INTRODUCTION TO ASYCUDA++ Ó UNCTAD - SITE (V1.15) 1.8 ASYCUDA++ System Overview ASYCUDA++++ is a complete departure from the original version, (ASYCUDA Version 2), in that it provides   the   user   with   the   facility   to   deal   with   the   everyday   tasks   of   international   trade   data processing within a user-friendly environment. For the initial functional set up, ASYCUDA++ is more user friendly than previous versions.  It is also easier  to  maintain  the  system  and  for  countries  to  develop  their  own  applications  which  can  be interfaced with ASYCUDA++. Although it is more user friendly on the functional side, ASYCUDA++ uses more complex technology and so has a greater technical ‘overhead’ than ASYCUDA Version 2. The  system  architecture  requires  that  the  country,  (particularly  the  Project’s technical staff), have high skill levels. In particular, technical staff must be skilled at working in a UNIX environment and with a TCP/IP network. The Evolution of ASYCUDA To  understand  the  full  potential  of  the  software  it  is  important  to  examine  its  origins,  and  the reasoning behind its current appearance. The  original  ASYCUDA  software  was  developed  by  UNCTAD  in  response  to  needs  established during a proposed trade liberalisation program. The preliminary finding was that reliable trade data statistics were essential to the establishment of a successful liberalisation program. The conclusion reached  was  that  the  most  reliable  trade  data  statistics  would  be  those  captured  on  Customs declarations  for  Imports  and  Exports.  The  original  version  of  ASYCUDA  was  designed  to  provide this facility. Since  the  early  1980's  the  requirements  for  the  system  and  from  the  Customs  administrations involved in the project has mushroomed, and ASYCUDA in all it’s forms, is currently operational, or being implemented, in over 50 countries worldwide.  The latest release of ASYCUDA (Version 2, release  number  2.7),  bears  little  resemblance  to  the  original  release,  with  current  functionality extended to provide Selectivity, extraction of data for external manipulation, and the introduction of Warehousing and Licensing modules. With  the  arrival  of  more  powerful  Personal  Computers,  and  a  demand  for  the  system  to  process greater  volumes  of  data,  it  became  apparent  that  the  original  system  would  benefit  from  a  new approach to file structures and design methodology. The choice of software was a further problem and this decision was guided by the evolution in the IT industry at the time of the conception of the new version. PCs  were  able  to  cope  with  the  processing  requirements  of  the  countries  targeted  for  the  new version,  and  so  the  main  area  of  concern  was  the  correct  type  of  hardware  configuration.  After consideration  of  the  three  main  options,  large  server  with  dumb  terminals,  the  PC  Local  Area Network  and  the  Client  Server  configuration,  it  was  decided  that  the  Client  Server  configuration offered the maximum flexibility.