Inventory Control Experts
Microsoft Retail Management System RMS Interface
DataWorks, Inc. designs and supports NeXT®, enterprise-class retail back office software for the retail, hospitality and entertainment industries. This central headquarters system is designed for the local, regional or corporate head office and integrates with many POS products that serve the mid-market.
NeXT replaces all the Headquarter and store polling components of the Dynamics POS offerings. A mutual client will not need to license Microsoft’s Retail Management Headquarters, HQ Remote Client or HQ Communications. Microsoft’s store operations features are disable and not used.
DataWorks partners with dealers and resellers that sell POS systems to corporate multi-store operations. DataWorks does not directly market or support Microsoft’s POS products. We enable Microsoft POS resellers to reach clients that would typically be beyond the native abilities of Microsoft Dynamics RMS POS or Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009.
We will explain how DataWorks is implemented by first reviewing a typical deployment of Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System in a two-store scenario that has architecture similar to Figure 1.
Figure 1
In this two-store example, Store A has two POS stations and Store B has one POS station.
A local area network connects the POS and Manager stations within the store, and an internet connection connects the stores to a headquarters office running Microsoft Dynamics Headquarters.
Data is synchronized using Microsoft’s HQ Remote Client and HQ Communications software.
In Figure 2, the same installation is again represented – this time with the DataWorks NeXT system deployed as the headquarters system.
Figure 2
Two POS stations at Store A, and Store B has one POS station.
A LAN connects the POS stations within the store, and an internet connection links the stores to HQ.
DataWorks Smart-Spoke software pushes and pulls data to and from the central headquarters. A Store User and HQ User use the same NeXT application. Their roles, access and privileges are controlled within NeXT.
NeXT HQ is provided to the client as either a traditional PC-LAN application or licensed as a web application using DataWorks ASP hosting services.
The design of the system does not require a persistent internet connection. If the POS side is down the HQ will continue to run. If the HQ is off line, POS operations are not interrupted. When communication is restored, cached inventory changes and customer records are pulled down to the store, and sales are pushed up to the HQ.
Store clerks use the features of Dynamics POS to look up stock, sell items, plus add and maintain customer information. Store managers use an internet browser to access the NeXT HQ application. There is no back office software installed at the store level.
NeXT is first and foremost an inventory control operations system for multiple store locations. It is designed for operations that have business processes that cross multiple departments within the organization. Can it work for a stand-alone store operation? Sure. But the business requirements would have to justify the investment.
This high-level diagram highlights the major work flow within NeXT.
Figure 3
- Vendor Management
- Product Management
- Color – Size Matrices
- Customer Management
- Purchase Orders
- Replenishment
- Open to Buy
- Receiving and Allocation
- Warehouse Management
- Bar-coding and Tagging
- Logistic Units of Measure
- Requisitions / Fulfillment
- Pick Lists
- Store to Store Transfers
- Suggested Transfers
- Returns to Vendor
- Invoice Matching
- Physical Counts
- Markdown Management
- Kits and Assemblies
- Sales Audit
- Plans and Budgets
NeXT has many integration points that allow it to connect and share information with a variety of third party systems. Those surfaces include: Point of Sale, Deli Scales, E-Commerce, Warehouse Systems, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, Hand-Held Scanners and Barcode Printers.
The Microsoft Dynamics POS is one of the many POS systems that NeXT communicates with. One advantage of NeXT is that one HQ can talk to multiple POS systems. Different versions, different currencies or different languages -- NeXT can handle all of them -- simultaneously.
Figure 4 represents the integration opportunities that exist for bringing data into or out of NeXT.
Figure 4
DataWorks publishes its complete list of import and export standards at DataWorksInc.com/downloads .
Count on Us
DataWorks will:
- Assign a Project Manager to coordinate the project with client and reseller.
- Create a Scope-of-Work for the project.
- Perform a Retail Operations evaluation.
- Perform an IT evaluation.
- Install and configure NeXT at client’s HQ or publish on hosted system.
- Train end users on the features and capabilities of NeXT.
- Train POS/IT staff on POS integration and monitoring features.
- Provide hand-held scanners and barcode printers hardware to the client.
- Supply price stock (Hang Tags, Jewelry Tags and Stickers) to the client.
- Remotely install and configure Smart-Spoke interface on POS server.
- Pull Pre-Go-Live data down to POS system from HQ.
- Confirm Pre-Go-Live POS Scanning.
- Monitor Post-Go-Live POS until issue-free for one full week.
- Hold weekly status meeting Post-Go-Live for typically 4 weeks.
- Provide 24/7 support for retail operations and store polling.
- Supply POS hardware, software and paper stock.
- Configure tenders including credit card authorization.
- Configure local taxation rules.
- Configure pole displays and sales receipt layouts.
- Configure cashiers and cashier access.
- Configure network and user logins.
- Disable retail operations within POS system.
- Share network, SQL & POS authentication to DataWorks.
- Communicate changes to authentication.
- Communicate tender changes.
- Communicate changes to operational settings.
- Notify each other about local taxation rules.
- Give 60-day notice for upgrades.
- Give 3-day notice of planned downtimes.
Technical 411
The simple explanation of the integration between NeXT and Dynamics POS is this: Inventory is created in NeXT. Sales and Customers are recorded in Dynamics. The two talk. Everything works. That’s a good sales pitch, but it leaves out the gritty technical details. For the technical details please download the full document.
