“ CONNX DataSync is able to perform most syncs in seconds. Only copying the changed data has not impacted the performance on our OpenVMS® Server for interactive users. ”
Customer Story
Fabick Cat: Creating a data warehouse with custom order processing
Meet the Customer:
Fabick Cat is a tractor dealer that specializes in the distribution of Caterpillar® equipment. The company’s product line consists of more than 300 machines. It features articulated trucks, backhoe loaders, compactors, front shovels, hydraulic excavators, motor graders, paving equipment, and off-highway trucks. It also offers a wide range of rentals. The company was established in 1917 and maintains a facility in Fenton, Miss., U.S.
Challenges
- Common reporting for merged dealerships
- One set of reports with summary data for both companies
Outcomes
- Created a SQL Server® data warehouse
- Consolidated reporting across multiple BUs and data sources
- Indexed files from Change Data Capture (CDC) to SQL Server
Solutions
Fabick Cat used CONNX DataSync, a micro-batch, low-latency CDC solution that keeps data fresh and up to date without impacting data source performance.
“To ever serve our customers better.”
The late John Fabick, Sr., founded the first Fabick Company in 1917, merchandising Cletrac Crawler Tractors and John Deere® farm implements. With only three employees and one small store on South Grand Avenue in St. Louis, Miss., Fabick set out to “build the greatest service organization of its kind.” To achieve this goal, he adopted as his company creed “to ever serve our customers better.” In 1921, Fabick expanded his business by including the Model A and Model S Crawler Tractors manufactured by C.L. Best. Four years later, C.L. Best and Holt Manufacturing merged to form the organization now known as Caterpillar Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of construction machinery. From its early beginnings, the association between Fabick and Caterpillar Inc. has grown hand in hand and continues to thrive. Today, there are more than 1,100 employees, including members of the Fabick family’s third, fourth, and fifth generations, working together under the active leadership of the founder’s great-grandson, Douglas Fabick, as CEO and Dealer Principal, along with Jeré Fabick serving as President and co-Dealer Principal. What makes Fabick Cat unique is not only its size but also its outstanding people, support, and facilities, bound together by a single concept: total service capability for the equipment owner.
Challenge
Fabick Cat has an IBM® AS/400-based order-processing system used across many installations. After acquiring a second Caterpillar dealership, Fabick Cat encountered an issue when it realized the dealership had its own custom-written order-processing system running on OpenVMS with RMS files. What Fabick Cat wanted was a solution to provide a data warehouse for both systems. This would provide uniform reporting and analytics for both companies. The initial plan was to FTP files from the OpenVMS server to SQL Server. The volume of data downloaded daily and the manual nature of this approach raised concerns. Dave Kramer, IT Manager at Fabick Cat, after a positive experience using CONNX previously to access RMS data, decided to call on CONNX yet again. CONNX had just the solution to meet their demands.
Solution
CONNX DataSync is a micro-batch, low-latency CDC solution that keeps data fresh and up to date without impacting data source performance. DataSync enables companies to maintain data warehouses with minimal effort and system requirements, delivering near-real-time data integration and continuous refreshes by incrementally updating only the records that have changed. Companies can eliminate the need for large, resource-intensive bulk data refreshes with DataSync’s highly efficient, market-proven design. Arnie Strouse, the lead analyst on the Fabick Cat project, said, “DataSync can perform most syncs in seconds. Only copying the changed data has not impacted the performance on our OpenVMS server for interactive users.” With database synchronization software, companies can schedule updates to optimize system performance based on their specific needs. Depending on demand, you can schedule updates for lower-use periods, such as after normal business hours, or as often as every minute when you need more up-to-date data. DataSync is fast to implement, easy to use, versatile, and scalable, and it minimizes project risk.
Nissan Europe: Driving Efficiency Even Faster
Nissan Europe modernizes legacy mainframes with Adabas and Natural, achieving zero downtime, 100% performance gains, and scalable digital manufacturing operations.
Powering Operational Resilience in Healthcare Claims
AmeriBen uses Software AG’s CONNX to process billions of healthcare claims nightly, enabling faster, reliable data flow and supporting long-term operational resilience.
AAFMAA: Advancing Cyber Security and Compliance with AI and Adabas & Natural
AAFMAA turned a cyberattack into innovation. By integrating LLMs + ML into their Adabas & Natural environment, the Association built an in-house anomaly detection engine that delivers real-time insights, smarter threat modeling, and seamless alerting across the org.