Getting started/info gathering/will OFBiz do ALL I need

[Ted Byers]

Hi All.

I just discovered your website last night.  When I read that one can set up
multiple parties, or companies, in the same installation, I was excited.
But then, looking at the BPL referenced on your site, I was disappointed as
it seems to deal only with the buying and selling of products.

To put this into context, I was asked by a local contractor to investigate
the availability of software that is easy to use and that would help him
keep track of inventory, labou costs, and to relate these material costs to
'jobs'.  That is, if he gets a contract to repair or re-shingle a roof, he
needs a) support for entering the data that tells him how large or small
the job is, what materials are used, and how many labourers work on it and
for how long.  And he wants output in a form that he can just pass to his
accountant (for task purposes).  And he wants support for the task of
entering the parameters that determine the size or scope of the job and
estimates, from the history of himselve and his labourers, how long it will
take and what the cost will be (so, e.g., he can tell prospective clients
what the upper limit on cost and duration will be based onthe upper 99%
confidence interval of the mean cost and time; and this is so he can build
a reputation for being early and under-budget when he gives his
estimates).  The contractor I spoke with told me he had seen insanely
expensive software that the really, really big contractors use for this
purpose, but he also said that when he spoke with the people that actually
have to use that software, they indicated they hated it because it was hard
to understand and harder still to use.  Ease of use, and an interface that
is intuitive even for a secondary school graduate with limited knowledge of
either business or IT, are high on my list of priorities.

He also told me that while the contractors he knows are capable people,
when it comes to IT they are 'luddites', unaware of what IT can do and how
it can be used.  This means that, if I find something useful for him and
his peers, the interface has to be simple and intuitive to anyone who can
read.

Now, before I spend a large amount of time investigating how to install and
configure OFBiz, and working through the documentation (which seems
unusually good for an open source product), can I trouble you for some
quick yes/no answers, perhaps accompanied by URLs where the subject of my
questions is discussed at length.  I can deal with technical information,
having developed commercial software. products for close to three decades
in Pascal, C/C++, Java (and related, such as JSP/JSF), Perl,
HTML/Javascript, and SQL.  (So, if need be, I can dig into the OFBiz code
and extend it: but only if there is no other option).

Let's suppose, for the sake of my questions, that I am looking to help Fred
the plumber, Sam the roofer, and George the carpenter.

1)  Is it true that I can set up OFBiz on one server (probably in the
cloud), and then set up Fred, Sam and George as separete companies, each
with his own, limited, inventory?  (many contractors do not keep an
inventory, which is something I'd have to be able to support also, but some
hhave observed they can get, and thus offer, better prices if they buy
certain raw materials in bulk - I think I'd need also to be able to provide
support for timing purchases, so that the contractors know how long, on
average, their suppliers take to fill and ship an order, so they then know
at what inventory level they ought to place their next order to ensure they
don't run out of stock on critical supplies)  Or did I misunderstand what I
have read so far?

1a) would it be much of a stretch to have some sort of integration with
suppliers' systems, so that if a supplier's systems support it, the
contractors can use OFBiz to place orders with their suppliers online, and
then either subsequently pick up the order or wait for it to be delivered
to either their warehouse or their job site?  What would be involved in
configuring Fred 's company and supply chain so that he could query a
supplier's API to verify the supplier has stock on what he needs, and then
place an order for these supplies, &c. &c., &c.?

2) Is there an interface, that displays well, and is usable, on any mobile
device, so that any of them can go into any of the building supply
companies they rely on, purchase what they need, and enter that fact into
OFBi, so the items purchased can be added to their respective inventories?

3) Is there a similar interface that lets them go to a job site, with some
portion of his inventory, and record the allocation of that inventory to
that job, as well as assign selected labourers to that job (some of whom
may be regular employees and others being casual labourers or
subcontractors)?  In fact, the contractor I spoke with said he'd like to be
able to take all the inventory required for a job to the job site at the
beginning, and record the time his labourers begin work, and then return to
the job site at the end fo the day to record how much inventory had been
used and when the labourers quit for the day.  And, he wanted QA info,
relating amounts of warranty service he needs to provide given the
materials (and their source) and the labourers he has used on each job, so
that he can then know what to correct in terms of materials selected for
future jobs, retraining of labourers, &c.

