Message-ID: <8277310.1075855878463.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2000 13:59:00 -0700 (PDT) From: mary.solmonson@enron.com To: sally.beck@enron.com Subject: Re: TDS project Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-From: Mary Solmonson X-To: Sally Beck X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \Sally_Beck_Dec2000\Notes Folders\It - misc. X-Origin: Beck-S X-FileName: sbeck.nsf You might hear of this, so I thought I better forward to you. ---------------------- Forwarded by Mary Solmonson/HOU/ECT on 06/08/2000 08:53 PM --------------------------- Mary Solmonson 06/08/2000 08:57 PM To: Scott Mills/HOU/ECT@ECT cc: Joel Henenberg/NA/Enron@Enron, Stephen Stock/HOU/ECT@ECT Subject: Re: TDS project I guess I have several comments to make to this string of mails....so why not add one more mail... First off, Thomas is following up on my suggestion to check into TDS as when we met a few weeks ago (on other issues) I heard about TDS by name for the first time - although I admit I was aware of work being done to replace the Applix functionality. You had remarked that you liked the TDS functionality and wondered whether that was the way to go rather than continue to evolve Enron Grid. It is unfortunate that Bill is not more cooperative with Thomas' request - more in the continuing saga of poor communication and information sharing between our two teams. Clearly there needs to be much more communication and sharing of information as Global Rate Services for many months 'bowed' to the Sitara team's priorities for Enron Grid - which you now say probably won't be used. There are many priorities in the wings to benefit the processes of Global Rate Services that without has caused us to continue to experience a high rate of errors - causing large impact to the P&L ($600,000 just the other day) and to the invoicing and payment processes. I have been proceeding under the impression Enron Grid was a shared application. You clearly don't share that view as below you stated it is the responsibility of another group. Is that why you dropped pursuit of Enron Grid and began developing TDS? Perhaps IT could meet deliverables if we provided them with a well thought-out plan and set of priorities, good communication, and solid project management. To pursue separate solutions to try to save a struggling Sitara project may not have been the best answer. We have exacerbated the IT resource problem by having three applications that overlap in functionality (Phoenix, MKM, and TDS) - oh, and pieces of ERMS too. If that's the right answer, let's be sure we've discussed it before frivolously and selfishly pursuing our own solutions. The 'users' you cite as knowing of TDS are not users at all - they are IT project managers. Will you not have expectations of Global Rate Services to provide settled pricing as an input to derived curves ? Will Global Rate Services responsibility end at the Phoenix door and it's someone else's problem if the price doesn't reflect correctly in TDS? Finally, it was certainly the intent that MKM would be the ultimate solution for all time series publishing in the organization-but I believe there is question as to whether it is the better technical solution and whether the design can fulfill the requirements. I wasn't aware that the pilot version of MKM contained any curve generation functionality. It would be interesting to know how that got done, when ENA IT wasn't able to meet the basic deliverables of the MKM pilot. Another disturbing element in all this regarding IT is - why IT did not raise a red flag that on the business side there were requests for overlapping functionality and conflicting priorities - you know, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. As all have said before me, a gap analysis needs to be done and a plan developed. I look forward to increased communication and cooperation between our teams. To: Thomas Araujo/Corp/Enron@ENRON, Yannis Tzamouranis/HOU/ECT@ECT cc: William E Kasemervisz/HOU/ECT@ECT, Judy Barnes/HOU/ECT@ECT, Vanessa Schulte/Corp/Enron@Enron, Joel Henenberg/NA/Enron@Enron, Larrissa Sharma/HOU/ECT@ECT, Allan Severude/HOU/ECT@ECT, Stephen Stock/HOU/ECT@ECT, Mary Solmonson/HOU/ECT@ECT Subject: Re: TDS project Users outside of Sitara do know of TDS! Yannis and his group have had discussions with Allen Severude's group regarding the TDS/Tibco infrastructure as well as review of "current state" Enron Grid. Myself, Larrissa Sharma, Allan Severude, Steve Stock and Yannis have also had similar approach discussions. Please note that a small portion of TDS is the replacement of the curve manager functionality that APPLIX currently provides (APPLIX is a trader tool). There has been much user input on how the curve manager in TDS will be used. Since EnronGrid/Rate Sever has not had an opportunity to handle the real-time (publish/subscribe) updates yet, it was suggested the infrastructure provided by TDS (i.e. Tibco) may be something to look. Note that TDS is mentioned because of the infrastructure. The functionality provided by the TDS curve manager does not encompass all the requirements outlined in the EnronGrid documents (functionality lacking the most is security, updating of "Published" pricing and the tie in to Rate Server -the TDS curve manager is built on ERMS pub/curve codes because all the trade data is TAGG). Either way, the functionality that we have all been working through