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| This page is not available in 'Español'. Therefore we show you the English version:
 The HIFLEX EIS (Executive Information System) leadership tool supports management decision-making processes. If the term Management Information System (MIS) is to
replace the rather bland term Business Software, it has to live up to its name and truly provide management with information - quickly and at a glance. With its
Information Cockpit EIS (Executive Information System), Hiflex has expanded its MIS to let management view the key company data at a glance. |
| "If used correctly, information is a key success factor. However, gathering information does not necessarily mean sifting through huge piles of records or papers.
Information gathering can be automated," says Stefan Reichhart, CEO of HIFLEX GmbH. Which is why the HIFLEX MIS now includes an EIS system as information cockpit.
"With the increasing volume of data and the use of database systems, management wants to have direct access to data that supports their leadership function. However,
management information systems alone cannot meet this requirement. Still, management at various levels should be given both detailed and summary information from
the operational database of the management information systems." |
| Key requirements include standardized reports, the availability of information at all management levels, and up-to-date summary information covering all business activities. |
| An Executive Information System (EIS) is defined as a management system which offers decision-makers relevant and up-to-date information via intuitive and customizable
user interfaces. An EIS promotes communication, provides current data, filters out irrelevant data, and presents information which is important for decision-making. |
| "In such a system, information about all aspects of the company is gathered from internal and external sources, and subsequently processed and presented to
management in a format suitable for senior executives", explains Stefan Reichhart. "Since EIS evolved from reporting, it can present both summary and detailed data views." |
| Rather than help prepare a decision, EIS is used for initiating decision-making processes. In addition to passive searches for relevant information, early warning
systems which alert management to special situations and unusual data configurations, are gaining importance. |
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Screenshot from the newly redesigned information cockpit "EIS" (Executive Information System) in the HIFLEX customer database. This expansion serves the
dynamic generation of tables and graphics from important data and analyses in HIFLEX MIS, all at the push of a button. Visible at a glance: Revenue / Month
(the last 13 months), Revenue / Year (the last 3-5 years), Incoming Orders / Month (the last 13 months), Incoming Orders / Year (the last 3-5 years),
Result / Month (the last 13 months), Result / Year (the last 3-5 years), Estimates / Year (the last 3-5 years), Orders / Year (the last 3-5 years). |
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| From the very outset, the HIFLEX business software has been using databases. Even though it developed into a management information system some time ago, the approach
is still the same. The HIFLEX MIS has always provided all relevant analyses of sales, orders, orders not received, or statistical data for sales, contribution margin,
and added value planning virtually at the push of a button. Yet all of the relevant information had to be generated manually. |
| With the integrated EIS system, HIFLEX has created an information cockpit, configured for specific HIFLEX user groups, which processes analyses as dynamically
generated tables and graphics. |
| "EIS is basically a Controlling instrument," explains Stefan Reichhart, "but not just for Controlling or Management. As we see it, technical staff members or
schedulers are also decision-makers who need correct and important information to do their jobs. We call this role-based or individual-based analysis. After all,
an employee who works in scheduling or in the warehouse needs different information than top management." |
| The HIFLEX MIS focuses on providing company metrics which are updated daily. Using appropriate navigation tools, the user can work with different databases and either
call up a broad range of data or drill down for more specific information. "The user interface is not complicated and can be used intuitively. It offers a flexible
design that can be customized according to user preference, i.e. it can display more or less text or graphics," Stefan Reichhart explains. |
| A wide variety of display modes are available for quick data viewing: dynamic line, bar, or combined line-bar diagrams, various pie, ring or scatter diagrams,
and radar diagrams, maps, graphic representations, and tables - whichever is most meaningful and understandable. |
| "In every case, the information cockpit substantially increases data transparency for the executive. Immediately after logging on to the system, the executive
can view key data on business activity, utilization, deadlines, etc. without having to first generate a report," Stefan Reichhart continues. "In addition,
the system administrator can edit individual tables and program masks. This turns data into dynamic tables or graphics." |
| The HIFLEX MIS can generate a virtually limitless number of tables with almost any number of columns. However, presenting this amount of data on a screen would be
confusing and counterproductive. Instead, if a table has about 50 columns, only the truly relevant ones - perhaps about ten - will be shown and can be viewed on
the user's screen by entering the coordinates at the desired location. With the flexible Hiflex user interface, which can be freely modified, all other data
will be hidden, but remain active in the background. This is particularly helpful for linking tables for the EIS. |
The EIS can provide information on sales activities by listing summary data for the entire year and for individual sectors or customers. Management is now able
to trace data back to a specific day to analyze information, such as seasonal correlations, and select different views, such as sales analyses broken down
by selected criteria.
EIS is already part of the HIFLEX MIS 2008 release. |
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