4) This is a question of security.  If I set something up for these guys,
I'd want both server and client ceertificates.  Thus, the question has a
few parts. a) How does  one configure it so that it uses a server
certificate (wheher self signed or from a CA)? and b) Can it handle
creation of a local CA and use it to issue client certificates to each of
the users, and this online through a special page (accessible only over the
latest version of TLS, and using stong, single use credentials) that
presents the user with a series of challenges, and if the responses
returned are consistent with what the user gave the RA, proceeds to walk
the user through the process (as simple as possible) of creating, signing,
and installing the required client certificate?  I know how to configure
Apache's httpd server to require client certificates for a specific
location, but how does one do that using OFBiz?  And, finally, for this
question, is there support for using client certificates to encrypt and
sign documents; and for use of client certificates to support
non-repudiation in the ecommerce modules of OFBiz?

5) For the ecommerce modules, just how far in supporting electronic
transactions do you go?  I have developed my share of gateway APIs, and
integrated them with the APIs provided by certain processing banks and
other gateways.  To use your ecommerce modules, does one need to do some
programming to complete the integration with the user's bank or gateway, or
is that complete and all that remains is that the user configure it with
his mid information?  And, related to that, is there reporting provided to
let the merchant assess the performance of each mid (approval/decline
ratios, refund and chargeback ratios, &c.) and risk related to refunds and
chargebacks (which determines just how much funds the merchant should have
in reserve in order to be able to fund any refunds and chargebacks that
arise after some catastophe that results in him being unable to process
further sale transactions?

I suspect that the answer to most of my questions will be yes, and someone
will point me to one or another portion of your documentation.  I do have
browser windows open the the beginning pages of each of the documents you
have.  However, time is short and before I spend a lot of time on studying
that material, I'd like confirmation that what I would need to be able to
do is possible or even easy.

Show stoppers would be no support for the concept of a job, along with
allocating inventory and manpower to each job, and inadequate support for
security, including proper generation and use of client certificates.

So, can all this be handled out fo the box, as it were, by OFBiz, or would
I have to do a lot of programming myself to provide complete support for
everything these guys would need?  And if I would have to do a lot of
programming of this myself, would it be easier for me to start development
de novo and build it all using Perl, HTML5/Javascript, and SQL (in iether
Postgres or MySQL)?  I really don't want to be spending days or weeks
building/installing/configuring it only to find it can't handle everything
I need to do.

I'd appreciate any information you can provide.

Thanks

Ted

[Deepak Agarwal-2]

Following are my opinions. Rest, experts can comment.
1) Yes. ofbiz can run on a single server or cloud for multiple
organizations where each organizations can maintain their own warehouses,
stores, catalog and websites. An advance purchase order is supported by
ofbiz. You can receive inventory to any warehouse. There are easy ON/OFF
mechanism to make functionalities mandatory and optional.
1a) Ofbiz is SOA based so not much trouble intereacting with other system,
it is as easy as adding export='true' to a ofbiz service which will export
the service as SOAP or json.
2) An example component hhfacility (handheld) is their with the ofbiz to
demonstrate it.
3) Do not know
4) Yes. It is there.
5) Most of the payment integration is already setup but any other
integration is quite easy and with for a good developer it will take 2 days
max


