Actinic Business questions

[jxm28788]

Hi everybody. I've been running my actinic catalog site for a while now, and it is running well.

However, I am thinking of starting up a new website selling something different and I am thinking of using actinic business for this one (to get the customer discounting/accounts) and have several questions -

1) Can business handle discount codes (gift certificates)?

2) Can I run catalog and business off the same PC, running two sites at the same time?

3) How would mole automation handle this? (Jan)

4) The actinic site says something about business having a dynamic link to a database or something - what's all that about then? Does that mean it has real-time stock control? (no need for mole?)

5) Is business pretty much the same as catalog as far as building the site is concerned? (ie. same thing but with extra features, or totally different?)

6) Does it have any extra site templates?

Thanks

[I-CC]

A1) Not yet, but maybe watch this space.

A2) Yup, just enter your new Actinic Auth Key into the software you are running now and that will activate the extra site facility and then you switch between the two sites using File | Sites option of the software (no need to install anything extra) unless we are talking different versions of the software.

A3) Jan will need to answer that one sorry.

A4) What this means is that with an ODBC compliant application like Excel, you could have your products created in there, linked to the required fields within the Actinic Dbs, then if you make a change in the Excel file it is automatically shown in Actinic and vise versa, it is not a real time stock control feature, i.e. it is on the development machine and not the hosting end.

A5) Same thing just the xtra's.

A6) Dont think so, you get the same themes in all fo the 3 titles.

Hope this helps..

[Jan]

The automation mole has a multisite module, this will change sites for you and upload/download/process on each site, so the answer to question three is yes the mole will cope very nicely so long as you buy the multisite bit.

The external database link will not give you real time stock control, it will allow you to link products to an external ODBC source, the idea being that you can link an existing system into Actinic or write your own product editing system. The information that you can link to is limited to basic product details - no sections, no components or attributes.

We have a really nice product for multisite installations (were you have similar products) called Product Replication for Business, it uses the external linking to give you the following

1) products in more than one section
2) products on more than one site (ie. you enter product details such as price/description etc in one site, click a button and your other sites update automatically
3) multisite stock control (offline)

More details at this URL :

http://www.mole-end.biz/acatalog/Pro...plication.html

I would suggest that rather than buying a new copy of business, you upgrade you existing catalog to developer - this will give as many business sites as you like so long as you run them on the same machine - it is much better value for money.

Regards,

[jxm28788]

A1) Not yet, but maybe watch this space.

Is this feature also going to be in catalog, or business only? Any idea on timescales?

A2) Yup, just enter your new Actinic Auth Key into the software you are running now and that will activate the extra site facility and then you switch between the two sites using File | Sites option of the software (no need to install anything extra) unless we are talking different versions of the software.

So I can have Catalog and business running together, or would they both have to be business to use that feature?

(Jan) The automation mole has a multisite module, this will change sites for you and upload/download/process on each site, so the answer to question three is yes the mole will cope very nicely so long as you buy the multisite bit.

an add on, I might have known...how much?

I would suggest that rather than buying a new copy of business, you upgrade you existing catalog to developer - this will give as many business sites as you like so long as you run them on the same machine - it is much better value for money.

Can't find a price for a developer upgrade on the site? Bearinging in mind that I was not intending to update my original site to business is it still cheaper to get the upgrade than just to buy 1 new business?

[jxm28788]

oh, cool logo btw, looks like one of those 'impossible shapes' although it's hard to tell from that tiny icon...

[Jan]

:-) Thanks John

I am having my site redesigned and that is the new logo - I made is smaller myself though and I have to say that I don't think I have done it justice, never mind though.

The multisite part of the automation mole cost £74.99 BTW.

Regards,

[jxm28788]

Can you just confirm that I can have Catalog and Business running together, assuming they are of the same version?

Does anyone know the cost to upgrade Catalog to Developer as I can't find that price on the actinic site...

Thanks.

[I-CC]

Yes, you can have multiple Catalogs and Business sites (of the same version 6.x.x etc) on the same machine.

In effect they are operated within the same software that you launch each and every time, you simply go into Sites and select the appropriate licenced site that you wish to maintain or use at that time..

Catalog to Developer upgrade £1,061 + VAT - drop us an email off list if you want to discuss this.