The Adlib Movement module has been around for some time now and is used by a number of museums to record the packing and movement of objects online. The application works with a handheld device (Personal Digital Assistant or PDA) and processes all tasks by scanning barcodes or RFID tags. All transactions are stored directly in the Adlib database via a wireless network connection. The module negates the need to register objects manually, saving valuable time.
The Movement module is also suitable for registering archival holdings and library collections. The Movement module gives you the exact location of any given object at any given time.
The second generation Movement module was recently released. This version is even more user friendly than its predecessor. In addition, technical improvements have been made to offer even greater capability and functionality. These include the following:
- Users will instantly notice that all transactions are processed much faster than before. This is particularly noticeable when registering the movement of packages containing a large number of items to another storage facility or location.
- The size of the touchscreen buttons of the Movement module has been increased, making it easier to operate the device using a finger. A pen is no longer required.
- The module is capable of memorizing multiple servers. This allows the user to switch instantly between a production environment and a test environment.
- The user verification feature in the new version of the Movement module gives users a choice of two access methods: database or Active Directory. With the first option, user details are registered in an Adlib database; with the second option, the user registers using his or her Windows account name.
- When registering a transaction, it is now possible to input comments relating to the packing, unpacking or moving of objects. The comments are saved in the relevant record.
- Offline functionality (if no WiFi connection is available) is significantly improved in version 2. If you are inadvertently disconnected from the Adlib database while running the Movement module, it is possible to continue working offline. The employee can continue packing, moving and unpacking objects. All transactions are logged on the PDA. Once the PDA is back online, all offline transactions can be synchronized with/uploaded to the database. Even if transactions of the same objects have been registered offline on different PDAs, the Movement module will correctly synchronize the data with the database. The PDAs can be synchronized in any random order.
- The Movement module is capable of memorizing the username and encrypted password of the last 10 PDA users. These users can therefore also login to the client if the PDA happens to be offline. The name of the last user is shown when the Movement module is started up. For security reasons, the password must always be entered manually.
- Packages and locations are now managed in one database. Each package has a current location, a location history and, where applicable, a future location. Instead of assigning a location and a packing reference to an object, objects are assigned either a location or a packing reference. Each object has a physical location. This system ensures that the user knows the exact location of an object, whether it is packaged or not.
- In terms of technical improvements, all business logic (the processing of transactions in the database) has been transferred from PDA to the Movement module server, making it easier to implement updates and modify the Movement module system. All configuration files for the Movement module are stored in one location on the server. This means that changes only need to be registered on the server and not on the PDA. The PDAs now only contain a configuration file and the URL to the server.