On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:02 AM, Ted Byers <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hi All.
>
> I just discovered your website last night.  When I read that one can set up
> multiple parties, or companies, in the same installation, I was excited.
> But then, looking at the BPL referenced on your site, I was disappointed as
> it seems to deal only with the buying and selling of products.
>
> To put this into context, I was asked by a local contractor to investigate
> the availability of software that is easy to use and that would help him
> keep track of inventory, labou costs, and to relate these material costs to
> 'jobs'.  That is, if he gets a contract to repair or re-shingle a roof, he
> needs a) support for entering the data that tells him how large or small
> the job is, what materials are used, and how many labourers work on it and
> for how long.  And he wants output in a form that he can just pass to his
> accountant (for task purposes).  And he wants support for the task of
> entering the parameters that determine the size or scope of the job and
> estimates, from the history of himselve and his labourers, how long it will
> take and what the cost will be (so, e.g., he can tell prospective clients
> what the upper limit on cost and duration will be based onthe upper 99%
> confidence interval of the mean cost and time; and this is so he can build
> a reputation for being early and under-budget when he gives his
> estimates).  The contractor I spoke with told me he had seen insanely
> expensive software that the really, really big contractors use for this
> purpose, but he also said that when he spoke with the people that actually
> have to use that software, they indicated they hated it because it was hard
> to understand and harder still to use.  Ease of use, and an interface that
> is intuitive even for a secondary school graduate with limited knowledge of
> either business or IT, are high on my list of priorities.
>
> He also told me that while the contractors he knows are capable people,
> when it comes to IT they are 'luddites', unaware of what IT can do and how
> it can be used.  This means that, if I find something useful for him and
> his peers, the interface has to be simple and intuitive to anyone who can
> read.
>
> Now, before I spend a large amount of time investigating how to install and
> configure OFBiz, and working through the documentation (which seems
> unusually good for an open source product), can I trouble you for some
> quick yes/no answers, perhaps accompanied by URLs where the subject of my
> questions is discussed at length.  I can deal with technical information,
> having developed commercial software. products for close to three decades
> in Pascal, C/C++, Java (and related, such as JSP/JSF), Perl,
> HTML/Javascript, and SQL.  (So, if need be, I can dig into the OFBiz code
> and extend it: but only if there is no other option).
>
> Let's suppose, for the sake of my questions, that I am looking to help Fred
> the plumber, Sam the roofer, and George the carpenter.
>
> 1)  Is it true that I can set up OFBiz on one server (probably in the
> cloud), and then set up Fred, Sam and George as separete companies, each
> with his own, limited, inventory?  (many contractors do not keep an
> inventory, which is something I'd have to be able to support also, but some
> hhave observed they can get, and thus offer, better prices if they buy
> certain raw materials in bulk - I think I'd need also to be able to provide
> support for timing purchases, so that the contractors know how long, on
> average, their suppliers take to fill and ship an order, so they then know
> at what inventory level they ought to place their next order to ensure they
> don't run out of stock on critical supplies)  Or did I misunderstand what I
> have read so far?
>
> 1a) would it be much of a stretch to have some sort of integration with
> suppliers' systems, so that if a supplier's systems support it, the
> contractors can use OFBiz to place orders with their suppliers online, and
> then either subsequently pick up the order or wait for it to be delivered
> to either their warehouse or their job site?  What would be involved in
> configuring Fred 's company and supply chain so that he could query a
> supplier's API to verify the supplier has stock on what he needs, and then
> place an order for these supplies, &c. &c., &c.?
>
> 2) Is there an interface, that displays well, and is usable, on any mobile
> device, so that any of them can go into any of the building supply
> companies they rely on, purchase what they need, and enter that fact into
> OFBi, so the items purchased can be added to their respective inventories?
>
> 3) Is there a similar interface that lets them go to a job site, with some
> portion of his inventory, and record the allocation of that inventory to
> that job, as well as assign selected labourers to that job (some of whom
> may be regular employees and others being casual labourers or
> subcontractors)?  In fact, the contractor I spoke with said he'd like to be
> able to take all the inventory required for a job to the job site at the
> beginning, and record the time his labourers begin work, and then return to
> the job site at the end fo the day to record how much inventory had been
> used and when the labourers quit for the day.  And, he wanted QA info,
> relating amounts of warranty service he needs to provide given the
> materials (and their source) and the labourers he has used on each job, so
> that he can then know what to correct in terms of materials selected for
> future jobs, retraining of labourers, &c.
>
> 4) This is a question of security.  If I set something up for these guys,
> I'd want both server and client ceertificates.  Thus, the question has a
> few parts. a) How does  one configure it so that it uses a server
> certificate (wheher self signed or from a CA)? and b) Can it handle
> creation of a local CA and use it to issue client certificates to each of
> the users, and this online through a special page (accessible only over the
> latest version of TLS, and using stong, single use credentials) that
> presents the user with a series of challenges, and if the responses
> returned are consistent with what the user gave the RA, proceeds to walk
> the user through the process (as simple as possible) of creating, signing,
> and installing the required client certificate?  I know how to configure
> Apache's httpd server to require client certificates for a specific
> location, but how does one do that using OFBiz?  And, finally, for this
> question, is there support for using client certificates to encrypt and
> sign documents; and for use of client certificates to support
> non-repudiation in the ecommerce modules of OFBiz?
>
> 5) For the ecommerce modules, just how far in supporting electronic
> transactions do you go?  I have developed my share of gateway APIs, and
> integrated them with the APIs provided by certain processing banks and
> other gateways.  To use your ecommerce modules, does one need to do some
> programming to complete the integration with the user's bank or gateway, or
> is that complete and all that remains is that the user configure it with
> his mid information?  And, related to that, is there reporting provided to
> let the merchant assess the performance of each mid (approval/decline
> ratios, refund and chargeback ratios, &c.) and risk related to refunds and
> chargebacks (which determines just how much funds the merchant should have
> in reserve in order to be able to fund any refunds and chargebacks that
> arise after some catastophe that results in him being unable to process
> further sale transactions?
>
> I suspect that the answer to most of my questions will be yes, and someone
> will point me to one or another portion of your documentation.  I do have
> browser windows open the the beginning pages of each of the documents you
> have.  However, time is short and before I spend a lot of time on studying
> that material, I'd like confirmation that what I would need to be able to
> do is possible or even easy.
>
> Show stoppers would be no support for the concept of a job, along with
> allocating inventory and manpower to each job, and inadequate support for
> security, including proper generation and use of client certificates.
>
> So, can all this be handled out fo the box, as it were, by OFBiz, or would
> I have to do a lot of programming myself to provide complete support for
> everything these guys would need?  And if I would have to do a lot of
> programming of this myself, would it be easier for me to start development
> de novo and build it all using Perl, HTML5/Javascript, and SQL (in iether
> Postgres or MySQL)?  I really don't want to be spending days or weeks
> building/installing/configuring it only to find it can't handle everything
> I need to do.
>
> I'd appreciate any information you can provide.
>
> Thanks
>
> Ted
>
> --
> Thanks,
> Deepak Agarwal,
>
> Paxcel Technologies Pvt Ltd.
> Hartron Complex, Sector 18, Gurgaon, India.
> E-Mail: [hidden email]
> Mobile: [phone]
>
>

