Member Avatar for dani190

Hey guys, so i need to find an application that can do the following:

  • Keep a searchable database on stock
  • Keep a database of all customers and their data (PO numbers etc)
  • be able to invoice a customer when a sale is made by selecting the items from the system they have purchased or ordered.
  • Be able to add up all the taxes and produce a total...
  • and finally keep track of all the orders...

I would need it to be accessible on 3-4 computers, not necessarily all at the same time.
I was thinking if i got a program i could then buy a server and host it in the shop to serve this whole system...

Any ideas guys?

Currently the system we are using is a custom made dos program and its really really inefficient and needs to be upgraded.

Thanks, Dani

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Lhairy

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Short, practical briefing to complement the replies from and and to cover gaps not yet discussed: migration planning from the old DOS app, a recommended data model, multi-user architecture choices, and a cutover checklist that keeps stock totals and invoices accurate.

Three viable architectures (tradeoffs):

  • SaaS/web-based: fastest to deploy and reachable from any Mac, with built-in backups and payments. Best when a public storefront or remote access is needed.
  • On-premise client/server: a small local server running a true relational DB (not a file-based system) with a web UI or native clients. Best for guaranteed offline operation and tight control.
  • Hybrid: local server for daily operations plus automated offsite/cloud backups and optional cloud sync for remote access.

Data/migration checklist (use a staging system and run both systems in parallel before final switch):

  • Export from the DOS program to CSV; clean and normalize fields.
  • Inventory fields to keep: SKU, description, category, cost, sell price, tax class, stock location, reorder level, preferred supplier, lead time.
  • Customer fields: company/name, contact, billing/shipping addresses, tax ID, default PO number, payment terms.
  • Order lifecycle to model: Quote -> Order -> Backorder -> Pick/Ship -> Invoice -> Payment -> Refund/Credit.
  • Import into staging, reconcile historical totals (sales, stock valuations), and run day-by-day parallel checks for 1–2 weeks.

Operational cautions and quick wins:

  • Use a true client-server DB for concurrent writes to avoid corruption.
  • Automate daily offsite backups and test restores.
  • Confirm POS hardware (barcode scanners, receipt printers) and printer drivers before cutover.
  • Configure tax rules per jurisdiction and validate with sample invoices.
  • Expect data cleanup work; allocate time for mapping fields and staff training.

This supplements the hosted-store and industry-package angles already suggested by and ; choice depends on whether in-shop POS and offline reliability are priorities (favor on-premise/hybrid) or rapid setup and remote access are primary (favor SaaS).

Member Avatar for schroeder

Hey guys, so i need to find an application that can do the following:

  • Keep a searchable database on stock
  • Keep a database of all customers and their data (PO numbers etc)
  • be able to invoice a customer when a sale is made by selecting the items from the system they have purchased or ordered.
  • Be able to add up all the taxes and produce a total...
  • and finally keep track of all the orders...

I would need it to be accessible on 3-4 computers, not necessarily all at the same time.
I was thinking if i got a program i could then buy a server and host it in the shop to serve this whole system...

Any ideas guys?

Currently the system we are using is a custom made dos program and its really really inefficient and needs to be upgraded.

Thanks, Dani

It sounds like you need to invest in an online ecommerce portal. There are several companies that host these for you and provide good infrastructures. There are a lot of great third party ecommerce portals that offer all of these features (searchable database of products each with SKU's auto generated or assigned and PO's, invoice features, sales tax computed based on state, not sure about international, and payment gateway integrations with places like PayPal and CC processors like Authorize.net).

Here's one I found just by googling:
http://www.siteground.com/zen-cart-hosting.htm

You would just need to pick an ecommerce host like siteground and find what ecommerce carts they support (like Zen Cart), find the one you like and then there you go (usually they are turn key and you just need to spend time doing data entry).

Now those are mostly designed as store fronts, and it sounds like what you're looking for is more like an accounting system where a single accountant is managing the sales. For that I'd recommend something like Peachtree. There are various flavors.

You can find more info here:
http://www.peachtree.com/productsServices/compare/

Member Avatar for Lhairy

What industry are you in? I ran a couple of hair salons and I was looking for something similar to what you were looking for (database, pos, etc.) I don't know what industry you are in but I'm sure you can find software for the particular industry you are in. Also, Quickbooks for Mac is a more generic application you can format to your industry. One last thing, again depending on your industry, their are a number of websites you could own for marketing and customer management. Google your industry plus "website builder". Hope this helps.

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