Many customers have asked us to make the Computer Fencing System easier to integrate with their other business systems. In response, we have developed the CFS Enterprise Edition. Now you can have the ability to transfer the wealth of data contained in and produced by CFS into other programs. The Enterprise Edition consists of two major applications that import data into and out of CFS. The first, which we call InterOp, is a program to export items from the Master File into Excel or any other spreadsheet program and back into the CFS Master File. The second application, called XML Export, creates an open format XML file of Scratch Builder estimates and Cash Register invoices that contain every bit of information that CFS knows about the estimate or invoice. This data can be readily accessed by any programmer and directed to any other application.

InterOp is a tool to export information from CFS into standard spreadsheet (CSV) format. It exports the following CFS Master File record fields: record number, description, size, unit, part number, manufacturer (vendor) ID, source (vendor) part number, unit divisor, weight, inventory count, list price, and retail price for each item. You can update part numbers, source numbers, weight, inventory count, list, actual cost or retail price, and even descriptions (keeping the Rules of Master File in mind) in a spreadsheet and import it back into CFS. You can also use InterOp to export data without the intention of importing it back into CFS. Other uses include populating and updating other applications, like accounting programs or web store databases with inventory items from CFS, or for analyzing your pricing structure by exporting the list price, actual cost, in-yard cost and retail price for all items or groups of items to a spreadsheet format. The ability to import updated information back into CFS is limited to updating existing records. Adding, rearranging, and deleting items should continue to be done within CFS Update Master File in order to preserve the integrity of the scratch builder and parts catalog setups.

Example Imports / Exports:

XML Export is a CFS Enterprise Edition function to export the estimate or invoice information created in CFS. With this capability the Scratch Builder, Cash Register, and Miscellaneous Estimator programs have the ability to create a file in XML format from the Reports Menus. This file is open and accessible to any programmer. It contains every bit of information we have about a particular job, all of it in one place and ready to be accessed. This file contains all the relevant data for the job: the customer information, the inventory detail (even for fabricated and assembled items), the cost, selling price, the discount amount (if listed separately), tax amounts, labor, freight, specifications and a job description that includes the total footage and style of fence. Other uses for the XML Export include creating invoices, sales orders, estimates, and/or purchase orders in an accounting program, report sales tax totals, cost of goods sold, or for creating custom reports in other programs.

XML Examples:

Custom applications can be built by using the data from the XML Export file to extend the functionality of CFS and communicate with other programs. These Apps can be launched within the normal workflow of CFS. We have created three functional open source Apps: XML Reader, Commission Assistant and Inventory Usage. You can use them, open them, study them and modify them anyway you like or you can use them as examples of how to create your own Apps.

Enterprise apps created with Microsoft VB.NET. To view/edit source code download Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 Express (free).