Extension of an enterprise web application for top-management reporting: a modular approach to Web Application development

In an increasingly competitive business landscape, effective procurement and supply chain management are vital to organizational success: as companies embrace data-driven decision-making, the need for sophisticated reporting tools has become vital. This thesis delves into the enhancement of SmartSpend, a modular enterprise web application meticulously designed to support top-management reporting in such critical domains. Developed in collaboration with Sprint Reply, a leader company in digital transformation, this project aspires to equip executives with the insights necessary to refine and optimize their strategies. SmartSpend is constructed upon the robust Spring Boot framework, which ensures both scalability and reliability, and harnesses the capabilities of the Freemarker template engine to generate dynamic content, enabling the presentation of complex data through interactive dashboards and comprehensive reports. At its core, it utilizes Microsoft SQL Server, which effectively manages a vast repository of procurement-related information. The thesis emphasizes two pivotal enhancements made, to a project that has been developed and improved for 2+ years: - Cost control module: a new component specifically aimed at monitoring financial savings initiatives within procurement processes; by providing management with the tools necessary to analyze expenditure patterns, this module fosters informed financial decision-making and optimizes resource allocation. The insights garnered from this module empower executives to navigate the complexities of budgeting and spending with greater confidence. - API layer optimization: a significant enhancement to a complementary Spring Boot application, that exposes a set of APIs to seamlessly automate the data import process from external sources - like SAP and iValua - into the central database, ensuring continuous operation and availability of the most current and relevant information. Through its thoughtfully designed modular architecture, SmartSpend exemplifies the principles of flexibility, maintainability, and scalability that are essential for modern enterprise applications: this architectural choice not only allows for easy updates and future enhancements, but also ensures that the application can respond promptly to evolving business demands and digital evolution. Ultimately, the work done emphasizes the indispensable role that advanced technologies play in driving operational efficiency and achieving business objectives, showcasing how they can effectively meet the demands of top management while maintaining the agility necessary for ongoing development and optimization.