Released on: July 21, 2008, 7:20 am

Press Release Author: Simon Mikellides

Industry: Software

Press Release Summary: Agile development process involving Grid-Tools and Applied
Card Technologies Ltd helps sQuidcard launch eMoney payment network on schedule

Press Release Body: Oxford, UK - Grid-Tools Limited, a leading vendor of test data
management software, helps sQuidcard meet a tight development schedule for its
e-Money alternative to debit and credit card networks. sQuidcard were faced with the
challenge of launching an e-Money alternative to the debit and credit card networks,
which could potentially handle millions of customers and transactions. Experts
predict rapid growth in this market, with sQuidcard well positioned to replace some
of the £200bn sub-£10 cash transactions made each year in the UK.


The data underlying the system had to be tested to the limit
The main problem was a tight development schedule, and the need to test the solution
rigorously. sQuidcard neither had the time to key this data by hand, nor the
capability to generate realistic data on a large scale to test the system under a
diverse range of scenarios.
\"The testing had to simulate a situation where sQuid had been in existence for a
number of months, or years,\" explained Richard Buckley, Technical Director of
Applied Card Technologies Ltd (ACT). \"When rolling out a solution of this
complexity, to millions of card holders and potentially handling tens of millions of
transactions a year, you have to be certain that the data underlying the system is
tested to the limit.\"


Automated data generation of quality test data
sQuidcard selected Grid-Tools to work closely with ACT, a specialist in the area of
designing, developing, installing and operating smart card transaction systems.
sQuidcard chose Grid-Tools to automate the process of creating quality test data,
which allowed a parallel approach to development and testing within this project.
This meant that developers could work on other stages of the project, without having
to wait for the preceding stages to be completed. sQuidcard was in need of a tool
that could create test data and populate a database in a short timeframe. \"Using
Grid-Tools allowed us to meet our deliverables too,\" commented Richard Buckley.
\"Without the Grid-Tools data generation product, the tight delivery dates for the
sQuidcard project could certainly have slipped.\"

Simulating real-life scenarios for robust testing
ACT and Grid-Tools quickly established a strong working partnership on the project.
\"Huw of Grid-Tools is a technologist like me, and we were able to talk in the same
language,\" said Richard. \"Grid-Tools were allowed secure access to our development
database and were able to work remotely. They had the appropriate tools for working
within the restrictions of our network and understood our security precautions.\"
ACT benefited from using a trial version of the Grid-Tools software, commented
Richard: \"we were able to become familiar with the tool, and understand its
effectiveness in the context of sQuidcard\'s specific data model.\" Grid-Tools
solution could have an application in later stages of the project as well, concludes
Richard, \"once the system is live, we can use the tools to assess how the system
would scale up to ten million card holders.\"


About Grid-Tools
Grid-Tools\' software enables organisations with databases to achieve legal
compliance, to increase the productivity of its IT staff and to improve the
price/performance of its infrastructure. Grid-Tools\' solutions apply to test data
management and information lifecycle management. The core product automates the
discovery and documentation of database structures: add-on modules generate,
anonymise or subset test databases, or archive production databases.


Web Site: http://www.grid-tools.com

Contact Details: Simon Mikellides
Sales Director
Grid-Tools Ltd
14 Hanborough Business Park,
Long Hanborough,
Oxfordshire,
OX29 8LH
0871 309 8293
gridtools@momentumws.co.uk
www.grid-tools.com