Ryan Wilson

Software Developer Portfolio

ryan@vantagecp.com

Ryan Wilson has more than a decade of experience as a full-stack, self-employed software contractor with project work in several industries, such as higher education, aviation, home health care, marketing, and more.

At the University of Florida, Ryan is part of a team of developers and analysts who maintain a central data repository of “master data.” This central data store resides within an Oracle database which is enveloped in several API service layers: IBM MDM (SOAP), IBM IIB (REST), IBM DataPower (REST). Ryan’s team services data stewardship, data access, data governance, and data quality by exposing a REST API to some customers and a web portal (“PersonHubUI”) to others. Additionally, Ryan’s team is responsible for maintaining data quality, both through the ingress of data and through retrospective data analysis / cleanup initiatives.

During his time as a freelance developer (Vantage Computer Programming), nearly every project was programmed exclusively by him, from front-end design to data architecture.

The purpose of this portfolio is to convey the relevant information with relation to Ryan’s capability and software design approach. All screenshots have data that has been redacted in accord with non-disclosure agreements (implicit or explicit).

Project: PersonHub API

Before September 2019, UF maintained a legacy Registry mainframe data system that allowed data customers (various UF departments like colleges, registrar, bursar, housing, etc.) to interact with the core data through deprecated APIs and mechanisms. As the final step of UF’s COMPASS project, the MDM project was what was needed to modernize the way UF’s master data flows through the university’s IT infrastructure and sunset the legacy mainframe.

Ryan was hired in August 2018 and in September 2019, the MDM project went live. The Registry mainframe was switched off shortly after.

The MDM project maintains an API service (“PersonHub”) environment that focuses on ensuring security, data quality, and data governance rules are all adhered to. “Master Data” is a term used to describe core data related to persons and organizations. Things like names, emails, phones, addresses, identifiers, etc.. The MDM / PersonHub is the custodian of this data. The MDM platform itself is programmed in Java and uses a SOAP architecture. Customers do not interact with the MDM directly, rather they interact with a separate layer, the IIB / DataPower layer which uses a Restful architecture. Ryan has experience in developing both (MDM & IIB) systems.

Project: PersonHub UI

Many customers throughout the University interact with the MDM data through an in-house web portal: “PersonHub UI.” Ryan was the primary developer of nearly every component for this web portal, with a few exceptions (initial project was started by a colleague and design work was outsourced to companion teams). This included functionality, requirements testing, implementing role-based security, and more.

Program 1: Vantage Aviation Software
Project start date: Dec 2009

Vantage Aviation Software is a stand-alone, turn-key software with three primary modules: a sales dashboard, an inventory supply manager, and a repair station optimizer. It is a strategic and tactical software’ designed with a specific intention of maximizing salesperson productivity and capturing market share. The first client using the software grew from $9.8 million to $14.2 million in the first year. The software was conceptualized by the executives and department managers of a part manufacturer and supplier for legacy aircraft. Writing the software involved sitting with business executives, listening to their needs, and translating these needs into software specifications.

Written in Java using the Swing API, the source database is Oracle and the settings database is MySQL. Because it uses a proprietary aviation application (Quantum) as the source database, the software does not write any data and is strictly read-only. The software and its updates are distributed remotely via the Java Web Start (JNLP) protocol. The software was designed, written, implemented, and maintained exclusively by Ryan Wilson.

Module 1 - Sales Dashboard

The Sales Dashboard is a dashboard that streamlines the most relevant client data in comparison format. It is designed with a strategic and tactical way to equip the sales department of aviation part distribution firms with the data necessary to maximize sales opportunities and grow the bottom line.

Layout

  • Top three tables

    • The left table shows last year’s data

    • The center table shows this year’s data

    • The right able shows a comparison

  • Dials

    • The dials show salesperson activity and performance

    • Useful to help the salespeople visualize their goals and incentivize them under a good commission program

Why three tables?

Most reports don’t allow you to easily do comparisons between data points and KPIs. This software is interactive and allows the end-user to easily pinpoint the weakness in their business such as missed sales opportunities (quotes that didn’t become sales), profit margins, upcoming orders, sales trends, and more.

Software vs static reports

Very positive feedback came from the end users of the software. They liked using functional software rather than static reports and piecemealed solutions like excel spreadsheets. The software allows you the flexibility of changing many parameters and filters and gives you “live” data that doesn’t need to wait until end-of-business to be refreshed.

Proven model for growth

The first implementation of the software was an undeniable success. The software brought a transformative atmosphere to the entire company, especially the sales team, where everyone was excited to work and to make sales. The firm took 23 years to grow to $9.8 mil, but after one year of using the software they grew to $14.2 mil. The successful implementation of the software was key.

Sales Dashboard drill down

Module 2 – Parts Dashboard

The Parts Dashboard is designed to give the parts distributor the tools they need to make crucial decisions about inventory, supply, reordering, sales, and manufacturing of aviation parts. It features a robust array of options, filters, data points, KPIs, and benefits that can only come with using a live dashboard instead of a static report.

It is the largest module in terms of the amount of code that goes into reading the data and then displaying it on the front end. This dashboard is a conglomerate of many different modules and reports that merged into one feature that is still easy to use yet very flexible and powerful in the data that it can convey.

Reordering:

The original primary purpose of this dashboard is the “Reorder Status,” which is a way to flag parts that are 1) low in stock (and fast movers) and 2) high in stock (and slow movers). This data is invaluable to the client who relies on critical parts to remain in stock.


Program 2 - C.O.R.E. Tracker

The C.O.R.E. Tracker is a software written for an employee medical benefits solutions company to help manage projects and deliverables. Before this project, the company that conceptualized the software managed all their client data through Excel. However, their business grew and Excel became increasingly unwieldy. This software was designed as a way to move past an Excel spreadsheet into something more streamlined, user-friendly, and data-integrous.

Because of the sparse nature of the spreadsheets (many columns with low usage in each row), the data model required a lot of ingenuity to:

  1. Avoid massively large tables with sparse data

  2. Enable quick data fetching without overloading the system

  3. Allow for the end-user to create custom columns on the data sheet. This involved a unique approach to design a data model (and software interface) that would allow the user to do this.

The result was a very user-friendly but immensely powerful tool that reportedly captured the exact needs of the client. Since implementation, the CORE Tracker needs virtually no maintenance (bug fixes, etc.) and runs very smoothly.

The software is written in Java with the Swing API. It is a full ERP solution with read/write modules. The underlying RDBMS is MySQL. All the design, code, and data architecture were done by Ryan Wilson.

Administration (Data needed for project management window)

Project Management (central module)

Program 3 - Vantage Referral Plus

Vantage Referral Plus, formerly known as HomeCare+, is a software designed for referral-based healthcare providers (home healthcare agencies, hospice agencies, post-acute care facilities, etc.) to track their sales activity (visits) and referral acquisition with the intention to strategically maximize sales productivity.

The software is written in Java with the Swing API. It is a full ERP solution with read/write modules. The underlying RDBMS is MySQL. All the design, code, and data architecture were done by Ryan Wilson.

Administration
The software has screens to create, edit, review, and delete company data (Physicians, Facilities, Offices, Salespeople, etc).

Referral Entry