Pergamon 2010

Pergamon is essentially a data processing application based upon an inter-connected set of function packages each designed to provide a set of services. Typically, users of Pergamon select a series of these functions as part of their license that are most closely connected with the job that they intended to perform.

Pergamon rose from a well proven and extremely popular application that used the triangular principle of item - agency - action. Combining one of each of these components results in a product. As an example, think of going into your local library and borrowing a book: the triangular principle becomes book - individual (you) - circulation (borrowing the book). What each of these areas actually represents however, can vary greatly based upon the functional area in use. Each component may be simple or complex, or even the resulting product of another area of the application.

Pergamon is marketed at a number of industry areas, and in these different areas Pergamon remains a dedicated application despite its jack-of-all trades appearance. Yet at the same time, customers can be assured that not only are they part of a varied user base, they also have access to a range of functions that they did not originally think would be useful to them. 'Creeping Featurism' is a trait of this product.

Bedrock

Bedrock is the function grouping that represents the underlying foundation of Pergamon. The Bedrock group of function areas are inherent to all purchases of the application as they provide all of the database access facilities, internationalisation, security features, help facilities, reporting mechanisms and a range of other common features that lace the other functional groups such as bookmarking, dynamic lists and dynamic indexing, and searching.

Parchment

The Parchment function group is probably one of the most generally useful functional areas of Pergamon, whether your organisation utilises the group as its principle role, or just because it is increadibly useful as a bolt-on facility. Parchment represents the 'library management' functions of the application, and allows the ability to log and detail a wide and varied range of 'objects' in its catalogue. It is easy to think that this facility has no use in your organisation but at the end of the day, a library catalogue really just represents a collection of items that want to keep track of - whether that is because you have a 25,000 item library of books and DVDs, because you have a shelf of maybe a dozen reference works that are important to your role, whether you are tracking the content and current location of files in your charge, or maybe because you have a need to track 'virtual' items that really have no actual physical existance in the real world.

Parchment provides a comprehensive catalogue facility with the ability to record data dedicated to specific item types; the storage and playback of multimedia attachments such as video, audio and images; an infinite nested heirarchy system allowing the grouping of items; methods to link items together with associations; and methods to record when items have been superceded. The Parchment catalogue also offers a means to dynamically expand indexing methods based upon local needs, without needing to revisit the vendor for customisations.

It is within the Parchment functional group where Pergamon also defines what it calls 'agencies'. These can be individuals or organisations, and represent any agency that has a need to perform an action within the Pergamon application. Within the traditional core functionality of Parchment, this can simply be a case of borrowing, booking or reserving an item. In the wider scheme of things of course, the potential is far greater. You may use the facility to build an asset register for your company, attach case files to an individual, create associations between them or create any number of contact methods including telephone numbers, emails and addresses. The agency system of Parchment also provides one of the central means of tracking individuals in other key function areas of the application.

Pegasus

Pegasus represents a logical addition to the Parchment function group, but one which is vital to some clients. While the Parchment function group may record single items, Pegasus enables Pergamon to extend knowledge into many copies - in other words, a stock that can be ordered, warehoused, picked and packed, and invoiced to a client. Essentially, Pegasus provides pergamon with a distribution system for master item records held in the Parchment catalogue.

Outreach

While the detailed functional areas of Pergamon provide an extensive array of tools for the everyday user, most managers are not everyday users and certainly do not want to learn an entire application functional area simply to be told whether everything under their charge is working correctly. Outreach is the functional area of Pergamon that plugs into all areas of the application and is able to summarise what is happening for a managerial level member of staff.

Essentially, Outreach provides a visual, read-only view of the application and the work of the organisation, allowing managers to see a real-time summary of the system.

Fagin

Fagin is under wraps right now. Fagin is a new development that is intended for use principally by accountants and auditors and is a massive expansion of the accounting sub-system of the Parchment function group. Watch this space for more information in the future.

Gateway

The Gateway functional area of Pergamon is a secruity oriented set of dialogs allowing the organisation to control who has access to their establishment. Gateway goes much further than this however, in that it also allows visits to be booked in advance, set restrictions and durations, and closely associate visits with both Parchment items and agencies. If required, Gateway is also able to tap into Parchments accounting system and allocate charges and produce invoices.

Gateway is an ideal tool for use not only in small hotels, but also in secure establishments such as schools, hospitals and prisons.