> that a popup list of part numbers from the data base is really just as good/quick as scanning a bar code
I agree unless you have part numbers like mine. :-) DPX4MA67P67SA106SW8S340001 DPX4MA67S67PA106PW8P330001 DPX4MAA106P67P32C4P67S33B0001 DPX4MAA106PA106S67S26S34B0001 DPX4MAA106PA106S67S67P34B0001 DPX4MAA106S67S32C4S67P34B0001 DPX4MAA106SA106P67P26P33B0001 DPX4MAA106SA106P67P67S33B0001 From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dennis Fleming Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 10:02 AM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - Re: We have an app for that... RBase Larry/John, To see how this matches your efforts, here are some of the approaches we have taken for inventory control and interfacing with our RBase app. Our typical customer has a few thousand line items and uses bar coded part tags to control checkouts. The bins are also bar coded. The two main functions are performing periodic physical inventory, and part check out by mechanics. Virtually no one has a full time parts clerk. A typical user may order only 50 line items a week. 1. In "the old days" some plants had a handheld scanner, scanned the bar code and entered the quantity used or the quantity on hand. They uploaded the data to our inventory app and we processed either "Issues" or a Physical inventory. The downside was resolving discrepancies and exceptions using a batch file. Also, if they wanted to record the mechanic or equipment "where used" then "someone" needed to program the prompts in the handheld scanner. 2. Since all the parts have a tag, many plants scanned the bar code tag to checkout the part. We print a physical inventory report with bar codes which is used by the parts clerk to check part quantities and then record differences back at their PC using a scanner/wedge. 3. While it sounds a bit archaic, the system which seems to work the best is where the mechanic leaving the parts room stops at a PC, goes to the checkout screen in our RBase app, scans or pops up the part number, enters a quantity and optionally pops up an equipment list, account number, etc. We capture the logged in user and date. To Larry's point, a handheld tablet (smartphone, scanner/phone) as a remote user sounds like a good option. Depending on cost of course. Always good to hear of other RBase progress and success in the world inventory control. I agree with Larry that a popup list of part numbers from the data base is really just as good/quick as scanning a bar code. Provided you can access to the data base, of course! Dennis ***** At 03:15 PM 10/24/2011, you wrote: Larry/John,Thanks for the replies. On the road today but I would like to provide a complete response tomorrow. Been down the scanner/upload, wifi, wedge scanner route. Sometimes simpler is better, but as the new tech gets cheaper, a handheld PC/scanner with realtime data, is very attractive. Dennis***** Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry From: Lawrence Lustig <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:13:00 -0700 (PDT) To: RBASE-L Mailing List<[email protected]> ReplyTo: [email protected] Subject: [RBASE-L] - Re: We have an app for that... RBase << (Sorry. A little late continuing this thread.) You have a hand scanner running your RBase app remotely so you can update RBase forms directly? That sound like what my customer needs when they are performing a physical inventory. No need to upload data since you are working directly with the data base. What is the approx cost for one of those scanner/smartphones? >> The device they're using (or were testing, I don't know if it's in production) was in the standard scanner gun form factor (with a cell-phone sized screen running Windows CE, using Remote Desktop to run a session on a terminal server). It wasn't cheap, about $2,000. If you want the exact name, I'll be on-site this week and can get you all the information. If I were doing this myself, however, what I'd experiment with would be an Android tablet and either using the camera in the tablet to scan the bar codes or added a separate, cheap, usb-attached bar code scanner to the device. This would be much cheaper (you could use the new Amazon Kindle if you wanted, $200), give you more screen to play around with, allow connectivity either via wifi or 3G/4G, and let you have different form factors for different tasks. You could use a phone-sized device (even a phone!!!) for super-portability, a 7-inch device for most warehouse work, and an 11-inch device if you need access to the full system. With this solution, you can run as much of your R:Base application from wherever you are as you want (of course, you may choose to make only the inventory module available). In all cases, the difficulty is getting whatever device you're using to scan the bar code to correctly pass the bar code into the RDP session you're running. Shouldn't be impossible, but our client did have to work out how to set up the scanner to do that. If you don't care so much about scanning the bar code (if you can just select the item from a list or type in the number), then this setup is really a no-brainer, in my opinion. -- Larry Dennis Fleming IISCO www.TheBestCMMS.com <http://www.thebestcmms.com/> Phone: 570 775-7593 Mobile: 570 351-5290
