Great meeting between Cory, Steve, Kelly, and I. The main topic for the meeting was talking about some advanced inventory (both parents and subs) search and export feature. The new report would bring together pieces from the main invoice tables, PO (purchase orders) table, parts (parent items) table, sub inventory, sub attributes, and parent attributes table.  This will end up being a combo type report - pick from viewable options, add filters and sorts, view report, get export, and be able to save the report for quick reference and usage.

Kelly had some great ideas as we were talking. Not all of these are directly from Kelly, but she was providing a bunch of these:

- Our clients, like to record the data and deep details about their inventory and their processes. However, once recorded, they need searchable and exportable access to all of the data, at every level. Basically, they want to get it back out (be able to use the data).

- Be able to point and click, name, and save the reports - under my favorites

- Lots of talk and ideas about parent attributes - how to help collect that data, how to show the data back in reporting, how to use it outside in ecommerce for marketing and stats.

- Talk about multiple or disconnected pages. All of the pieces are there, it could just use some more defined and simplified flow - workflow or data flow (interface and UI stuff).

- One-pagers - build in options for core part/item values, parent attributes, sub inventory attributes, all from one page and/or interface - our users are wanting more one-pagers.

- Kelly was saying - "The juice isn't worth the squeeze" - basically, the results are not worth the effort (at times). We need to find that balance point. More intuitive and more simple.

- Currently, they can do everything that they need to, but it requires some back and forth and even multiple touches (between add and edit) for certain pieces. The recommendation was to go clear back to the PO's and new item creation process. Maybe even allow for certain things to either be defaulted and/or hidden to make it more simple.

- Some of our conversations got into the next gen (next generation) of sub inventory and being able to allow sub attributes to flow across part/item categories. Parent attributes can flow over or across categories but sub attributes currently can not cross those boundaries. Kelly would like us to allow sub attributes to cross categories. Great idea, it may take some recoding and restructuring, but it could really be advantageous.

- Computer sprawl or digital sprawl - build, build, build - sometimes even without a full plan (like urban sprawl in certain neighborhoods).

- Training "if/then" statements is hard to do, especially if there are deep branching logic choices and consequences.

- Eventually we will want some great reporting for ecommerce and even activity out in the ecommerce land - not just buying but even browsing trends and client behavior and habits.

- Core attributes - currently, we sometimes call these the main attributes or main data fields. We will be using the term "core attributes" more and more to mean the main or primary fields or values for a certain group or section (12 main system players).

- We can use some of our existing code and snippets to build these new pieces. That will really help. We experiment all the time, let's harness some of that development.

- New term - web core or web core components

- Getting into marketing and customer trends and searching info (BI - business intelligence). Aggregating the data, even backend usage and stats (clicks, usage, page views, time spent per page, unique visits, and other demographic type stats). Everything is heading towards marketing and analytics.

- How can we speed up these processes? We know what is needed, we just need to figure out how to best wrap this or this whole thing (processes and procedures). That is one of the big challenges. The good things is, we've figured out a whole bunch of the smaller pieces already, let's just go to the next step.

- Breaking up these huge projects into smaller or bitesize pieces - that is big key to allowing multiple people and/or parties to play the game.

- Dealing with breaking things up, not only the projects, but maybe the UI (user interface) options. Things such as accordions (collapsible sub sections), show/hide pieces, tabs, dynamic - on the fly content and choices, cards, and other cool layout options.

- For this round, we are shooting for a mix between the advanced customer search reports and the save as my favorites (saving the reports).

- What about going back in time? Certain reports work really well for showing current (just in time) values and counts. What about being able to ask the system what was going on or what things looked like back in time (at a past date). Current (right now) vs going back to a date/time in the past. Playing with objects and data over time.

- We want to get to some futuristic or some predictive type reports in the future. Watching tends, alerts, and forecasting.

- The only way we can do it is to go step-by-step and take it slow. Sometimes we can only see just around the next corner, we can't see all the way to the end. One step at a time. That is ok!

- Towards the end, we got into some talks and conversations about building templates and virtual starting places for the next person who has to pick up the pieces and play the game.

- Steve and I will be working together to build and develop some of these pieces. Once we get things pioneered out to a certain level, we may get some others involved. Sometimes it is too hard to convey they whole vision. Sometimes, getting someone started so that they can see a little ways down the road really helps that process out.

- On data imports, it really helps us (the backend developers) if there are both human readable fields (text and verbage) and computer readable type fields (id numbers). Helping to prep for the next person down the line (who is who's customer).