Integration of Actinic sales data with my custom application

[XtraInternet]

We have just delivered an automated process to a client and need to capture the sales data from the Actinic system for use in this application.

The application is built using ASP and SQL.

What is the easiest way to access this data in real time?

The notification emails that are generated could be parsed by a Perl script and the resulting data dumped into the database but that's open to too many errors due to formatting, etc.

Thanks all.

[wjcampbe]

The application is built using ASP and SQL.

How your application is built does not affect the answer.

What is the easiest way to access this data in real time?

Real time - not possible.

The notification emails that are generated could be parsed by a Perl script and the resulting data dumped into the database but that's open to too many errors due to formatting, etc.

Thanks all.

You need to use Actinic's command line to automate frequent order downloads, then read the changes from the access database into your bespoke SQL database.

Exactly what data, from which tables, will be dependent on what you are trying to do with the data once you have it.

[Jan]

There are several ways of extracting information from Actinic

. you can use SQL to access the data directly, the actinic information is stored in an Access database.
. you can use Actinic export to put completed order data into CSV files - it produces 5, each containing different types of data (Files / Export)
. you can use my One Stop Order Proessing program to export order data, it's quite flexible in the output format, you can configure the fields exported and their order (http://www.mole-end.biz/acatalog/Mul...r-Actinic.html for more details and a free trial)
. you could write or have written a custom export program to product the data in exactly the format your program requires.

As Bill says, you cannot access the data in real time, you have to download the orders to the PC before you can access them. If you are wanting a two way data transfer, you will also have to upload your catalog to get any changes you have made shown on the website.

Regards,

[gabrielcrowe]

I have done this using mysql with my intranet app.

http://www.interact-studio.co.uk/interact-actinet.html



The sql plugin can upload the downladed orders data to an sql database online. then your app could get to the data using any sort of mysql connector.

[gabrielcrowe]

oops, forgot to mention.

this platform has a work in prograss plugin that delivers the data you need in xml.

your app would only need to understand http and xml.

[XtraInternet]

Thanks for the feedback - I was guessing that real-time would be asking a bit much!

Particularly interested in the last couple of posts by gabrielcrowe - I'll be looking into that in the new year.

Thanks again.