regarding how curves get published as well as subscribed to does not change. Keep in mind that MKM also has curve generation functionality (to my knowledge, no one in Houston was part of this development). From a technical perspective, several items need to be addressed: Review/decision as to the technical direction of EnronGrid/Rate Server infrastructure and publish/subscribe real time development. Rate Server has no front end for curve generation. EnronGrid was modified to provide this functionality; however EnronGrid is the responsibility of a different group (logically, this needs to come together under the same group). Does the TDS/Tibco infrastructure make sense (current EnronGrid/Rate Server design assumes the curves are always updated to the Rate Sever database and then messaged from the database (potential performance impact); whereas Tibco infrastructure does not require a database update first) Does the MKM curve publish/subscribe supersede everything and provide a "better" global technical solution (part of the London curve manager development team will be in Houston next week; therefore a briefing of the MKM curve manager is something that we are trying to get done). Functionally, this will require a more vigorous gap analysis review before a decision can be made. I am open to additional discussions on the technical direction, but I do not think that alot of additional functional documentation needs to be done and timelines are not changing. SRM (x33548) Thomas Araujo @ ENRON 06/08/2000 10:13 AM To: Yannis Tzamouranis/HOU/ECT@ECT, William E Kasemervisz/HOU/ECT@ECT cc: Judy Barnes/HOU/ECT@ECT, Scott Mills/HOU/ECT@ECT, Vanessa Schulte/Corp/Enron@Enron, Joel Henenberg/NA/Enron@Enron Subject: Re: TDS project Bill, I don't think anyone outside of Sitara knows of TDS. If you could give myself and other interested parties a demo of TDS; I don't have a good understanding of the TDS project. If the project is similar to the Enron Grid as it is indicated in Yannis's response, the business users need to come together and decide the system of choice. Yannis makes good points of how to come to a decision. I would change that the users provide the important features, advantages, and shortcomings of each product as they see it. I would gather the users' needs and timeline. After deciding, I would then like to get IT involved to finalize a decision. I would like to get the discussion started fairly soon due to the impeding business needs. The first thing I would suggest is have a demo of both products to inform all impacted business users. Bill, can we setup a demo for tomorrow or early next week. Thomas Yannis Tzamouranis@ECT 06/08/2000 08:24 AM To: William E Kasemervisz/HOU/ECT@ECT cc: Thomas Araujo/Corp/Enron@ENRON, Scott Mills/HOU/ECT@ECT Subject: Re: TDS project Bill, I have had presentations of both of these projects (that is not to say that I know them well). Since, according to Scott the choice is still open, we have to make a concious decision as to which way we go. In my mind, this is a decision that has to be made by the user with my team's support. I do not want and should not drive this decision. The decision should be driven by the user, based on usage (business) requirements. What the Phoenix group will provide is a server that does (or soon will) satisfy your business requirements. The front end plug in is, I think, a decoupled issue in a server-client environment. On the other hand, I think we should help you with the choice (if you so want us). I would actively consult with you to set up the choosing process, which I imagine would go somewhat like this: I would suggest that we do, again and all deciding parties together, get demos of each of these products. Business should put together a bullet point list of the functionality needed (even a timeline) and how the tool will be used so both Allan and Mike understand your needs clearly. I also suggest that we ask TDS and Enron Grid to provide us with a short document outlining the important features, advantages and shortcomings of each product as they see it. Released features should be separated from future improvements; the latter should be be accompanied by a time line. Limitations should be listed explicitly. We take our impressions from the demos along with the writeups in a room and make the decision. If needed, business might have to spend the time to play with each of these products for a short period of time. In my mind it is important to make choices like this one that will affect business for a long time based on enumerated and well understood facts (such that usually get lost from a short demo). Please let me know what you think, Yannis William E Kasemervisz 06/07/2000 08:37 PM To: Thomas Araujo/Corp/Enron@ENRON, Yannis Tzamouranis/HOU/ECT@ECT cc: Subject: Re: TDS project I'm not sure what you want to go over. If you and Yannis would like to have a demo of the TDS & Grid applications let me know & I'll try to set something up with Scott also, so we can discuss GRID/TDS Curve Manager/ MKM. Thomas Araujo @ ENRON 06/07/2000 10:13 AM To: William E Kasemervisz/HOU/ECT@ECT cc: Subject: TDS project Bill, Can you give me more information to the TDS you are working on like the due dates, the scope, etc. If you got some requirements documents or the business plan on the project, it would be better. I just want to get a better picture of how Enron Grid fits in the big picture. Thanks, Thomas