[ic] Synchronics Counterpoint POS and Interchange

[Lawrence Tartol]

Thought I'd share this with the community, I'm currently trying to integrate
Interchange 5.3
with Counterpoint POS, which from my googling seems like a popular off the
shelf retail package.
Any thoughts?


Subject: Counterpoint and non CPonline ecommerce solution


>Hello,



>I was wondering if you've ever integrated CounterPoint SQL into use with
another database.

[CCS] CP V7 uses the Pervasive Database.  CP SQL (a separate product) uses
Microsoft SQL.



>I'm working with a company that just purchased a 10hr support block from
you.

>Our current setup is as follows. CounterPoint v7 running on a Windows
machine, Linux Fedora core 3

>with the latest stable MySQL,DNS,IMAP running on an onsite server with an
Interchange ecommerce platform.



>What I'd like to have happen is to sync inventory data with CounterPoint to
and from a mapped field into MySQL.

[CCS] With the CP V7 SQL Connection option you can build an ODBC connection
to the tables in the Pervasive Database.

This is a standard option that is the same price as any other option at the
user count you are licensed for.



>Is this possible to do via an ODBC driver and CounterPoint?

[CCS] If MySQL for Windows has an ODBC driver for the version of windows you
are running, this would seem doable.

You would simply connect to the CP V7 Pervasive Database from MySQL and
Select data from tables.

If MySQL does not offer this, but will read from an intermediate structure
such as EXCEL or ACCESS, you could use this approach.

My recollection of MySQL is that it will read ACCESS at least.



[CCS] Since some of the code used by Synchronics to interface CPOnline to CP
V7 is unpublished and/or hidden in the runtime, a more direct approach is
not available.  As dealers, we have suggested that this may be an option to
offer for third party Website interfacing.  At present Synchronics is
adamant about CPOnline remaining as it is.



>The goal would be to keep inventory quantities in sync in the store and on
the website.

[CCS] Reading from CP V7 is supported.  Writing to CP V7 is risky because it
circumvents the referential integrity implied in a business application.



>I would prefer to not use CPonline, don't want to pay the fees, we run our
own apache ssl server plus web statistical software and I'm pretty far in to
this project.  Is this >something your company can help us figure out?

[CCS] Let us know if you need more specifics, or help with the creation of
this interface.  We are literate in the technologies that you are using.  We
have considerable credentials in the UNIX and Linux world.  We have dabbled
with MySQL and Python.  You may know that Python is used by Synchronics in
their CPWireless product.



>Thanks

>Lawrence Tartol