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eCommerce in ERP system Enterprise

HansaWorld's eCommerce solutions allow you to set up an online shop, share information electronically inside the company or create a web page introducing your business. The ERP ecommerce system is very flexible, as users can connect to it from any place that has an internet connection, even by using a real-time client on a Nokia business phone.

Features of integrated in ERP system eCommerce solution:

Working from any location with an internet connection, also with a laptop, PDA or business phone

Fully integrated e-mail

Integrated online chat

Conferences for sharing documents, publishing news or participating in discussions

Tools for easily creating a corporate website

Web shop, supporting sales both to business and retail customers

Corporate portal, giving access through a browser to e-mails, tasks and calendar items, reports or other information. The same tools can be used to allow customers view real-time Statements or their order status, or enter data from a web browser

Built-in security

Table of Contents. Ecommerce ERP solution by HansaWorld

HansaWorld and Wide-Area Networks (WANs)

Direct HansaWorld Webshop

Corporate Portal

Home Page

Online Communication to Third Party Webshop

Offline Communication to Third Party Webshop

HansaWorld supports a full range of ERP integrated eCommerce solutions, as a result of the unrivalled speed of its database and the quality and openness of its connectivity tools. Each solution is explained in detail below, but also refer to the table at the end to find the one most appropriate to you.

HansaWorld and Wide-Area Networks (WANs)

A client version of HansaWorld ERP system can log on to a HansaWorld server across any wide-area network that supports TCP/IP, including the Internet, most virtual private networks, and using dial-up networking. HansaWorld is almost unique in not requiring third-party products and specialised hardware for this process, such as Microsoft’s Terminal Server or Citrix Winframe - consequently the HansaWorld solution is faster, more reliable, and cheaper. Also HansaWorld's ERP system has built-in security, that is applied to eCommerce solution: over-the-wire encryption of all network data, using a proprietary coding technology.

HansaWorld can be used in this way to support:

working from home

mobile staff using laptops or handhelds, even over GSM GPRS mobile phones if no telephone point is available (for more on handhelds, see HansaWorld and Barcoding)

multi-site use of a centralised database.

HansaWorld provides additional functionality to extend intranet use:

Mail - not a link to an external mail system, but a fullyintegrated internal and external system (both POP3 and SMTP compliant), using the standard HansaWorld interface. Mails are editable by both sender and recipient, thereafter showing as unread, and allowing an ongoing dialogue

Conferences - a bulletin board, which is particularly effective in conjunction with HansaWorld’s document management features. This provides a centrally-accessible point for corporate procedures, quality and other manuals, news, and any other communications

Chat - communicate real-time with any logged-on user, at local call rates

FTP - files can be managed across a wide-area network. Extranets are also practicable using this technology. A HansaWorld client can be installed in two minutes, ready to log on to any HansaWorld server. Limited Access features in HansaWorld can restrict users to only data applicable to them - for example, a customer can only see their own record details and balance information. If given access, they can place orders, and even check stock levels - also subject to credit limits. Note that routers are only required at either end of the connection if multiple log-ons are intended.

Direct HansaWorld Webshop

This method allows customers to “log-on” directly to the HansaWorld server from a web browser, without an intermediate website. The HansaWorld server sends both data and screen layouts to the web browser. As the HansaWorld server is serving pure HTML, all web browsers are supported by this method - but additional security is required for sensitive transactions.

Users set up style sheets for different areas of the webshop, controlling the look and feel of the site. HansaWorld's ERP system uses a highly configurable template approach for the management of the ecommerce solution's design. For example, there are settings to determine how many frames will be used, where each frame will be positioned, what will be displayed in each frame, and so on. Users can associate pictures with various elements in the HansaWorld data, and control how these pictures are displayed.

The webshop as ecommerce ERP solution supports both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) sites. Advantages include:

low or even no developer involvement

no ongoing maintenance of websites

lower ongoing costs.

Corporate Portal

HansaWorld also has a Corporate Portal, controlling other sorts of data than the customer-facing elements important for web-shopping. The portal is more about employee-facing data, such as e-mails, conferences, to dos, calendar entries and reports. All this data can be accessed from web browsers, from anywhere in the world, provided the employee has appropriate log-in authority.

Elements of the Corporate Portal can be combined with the Direct Webshop, and other HansaWorld technologies, to provide a complete integrated with ERP eCommerce solution. Examples include:

customer log-in to HansaWorld data to run real-time reports and enquiries, such as Statements, and status of their orders

redirection from the Direct Webshop to secure trading sites or PDQ software, to ensure secure receipt of payments

customisation of web screens to allow data entry from web browsers of timesheets, expenses and any other relevant data.

Home Page

If you just want a website for advertising purposes, HansaWorld’s Home Page solution is likely to be the appropriate one for you. This will guide you through entering all necessary elements directly into the HansaWorld database, including:

text

HTML

pictures

setting up the structure of the site.

This allows content management in real-time, by non-technical staff. If you have late-breaking news that has to be added to the website, type it into HansaWorld and it will be live on the website in seconds.

Online Communication to Third Party Webshop

HansaWorld provides a developer’s toolkit for real-time connections from ERP system to most modern, external ecommerce applications.

These applications can then read from and write to the HansaWorld database, in real-time.

Since one or more websites(ecommerce solutiona) can query a HansaWorld's ERP system database, the website itself can be structured fundamentally differently from an offline webshop. For example, the website does not need its own database of products, prices and stock levels. Also, since ecommerce solution is managing the exchange of data to ERP system by HansaWorld, there is no need for user maintenance of this solution.

This method is particularly suitable for:

existing or future bespoke websites for any purposes, where highly complex design is important

commercially-available eCommerce packages already linked to HansaWorld - talk to your dealer or HansaWorld directly about which packages are linked, or to your ecommerce provider about linking to HansaWorld (not a complex process)

FMCG or other fast-moving environments

high volume websites

It is currently preferable to have the website and the HansaWorld server on the same local-area network (LAN). However, HansaWorld’s unrivalled WAN features make it unnecessary for the server and clients to be on the same LAN. If, for example, the website is hosted by an Internet Service Provider, the HansaWorld server should be similarly hosted. It is possible to site both the website and the HansaWorld server anywhere with good Internet links, including offshore for realising tax-planning advantages.

Strong scaleability is offered by:

UNIX servers, including IBM’s eServer range

multiple server technology

multiple gateway technology, allowing website “hits” to be apportioned between gateways to channel more data into HansaWorld.

Offline Communication to Third Party Webshop

This is a low-technology, high-maintenance solution for linking websites to HansaWorld. Data is collected by the website, for example customer orders, and then exported by it to an ASCII file for import to HansaWorld.

Various import filters already exist within HansaWorld, or others can be added by any specially-accredited dealer. This method is particularly suitable for connecting:

existing or future bespoke websites for order-taking where
design is important but budget is constrained

commercially-available eCommerce packages capable of
exporting ASCII files.

As there is no real-time communication between the website and HansaWorld, the website needs a database of products or services and their prices. If the customer will be advised of delivery times based on stock availability, the website also needs a methodology for approximating real stock levels. Therefore users need to maintain website data, and to manage the exchange of ASCII files and their import to HansaWorld - which can be by email. HansaWorld allows customers to be notified by email of delivery details, after placing the order.