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· 8 hr ago

How Modern UK Businesses Use Smart Packaging Workflows: A Practical Insight with Healey Packaging

In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, packaging has transformed from being a simple physical container to a comprehensive, data-driven workflow. Across the UK, businesses are adopting smarter packaging strategies that reduce waste, enhance brand presentation, and improve the customer experience right from the unboxing moment.

Healey Packaging stands as a prime example of how UK companies integrate smart workflows, balancing branding, automation, and sustainability. This post explores how modern packaging operations connect with digital systems and how smart packaging workflows benefit businesses.

Why Smarter Packaging Workflows Are Essential

Modern businesses need packaging solutions that support:

  • Cost-efficient production
  • Streamlined inventory and fulfilment
  • Rapid delivery cycles
  • Sustainability and waste minimization
  • Consistent, high-quality branding

Smart workflows connect design, production, logistics, and customer experience into one seamless process.

Integration of Packaging with Digital Systems

Leading packaging providers now embed digital tools to help streamline business operations:

  1. Data-Driven Decision Making
    Analytics assist in selecting optimal materials, minimizing waste, and lowering costs.
  2. Workflow Automation
    Automation supports bulk ordering, printing, scheduling, and stock management — saving time and reducing errors.
  3. Consistent Branding
    Centralized digital artwork management ensures uniform packaging across all orders.
  4. Enhanced Customer Experience
    Precision design and sizing create memorable unboxing moments that foster trust and loyalty.

Case Study: Healey Packaging’s Role in Modern Workflows

Healey Packaging focuses on practical business needs through:

  • Efficient production workflows
  • High-precision printing
  • Lightweight yet durable materials
  • Flexible, bespoke design options
  • Low-waste manufacturing processes

For UK brands seeking personalised or bespoke packaging, integration with daily operations—from ordering to delivery—is crucial.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What defines an efficient packaging workflow?
A: Efficiency involves minimizing time, costs, and errors through accurate sizing, material selection, automation, and reliable inventory planning.

Q: How does digital artwork management benefit brands?
A: It maintains brand consistency by preventing color mismatches and design errors.

Q: Why do UK businesses prioritize branded packaging?
A: Branded packaging builds customer trust and creates a professional first impression.

Q: Can sustainable packaging reduce costs?
A: Yes, by using lightweight materials and optimizing print processes, businesses can lower long-term expenses while supporting eco-friendly practices.

Branding Meets Functionality

Today’s packaging must be:

  • Durable
  • Eco-friendly
  • Lightweight
  • Cost-effective
  • Visually appealing

Options such as custom boxes wholesale, custom packaging with logo, and bespoke packaging enable brands to meet these demands while maintaining consistency.

How UK Businesses Gain from Smart Packaging

Benefits include:

  • Reduced shipping costs: Right-sized packaging lowers material usage and courier fees.
  • Improved storage: Stackable, lightweight designs optimize warehouse space.
  • Stronger brand perception: Professional packaging builds customer confidence.
  • Faster production: Digital templates speed up reorders and fulfilment.

Choosing the Right Packaging Partner

UK businesses should look for providers offering:

  • Clear communication
  • Strong design expertise
  • Advanced printing technology
  • Quick turnaround times
  • Eco-friendly material options
  • Transparent pricing
  • Reliable customer support

These ensure smooth workflow integration and seamless daily operations.

Conclusion

As UK businesses evolve, packaging is increasingly vital to operational efficiency and brand value. By embracing digital integration, sustainability, and streamlined workflows, companies can deliver exceptional customer experiences and long-term success.

For practical, efficient, and high-quality packaging solutions designed for modern businesses, Healey Packaging is a trusted partner.

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Announcement
· 8 hr ago

Developer Community turns 10!

Hi Community,

On December 7, 2025, the InterSystems Developer Community officially celebrated its 10th anniversary! 🥳🎉

And now we honor this decade of learning, collaboration, problem-solving, and advancing InterSystems technologies. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or joined recently, thank you for your contributions, questions, ideas, and support. This milestone belongs to all of you 💖 You’ve built this community into what it is today, and we’re truly grateful!

