution Application Maintenance Code Maintenance - Most of the code needed to create and manage XML has been eliminated Web Page Maintenance - Most data input forms have been eliminated Time- Changes to the EX-300 now take minutes as opposed to days Server Issues Server Congestion - Significantly reduced server post-backs with use of multi-page forms, dynamic tables, etc. Session Time Outs - By tagging the XML Form return path with a unique check-out key, session-info can be reconstructed all but eliminating session time-outs and the possibility of lost data User Friendly Web GUI - A rich data entry interface that is easy to follow and looks like the final output Multi-User Capability - Allows users to work on different sections of the form

6 Edit The EX Find Initiative via the list 2. View details 3. Check-Out EX Check-Out available section 5. Print (entire EX-300)

7 Sample Adobe Form 1. Presented as a dynamic PDF form in the web browser 2. Provides a multipage form for data entry 3. Form contains different data field types (narrative, lists, drop-downs, dates) 4. Includes use of dynamic tables (add, move, delete) 5. Save Data (Check-In the form) button posts changes back to the server Note: Adobe 7.0 reader is required