After switching to SQL, the processing speed was dramatically increased. "The year 2000 close ran in 3 1/2 minutes instead of eight hours," says Mike Bratton, financial manager.

With the new, fast running system in place, the next job Jim tackled was tapping into the C&P database with external applications. He started by creating a virtual job jacket that links the job's schedule, specs, and creative brief in Clients & Profits with the agency-created documents and artwork on the server. "The idea is to look it all up from your desktop and see what's been created for the job," says Aylie Fifer, traffic manager. The virtual job jacket also gave Brokaw the added process control and improved communications they needed.

A virtual job jacket

With SQL, setting up the virtual job jacket was a no-brainer. "I'm not a programmer -- I'm a network guy -- but it was really easy to pull the information out of Clients & Profits," says Jim. "It is so cool." Now the Brokaw staff can quickly access information they need, without clogging the server with e-mail asking "where's the such-and-such job jacket?" or wandering around looking for staffers in-the-know. "There's no traveling job jacket any more," Jim says, and the custom SQL script "really cut down on the chaos."

Upgrading to SQL also made quick work of database backups. "I back up my data three times a day," Jim says. He set up a recurring SQL task so that the database backs itself up across the network to another server. No one needs to exit the Clients & Profits database for the back up to run, and the network keeps chugging away at top speed.

"It only takes a couple of minutes, and at 10:00 and 3:00, I've got a clean copy," Jim says. The third back up is automated across the network at 10:00 PM, then written to a tape at midnight. "In the morning I zip the files and blast them onto a CD that goes off site," Jim says.

A new way to work

To get everyone using the new system religiously, Brokaw took a page from his own play book and adopted some tried-and-true public relations techniques. "I used the expense and effort of installing the new system as leverage on the traffic department so they'd use it more," Jim admits. "We convinced them that this is a clean, fast running piece of software." The management team showed the staffers all of the features in Clients & Profits that they weren't using, but would make their jobs easier if they did.

In addition to Mac users accessing the database exclusively through the My Clients & Profits! web server, a few new processes were also implemented to better track jobs and work -- and improve interoffice communication. Now AEs are required to use job type/spec sheets when adding new jobs, and several people manage getting traffic through the shop. Before the upgrade, the agency relied on one person with an incredible memory and the ability to handle a lot of pressure to keep abreast of the 35 to 40 active jobs in the shop. "They all came in on time," Jim says, but their traffic manager was stretched to the limit.

As the agency was preparing to upgrade, Aylie took on the monster task of revamping the job type/spec sheets and production status codes. "All of our job types were set up like jobs, not types of jobs," Aylie says.

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