Hello Team
Ooh, if one of you programming monsters over there could figure out how to do this, not only will you have created a valuable tool, you would be awesome too! True story!
Now, before you start rolling your eyes and saying things like "This idiot has no idea how much work would be involved in doing something like this!" Just know that... you're right. I am pretty, and wonderful, and smart, and lovable, AND I don't know what is involved to create something like this. I acknowledge this. But I need you to give this some real, hard, serious thought, and not to simply dismiss it out of hand because it may, at first, sound stupid, or way too hard to create or implement. Think seriously about this. Really hear me out.
Here is the rough explanation of how the frontend of my idea would work: We currently have a Demo company within TWP called "Payality Demo". Now say you create, what I am calling, a "Company Mimic" option check box, with a company name field (a dropdown box) to select from, and a Generate button. The check box would allow you to toggle between the Demo Company (as you may have things set up there for when you demo TWP to potential clients) and the "Company Mimic" test environment.
So a person would check the "Company Mimic" box, and then select an existing company name from the field, then click Generate, your test company will now be configured exactly, exactly, as the company you selected it to mimic, without affecting the original company, therefore you can more accurately test out your scripting or setting ideas, without accidentally deleting a script or setting, or adding an unwanted script or setting, on the actual company. As one can make so many changes that they can forget what they have done.
And if you try an experiment, you will have a much more accurate environment to work in, than trying to create the exact same conditions in your test company. I know it can seem a little overkill, as the scripting doesn't affect the original data, so if there is a problem, you can always just remove the script, but if you make a mistake, it can take you a while to find it and correct it. This would eliminate that as a possibility, and allow for faster experimentation and learning, as you will be able to try out many things without the remotest possibility of hurting anything on the original company.
Now obviously the real magic would be on the back end. When a person would check the "Company Mimic" box, that would select a premade blank company... Oh I don't know what you would call it, a Blank company shell or something like that. This shell would need to be designed to allow the copied info from the original company into the "Company Mimic" shell, it would need to behave just like the original, but be able to be emptied and cleared once you either logged out, unchecked the "Company Mimic" check box, or generated a new company to mimic.
This would create a safer, more accurate test and experimentation environment, and enable faster, deeper learning, as it would remove the fear factor from the equation. And since it would be created based on the conditions, as they currently exist on the original company, at the moment of generation, you'll have, relatively speaking, real time info to work with.
The other benefit of this is, say I send you a question, and want you to look at something on a company. Now I'm pretty much stuck waiting for you to look at the company, as it appears at that moment, and so I am unable to make any changes, so as to allow you to see what's going on. But I hate waiting! Hate it. *said low, menacingly and quietly* Hate it.
So instead of sitting around twiddling my thumbs, because of not wanting to make changes on a client until you've had a chance to see the issue. I can make a mimic of the company, and tryout things by myself, without affecting what you are going to see, and keeping myself busy learning and experimenting, possibly even finding the answer I was looking for, and ultimately not letting my idle hands get me in any trouble!
Just an idea. Please really think it through, as I know this could be of benefit to you all over there, especially when it comes to training new people, fixing issues and answering fewer emails and phone calls.
Thank you,
Bobby Bowden
System Support Specialist
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