As part of the celebration, we invited you to participate in a special anniversary video. And boy, you delivered! Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their greetings, memories, and kind words.

Here’s to the next 10 years of innovation and collaboration! 💙

PS. Drop a line in the comments if you've spotted yourself in the brolls 😉


Stay tuned — this is just the beginning. More anniversary highlights and surprises are coming soon.

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Digest
· 8 hr ago

Publications des développeurs d'InterSystems, semaine Décembre 01 - 07, 2025, Résumé

Décembre 01 - 07, 2025Week at a GlanceInterSystems Developer Community
Article
· 10 hr ago 8m read

When SQLancer Meets IRIS: What Happens When We Push a Database to Its Limits

Modern SQL engines are enormously complex pieces of software. Even when they appear stable and mature, subtle bugs can hide in their optimizers, type systems, predicate evaluation, or execution layers. These bugs rarely announce themselves loudly. Instead, they quietly produce incorrect results, behave inconsistently, or fail abruptly under specific combinations of SQL constructs.

This is precisely why tools like SQLancer exist. SQLancer automatically generates SQL queries and uses logical “oracles” to detect when a database behaves incorrectly. It has revealed hundreds of real bugs in widely used systems such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and DuckDB.

With this in mind, I attempted to bring SQLancer to InterSystems IRIS, starting with the NOREC oracle — a powerful method for detecting optimizer correctness issues. The journey, however, uncovered not just potential SQL correctness problems, but also a surprising number of driver-level and server-level failures that prevented SQLancer from running at full strength.

This article summarizes why SQLancer is important, how the NOREC oracle works, and what unexpected findings appeared while testing IRIS.

What is SQLancer?

SQLancer (SQL Testing via Differential Oracles) is a framework designed to uncover hidden correctness bugs in database systems — specifically bugs that cause a database to return wrong results without crashing or reporting an error. Instead of relying on handcrafted test cases or predefined expected outputs, SQLancer uses a powerful idea:

Generate random and syntactically valid SQL queries, run them against the database, and check whether different logically equivalent forms of the query produce the same results.

If they don’t, it indicates that the database engine evaluated the query incorrectly.

SQLancer has been remarkably successful in practice. It has found correctness bugs in virtually every major SQL system, including:

  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • SQLite
  • MariaDB
  • DuckDB
  • CockroachDB
  • TiDB
  • and many others

These bugs often involved query optimizers rewriting expressions incorrectly, mishandling NULLs, evaluating predicates inconsistently, or performing illegal simplifications.

Unlike typical fuzzers, SQLancer is not interested in simply causing crashes. Its primary goal is to reveal semantic defects — the hardest kind of bug to detect, and the most dangerous for real applications.

Bringing SQLancer to InterSystems IRIS means giving IRIS the same level of scrutiny that other major engines have already received.


How the NOREC Oracle Works

SQLancer supports multiple “oracles,” each representing a different strategy for detecting incorrect behavior. For the IRIS integration, the focus is on the NOREC oracle.

NOREC (short for “No Rewriting”) is based on a simple and elegant insight:

If you take a query and rewrite it into a form that prevents the optimizer from applying any complex transformations, then both versions should always return the same result.

In other words, NOREC compares:

  1. The original query, which the optimizer is free to rewrite, reorder, simplify, and transform.
  2. A rewritten version of the query, where all filtering is performed explicitly using a CASE expression inside the aggregate function.
    This version deliberately avoids giving the optimizer opportunities to change semantics.

For example:

Original query:

SELECT SUM(x) FROM t WHERE a > 10 AND (b IS NULL OR b < 5);

NOREC-rewritten query:

SELECT SUM(
         CASE WHEN a > 10 AND (b IS NULL OR b < 5)
              THEN x
              ELSE 0
         END
       )
FROM t;

Because the rewritten query forces evaluation to occur row-by-row without shortcuts, it serves as a correctness baseline.

