NextComp Updates

We've made several important updates to NextComp over the last two days.

The updates are:

1. Redesigned security and database connectivity process
2. Redesigned Custom Query export process
3. Changes to NextComp database to lay foundation for future updates

Here are some details:

1. Redesigned security and database connectivity process

We've changed the public site's "home" page to remove the sign in form. Now there is a link to the sign in page.



We did this to consolidate the sign in process on one page and to give more visibility to the NextComp blog. The blog is our primary means of communicating changes to the system.

You may have received an error message yesterday or early this morning stating that the "Connection string is not initialized." This error had to do with the change in sign in forms. The error is now resolved by using the sign in form on the sign in page.


2. Redesigned Custom Query export process

We redesigned the Custom Query export process in order to support some of the changes in the database. The new Excel file generated by the tool will maintain the original field formatting more consistently. For instance, in the graphic below the job codes are maintained as "text" fields with leading zeros. Generally the Excel file is more easy to read and work with now.



3. Changes to NextComp database to lay foundation for future updates

Most importantly, we began a process of migrating all NextComp accounts to individual database files. We are working with two subscribers to test and develop this process. Our initial testing indicates that searching for survey matches and working on the Market Pricing page is much faster with the new database design. Maybe as much as 2x to 3x as fast as the current database. We will be contacting each subscriber prior to migrating your organization's information to the new database system. There is no impact to you other than you'll notice a significant increase in website performance as a result.