“Dunlop Oil & Marine has been using QTAR since 1984.
We have had no trouble with the system in all that time.
Because P&Q concentrate on T&A, the system works perfectly.”
About Q›TAR® Software – Technical summary
Software – Technical summary
Initially developed during 1984 as a configurable Data Collection system with Time & Attendance as its first application, the Q›TAR system has now grown into a modular family of related systems.
From the outset, Q›TAR was designed so it can be easily configured to match widely different needs in all types of organisations. With its hundreds of
settings and configurable options (most available without extra charge), the standard Q›TAR package meets the needs of most companies "out of the box".
However, we can easily add bespoke options without locking the client into a particular version of the software, which allows us to economically provide customised solutions for our customers.
Q›TAR at the leading edge
Q›TAR was very much ahead of its time. Not only was it the world's first Time & Attendance Recording package available for the then-new microcomputers, it had a lot of unheard-of features. For example, we designed the system from the outset:
- to be a “configurable package”, something that was considered to be a contradiction of terms
- to be able to handle the most complex needs of medium and large companies and organisations, as well as the simpler needs of smaller companies
- to handle communications with badge readers in real time, storing transactions and responding immediately to enquiries made at the reader
- as a multi-tasking program able to simultaneously communicate with badge readers and other devices, while handling normal user input, updates and reporting (even under DOS – several years before Windows was developed and released)
- as both a single-user system, able to run on MS-DOS-based microcomputers, and a multi-user system, able to run on multiple versions of Unix systems
- to be portable to new operating systems as they were invented
- to last for 25-40 years or more (so yes, we designed it to handle Y2K issues, over 10 years before most other software companies started thinking about it)
Writing in C and later C++, we also developed (in 1984, many years before the terms were even invented):
- our own application-oriented 4th Generation Language for Data Collection applications;
- our own Rapid Prototyping and Development System.
Q›TAR Modules
Q›TAR systems now handle a wide variety of applications, both stand-alone and integrated, including for example:
- Time & Attendance Management
- Flexitime Management
- Absence Management
- Annualised Hours and Flexible Working
- Access Control & Monitoring
- Inventory Control and Product Location
- Labour Costing and Job Costing
- Work-in-Progress and Job Tracking
- Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC) and Automatic Identification & Data Capture (AIDC)
- Timber Yard Data Collection and Stock Location
- Automatic Presence List in Emergency
Operating Systems, Client/Server, SQL and other options
Q›TAR runs on Windows, Open VMS and most "flavours" of Unix/Linux – and even on hand-held PDA's/EDA's (Personal Digital Assistants and Enterprise Digital Assistants) and Mobile Computers. For more information about configuration options and operating systems that can be used with Q›TAR, click here >>
Q›TAR® is both a registered trademark and a registered servicemark of P&Q International plc