If the results differ between the original and rewritten form, several things may be wrong:

  • the optimizer incorrectly simplified or reordered the predicate
  • NULL handling differed between expressions
  • type conversions were inconsistent
  • the executor incorrectly evaluated the condition
  • the optimizer applied an illegal rewrite

The power of NOREC is that it does not require any knowledge of the expected value. The comparison is enough.

For decades, the hardest bugs in SQL engines have come not from syntax or crashes, but from optimizers making incorrect assumptions. NOREC is specifically designed to expose such issues.


Why Correctness Testing Matters for IRIS

InterSystems IRIS is often deployed in environments where correctness is not optional:

  • healthcare
  • banking and payments
  • supply chain and logistics
  • government services
  • high-reliability global systems

In such domains, a silent incorrect query result is far more dangerous than a crash.

A crash is disruptive, but it is visible. Someone can notice, investigate, and repair the situation.

A silent wrong answer, however:

  • corrupts analytics
  • misleads business logic
  • propagates into reports
  • influences decisions
  • hides undetected for years

Even small inconsistencies — one row missing due to an incorrect rewrite, a predicate evaluated incorrectly, or a NULL handled in a non-standard way — can have large downstream effects.

This is why tools like SQLancer matter.

By generating a wide variety of SQL queries — including strange, unexpected combinations of predicates — it forces the database engine into corners that normal workloads rarely reach. If IRIS behaves inconsistently or incorrectly, SQLancer can reveal the problem long before it affects a real production system.

During the early experiments for this project, the unexpected driver and server errors that surfaced indicate that IRIS under random SQL generation may expose robustness issues even before correctness oracles come into play. This finding alone reinforces the importance of deeper testing.

Correctness testing isn’t about proving that the database is broken.
It’s about building confidence that it behaves correctly even in the most obscure corner cases — a goal that every SQL engine benefits from.


Hot to run it

It requires Java 17, and InterSystems IRIS Enterprise (it uses many connections).

Clone github repository

https://github.com/caretdev/sqlancer-iris.git

Build the project

cd sqlancer-iris
mvn package -DskipTests

Run with oracle NOREC

cd target
java -jar sqlancer-iris*.jar iris --oracle norec --connection-url IRIS://_SYSTEM:SYS@localhost:1972/USER

It is possible to use other oracles as well:

  • WHERE
  • Fuzzer

When running it, tool will print all the SQL queries executed, and issues found during the run

Run Tests using testcontainers

This way it will create container with IRIS will start it and run tests against it.

mvn -Dtest=TestIRISNOREC clean test 
mvn -Dtest=TestIRISWHERE clean test 
mvn -Dtest=TestIRISFuzzer clean test 

Findings so far

  • Invalid Message CountHappening quite often and for any query.
    java.sql.SQLException: Invalid Message Count (452); expected: 5 got: -1. Server returned: 406. Closing Connection
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.checkHeader(InStream.java:123)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessageInternal(InStream.java:241)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessage(InStream.java:173)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessage(InStream.java:148)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.sendDirectUpdateRequest(IRISStatement.java:458)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.Update(IRISStatement.java:439)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.execute(IRISStatement.java:740)
            at sqlancer.iris.IRISProvider.createDatabase(IRISProvider.java:123)
            at sqlancer.iris.IRISProvider.createDatabase(IRISProvider.java:1)
            at sqlancer.Main$DBMSExecutor.run(Main.java:450)
            at sqlancer.Main$2.run(Main.java:684)
            at sqlancer.Main$2.runThread(Main.java:666)
            at sqlancer.Main$2.run(Main.java:657)
            at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1128)
            at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:628)
            at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:829)
     
