New York SLA

October 25, 1999
New York State Liquor Authority Licensing System goes on-line
The New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) has implemented a new system to automate the intake and issuance of liquor licenses. The SLA is a state agency responsible for issuing wholesale and retail liquor licenses and assuring compliance with state laws regarding the manufacture, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages. The system resulted from a comprehensive re-engineering study conducted by NewVision. During the study, NewVision conducted extensive interviews and walkthroughs with SLA employees at all levels across the state. The project resulted in a recommendation to re-engineer the licensing process, including a restructuring of the organization and the implementation of imaging and workflow management technology. The system converted the existing IBM mainframe file system to an Informix relational database stored on NCR Unix servers located on Albany, New York and in New York City. The redesigned database improves information retrieval by associating existing license records with corresponding documents, principals, and alteration history. Database queries are pre-programmed into the system to speed the information retrieval process.

Several utilities are provided to streamline the license approval process and assist personnel in their duties, particularly investigation.

The intake utility initiates the approval process once a minimum set of requirements have been met by the license applicant. Additional utilities provide for detailed information to be entered into the database once intake is complete. A batch/item reporting utility monitors the fees entered into the system within a given time frame and coordinates these fees with each receipt and check received.

On-line reports have been prepared to facilitate the investigation, approval and issuance functions. A letter writing utility provides for effective and timely communication between the SLA and its customers.

The system provides for efficient internal communications by storing all information pertaining to a license record on-line for simultaneous review by various functional organizations.

Once the application is accepted, the approval process is continually monitored. The work flow monitor identifies any bottlenecks in the SLA work flow and will assist SLA in more effectively managing its resources.