Microsoft Retail Management System (MS RMS), former QuickSell 2000 is very popular retail system, which is capable to automate the whole spectrum of retail businesses - from single store with inventory count needs up to the chain of supermarkets. The strong points of Microsoft RMS are inventory control, sales campaigns/promotions. Microsoft Business Solutions is working on enhancing its Microsoft RMS integration to Microsoft Great Plains - currently it integrates on GL and Purchasing module level. The increase of MS RMS popularity maybe also explained with Microsoft marketing channel power.If you are software developer or database administrator - we would like to give you the clues on Crystal Report creation for Microsoft RMS1.Database: Microsoft SQL Server or MSDE - this means that you can deploy native SQL driver for connection or use ODBC for flexibility.2.Tables Structure – it is extremely self-explanatory: Customer, Transaction (invoices, returns, layaways and others), TransactionAmount, Cashier, Tender to give you examples3.Links - Usually master table has ID column and Transaction-related table links by [Entity]ID column: Transaction.CustomerID=Customer.ID to give the idea. This query will give you customer info of sales transaction: select b.FirstName, b.LastName, a.* from [Transaction] a join Customer b on a.CustomerID=b.ID. Please pay attention to the brackets around Transaction - transaction is reserved word in MS Transact SQL - the Microsoft blend of SQL924.Hints on dataflow/synchronization – Microsoft RMS uses worksheets technology and all the data goes from stores to headquarters database through worksheets. Headquarters database doesn't create its own transactions - so be careful and do not try this type of data integration.5.SQL Views and Stored Procedures - yes - feel free to create them directly in RMS Headquarters database and deploy in your Crystal Report.6.Advanced Techniques - in MS SQL Enterprise Manager you can create Linked Server to all ODBC/OLEDB compliant databases: Ctree, PervasiveSQL/Btrieve, MS Access, ORACLE, DB2, Unidata, Navision (C/ODBC) and using OPENROWSET construction you can create geterogeneus view and stored proc - then you can have the data from multiple systems in your Crystal Report. Happy designing and developing! if you want us to do the job or use our product - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! http://www.albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, VB/C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. akarasev@albaspectrum.com