  • Server closed communication device
    Caused by: java.sql.SQLException: Communication error:  Server closed communication device
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.read(InStream.java:62)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readBuffer(InStream.java:74)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.checkHeader(InStream.java:101)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessageInternal(InStream.java:241)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessage(InStream.java:173)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessage(InStream.java:148)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.sendDirectQueryRequest(IRISStatement.java:351)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.Query(IRISStatement.java:269)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.executeQuery(IRISStatement.java:170)
  • Unable to obtain group command lock. Usually happens during table creation
    Caused by: java.sql.SQLException: [SQLCODE: <-400>:<Fatal error occurred>]
    [Location: <ServerLoop>]
    [%msg: <ERROR #7808: Unable to obtain group '8777833385654' command lock.>]
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISConnection.getServerError(IRISConnection.java:1001)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISConnection.processError(IRISConnection.java:1146)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessageInternal(InStream.java:284)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessage(InStream.java:173)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.InStream.readMessage(InStream.java:148)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.sendDirectUpdateRequest(IRISStatement.java:458)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.Update(IRISStatement.java:439)
            at com.intersystems.jdbc.IRISStatement.execute(IRISStatement.java:740)
            at sqlancer.common.query.SQLQueryAdapter.internalExecute(SQLQueryAdapter.java:140)
    
  • SQL: Property does not exists. looks like something unicode related
    SELECT 1 WHERE ('') = ('_㉸^');
    Totally fine SQL query, which gives strange error
    SQL Error [400] [S1000]: [SQLCODE: <-400>:<Fatal error occurred>]
    [Location: <ServerLoop - Query Open()>]
    [%msg: <Unexpected error occurred:  <PROPERTY DOES NOT EXIST>%C0o+7^%sqlcq.USER.cls592.1 *i%c㉸4,%sqlcq.USER.cls592>]
    How come, that literal value became a property

Unfortunately due to, too many errors that I have no control of quite difficult to continue any further development. 

If you think that this tool worth of existing, and we need all already found bugs fixing as well as a new ones, please vote on the contest.

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Job
· 10 hr ago

Why Every Modern Business Needs a Strong Digital Partner — And How App in Snap Delivers Real Results

In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, every business — whether it's a growing startup, a mid-size agency, or a mature enterprise — is facing one universal truth: you cannot scale without the right technology.

Customers expect speed. Teams expect automation. Markets expect innovation. And competitors are already becoming faster, smarter, and more seamless than ever before.

This is where the difference between “just surviving” and “efficiently growing” becomes clear.
Businesses that invest in the right digital infrastructure win. Others slowly fall behind.

And because not every company has the internal expertise, resources, or time to build everything in-house, partnering with a trusted tech solutions provider becomes essential — not optional.

One company that is helping businesses evolve with confidence is App in Snap, a full-service technology firm delivering everything from enterprise-grade applications to cloud solutions, cybersecurity, UI/UX design, and modern full-stack development. If you want to explore how these services elevate a business, you can visit their official service page here: App in Snap.


The Digital Shift: Why Businesses Need More Than Just a Website

A decade ago, a professional website was enough to stay competitive.
Today? It’s only the foundation.

Businesses now need:

  • Modern, scalable software
  • Seamless mobile apps
  • Secure cloud environments
  • Strong digital marketing frameworks
  • Optimized UI/UX
  • Agile development workflows
  • Consistent product updates
  • Reliable cybersecurity measures

Each of these areas requires specialized skills, modern tools, and continuous upgrading — something that can overwhelm even a well-equipped internal team.

That’s exactly why companies rely on experienced technology partners.


What Makes a Good Digital Partner?

A strong technology partner does more than complete tasks. They:

1. Understand the business first

Technology is not “one size fits all.”
A good partner listens before building.

2. Offer full-cycle solutions

From product strategy to development, deployment, and maintenance, everything should be handled under one roof.

3. Deliver fast, secure, and scalable solutions

Business grows. Technology should grow with it.

4. Provide transparent communication

You should always know what’s happening with your project.

5. Commit to long-term success, not just one-time deliveries

The digital world evolves quickly — updates, upgrades, and improvements are ongoing.

These are exactly the standards that companies expect today, and this is where App in Snap shines.


