ISTech Support Forum - Data Collection

triway

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Data Collection
05/02/07 at 12:04:03

I could use some input here. We are currently running 9 Intermec serial 9510 barcode terminals attached to a Intermec 9154 controller, which in turn is attached to the serial port of a host computer running a Database III plus custom program (last updated 1988). We are using the program to capture labor hours. I am looking for a middleware program that is easy to configure so that I can interface the barcode terminals directly into DBA. Any thoughts?

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Lynn_Pantic Administrator evolution (n) - gradual change to a different form Posts: 5663	Re: Data Collection Reply #1 - 05/02/07 at 15:09:06 I think your best bet would be to configure them to collect a CSV file that can then be imported using DE-H-A. You can look at the DE-H-A screen to determine the needed fields.
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triway Browser What, you want it now? Posts: 9	Re: Data Collection Reply #2 - 05/02/07 at 15:19:22 Exporting to a csv file is my fall back position, but I will still need a program to run and collect the data to be exported.
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kkmfg

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Re: Data Collection
Reply #3 - 05/03/07 at 04:50:50

So, your current DatabaseIII app doesn't support exporting it's labor data to CSV I assume... You want to cut it out entirely and use another program plus DBA to do your labor hours. Am I understanding all that right?

Assuming that I do understand here are my thoughts:

I'm not aware of anything off-the-shelf that will take bar code input and produce a CSV file or otherwise output something suitable. There probably is something out there that could be made to work, after all there are many payroll type programs out there. But I don't think that they are geared for what you seem to want to do. You might try a google search and see if anything promising turns up.

Otherwise, would it be OK if such a program did output CSV or are you really looking for a more direct integration? I ask because it'd be easy enough to make a simple program that inputs bar codes which are associated with employees and then outputs CSV with the employee # and time stamp.

Quote from triway on 05/02/07 at 15:19:22:

Exporting to a csv file is my fall back position, but I will still need a program to run and collect the data to be exported.

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Collin
K & K Manufacturing, Inc

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triway

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Re: Data Collection
Reply #4 - 05/03/07 at 08:20:31

What I am trying to do is to find a way to hook the existing barcode equipment directly into DBA and cut out any additional software. The DB III system was a custom program written for an old accounting/manufacturing program called BBX. I could adjust the .prn file to output to a csv, but the data fields do not match DBA's so there is still additional work involved. I need some type of program that can interface between the barcode terminals and DBA similar to a wedge. If that can't be done, then a simple program to capture labor hours and production completed that can be exported into a csv file. I have found a few via the internet but they are much more complicated that we need.

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kkmfg

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Re: Data Collection
Reply #5 - 05/03/07 at 08:45:19

Hmm... That narrows it down.

Do you have an example of the sort of output from the current program (the PRN file) and an example of what the input to DBA should look like? It's been a long, long time since we switched from our old accounting package to DBA and I don't remember anything about how the input should be formatted. I suppose I could look that part of it up.

If all you need is a little console (DOS) based program that translates from one format (PRN) to a DBA compatible CSV file then I could probably do that fairly soon and for free. It would make a great topic for the WIKI -- As an example of a data conversion problem and it's solution.

Quote from triway on 05/03/07 at 08:20:31:

What I am trying to do is to find a way to hook the existing barcode equipment directly into DBA and cut out any additional software. The DB III system was a custom program written for an old accounting/manufacturing program called BBX. I could adjust the .prn file to output to a csv, but the data fields do not match DBA's so there is still additional work involved. I need some type of program that can interface between the barcode terminals and DBA similar to a wedge. If that can't be done, then a simple program to capture labor hours and production completed that can be exported into a csv file. I have found a few via the internet but they are much more complicated that we need.

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Collin
K & K Manufacturing, Inc

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