Applications for the Cloud - Beginning iOS Cloud and Database Development - page 20

Figure 3-1. You can use multiple devices to access the cloud using Storm POS
Case Study of iCloud: Storm Manager App
Working alongside the point-of-sale system is the Storm Manager app. Optimized for tablets, the
Manager app works as an analytics tool with the ability to view employee, inventory, and sales
analytics, and create actionable reports. This app works in tandem with the point-of-sale, not only
behind the scenes, but directly, by allowing cashiers to alert managers of various issues at the
register in a discreet and efficient manner. So when a cashier needs change, an item is not on file,
or an item needs to be voided, the manager's tablet can be alerted for swift action.
If the Point-of-Sale app is the featured app of the Storm solution, the Manager app is the central
hub of the operation, pulling large amounts of data and metrics from the database for many uses.
The Manager app generates reports from everything relating to sales, ads, and freight prices to
employee productivity and tardiness. It sends and receives alerts from the Stock and POS apps. The
Manager app creates and adjusts prices, sets inventory, and helps create ads for print. To be able to
perform all these functions, extensive work needs to be performed on the database. It is a large app,
requiring complex algorithms and swift communication to take place on the cloud server.
Managers and administrators at the store are going to be working on multiple devices, often at
the same time. After they use a device they may switch to another device once they get home, or
they may need to look at a report on a different device. As the managers in this ecosystem access
and save documents and key data from the iPad, it is uploaded to the cloud, where it can then be
accessed and updated on the iPhone. The reporting data from the device is then backed up on
iCloud where it can be accessed from different devices from the same manager.