How App in Snap Helps Businesses Build, Scale, and Modernize Their Digital Ecosystem

App in Snap isn’t just another IT company — it’s a team built around modern technology, business strategy, and long-term partnerships.

Below is a breakdown of how their services make a real impact.


1. Full Stack Web Development — Building Digital Foundations That Last

Modern web development is more than coding pages.
It’s about creating fast, secure, scalable digital platforms that support business growth.

App in Snap provides:

  • Frontend & backend development
  • API development
  • Custom dashboards
  • Scalable architectures
  • SEO-friendly, high-performance web apps
  • Cloud-integrated solutions

Whether you're building a customer portal, booking platform, internal ERP module, or a SaaS application, full-stack development is the backbone — and App in Snap builds systems that stay reliable even under heavy load.


2. Mobile App Development — Meeting Customers Where They Are

Today’s customers spend most of their digital time on mobile.
So a business that doesn’t have a mobile presence is already losing opportunities.

App in Snap creates:

  • iOS & Android apps
  • Cross-platform mobile apps
  • Secure mobile banking apps
  • Custom business apps
  • Workflow automation mobile tools

From idea to launch, the focus is always on performance, security, and a smooth user experience.


3. UI/UX Design — Because Experience Determines Conversion

Users decide within seconds whether they trust a digital product.

A clean, intuitive, beautiful design:

  • Builds trust
  • Improves engagement
  • Simplifies navigation
  • Boosts conversions
  • Strengthens brand identity

App in Snap approaches UI/UX from a user psychology perspective, ensuring every design is functional and visually appealing — not just “pretty.”


4. Cloud Services — The Backbone of Modern Scalability

Today’s business systems must be available anytime, anywhere.

Cloud adoption is no longer optional.
App in Snap helps companies move to private or public cloud to:

  • Reduce infrastructure costs
  • Improve scalability
  • Strengthen security
  • Enable remote operations
  • Increase speed and performance

Whether it’s AWS, Azure, private cloud setups, or hybrid environments, they build cloud ecosystems that are built for long-term growth.


5. Cybersecurity — Protecting Digital Trust

Cyber threats grow every day.
A single breach can cost millions or destroy brand reputation.

App in Snap offers:

  • Security assessments
  • Network protection
  • Application security
  • Data encryption
  • 24/7 monitoring
  • Incident response

Security should never be an afterthought — and App in Snap ensures it becomes a core pillar of every digital solution.


6. Enterprise & ERP Solutions — Powering Operational Excellence

Businesses need systems that streamline operations, connect departments, and reduce manual tasks.

App in Snap builds:

  • Custom ERP systems
  • Inventory management modules
  • HR & payroll tools
  • Finance & accounting systems
  • Custom dashboards
  • Integrated workflow systems

With custom enterprise applications, businesses get exactly what they need — no unnecessary features, no limitations.


7. Digital Marketing & SEO — Bringing Customers to the Door

Even the best-built platform needs traffic.

App in Snap supports businesses with:

  • SEO
  • AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
  • Paid campaigns
  • Content strategies
  • Social media management

The goal is simple:
Bring the right audience and convert them into customers.


Why Businesses Trust App in Snap

1. They deliver modern solutions

Using the latest frameworks, tools, and cloud technologies.

2. They focus on business growth

Technology is only useful when it drives revenue and efficiency.

3. They work like a long-term partner

Not like a “project vendor.”

4. They offer everything under one roof

No need to hire multiple teams — development, design, cloud, security, and marketing are all integrated.

5. Their approach is transparent and collaborative

Clear communication, predictable timelines, and reliable delivery.


Final Thoughts — Digital Success Starts With the Right Tech Partner

Every business today is either transforming or falling behind.
Those who invest in strong digital infrastructure, seamless apps, and secure cloud environments will win the future.

If you’re ready to build, modernize, or scale your digital ecosystem, partnering with a team that understands the full picture is essential.
And App in Snap is one of those partners that combines expertise, innovation, and real business focus.

To explore their services, you can visit App in Snap and discover how they can help your business grow in a competitive digital world.

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