[Rishi Solanki]

Check the Manufacturing and WorkEffort component for #3. I would say #3 is
also available. For specific requirements may need customization.

--
Rishi Solanki
Manager, Enterprise Software Development
HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
Direct: [phone]
http://www.hotwaxmedia.com


On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Deepak Agarwal <[hidden email]>wrote:

> Following are my opinions. Rest, experts can comment.
> 1) Yes. ofbiz can run on a single server or cloud for multiple
> organizations where each organizations can maintain their own warehouses,
> stores, catalog and websites. An advance purchase order is supported by
> ofbiz. You can receive inventory to any warehouse. There are easy ON/OFF
> mechanism to make functionalities mandatory and optional.
> 1a) Ofbiz is SOA based so not much trouble intereacting with other system,
> it is as easy as adding export='true' to a ofbiz service which will export
> the service as SOAP or json.
> 2) An example component hhfacility (handheld) is their with the ofbiz to
> demonstrate it.
> 3) Do not know
> 4) Yes. It is there.
> 5) Most of the payment integration is already setup but any other
> integration is quite easy and with for a good developer it will take 2 days
> max
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:02 AM, Ted Byers <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> > Hi All.
> >
> > I just discovered your website last night.  When I read that one can set
> up
> > multiple parties, or companies, in the same installation, I was excited.
> > But then, looking at the BPL referenced on your site, I was disappointed
> as
> > it seems to deal only with the buying and selling of products.
> >
> > To put this into context, I was asked by a local contractor to
> investigate
> > the availability of software that is easy to use and that would help him
> > keep track of inventory, labou costs, and to relate these material costs
> to
> > 'jobs'.  That is, if he gets a contract to repair or re-shingle a roof,
> he
> > needs a) support for entering the data that tells him how large or small
> > the job is, what materials are used, and how many labourers work on it
> and
> > for how long.  And he wants output in a form that he can just pass to his
> > accountant (for task purposes).  And he wants support for the task of
> > entering the parameters that determine the size or scope of the job and
> > estimates, from the history of himselve and his labourers, how long it
> will
> > take and what the cost will be (so, e.g., he can tell prospective clients
> > what the upper limit on cost and duration will be based onthe upper 99%
> > confidence interval of the mean cost and time; and this is so he can
> build
> > a reputation for being early and under-budget when he gives his
> > estimates).  The contractor I spoke with told me he had seen insanely
> > expensive software that the really, really big contractors use for this
> > purpose, but he also said that when he spoke with the people that
> actually
> > have to use that software, they indicated they hated it because it was
> hard
> > to understand and harder still to use.  Ease of use, and an interface
> that
> > is intuitive even for a secondary school graduate with limited knowledge
> of
> > either business or IT, are high on my list of priorities.
> >
> > He also told me that while the contractors he knows are capable people,
> > when it comes to IT they are 'luddites', unaware of what IT can do and
> how
> > it can be used.  This means that, if I find something useful for him and
> > his peers, the interface has to be simple and intuitive to anyone who can
> > read.
> >
> > Now, before I spend a large amount of time investigating how to install
> and
> > configure OFBiz, and working through the documentation (which seems
> > unusually good for an open source product), can I trouble you for some
> > quick yes/no answers, perhaps accompanied by URLs where the subject of my
> > questions is discussed at length.  I can deal with technical information,
> > having developed commercial software. products for close to three decades
> > in Pascal, C/C++, Java (and related, such as JSP/JSF), Perl,
> > HTML/Javascript, and SQL.  (So, if need be, I can dig into the OFBiz code
> > and extend it: but only if there is no other option).
> >
> > Let's suppose, for the sake of my questions, that I am looking to help
> Fred
> > the plumber, Sam the roofer, and George the carpenter.
> >
> > 1)  Is it true that I can set up OFBiz on one server (probably in the
> > cloud), and then set up Fred, Sam and George as separete companies, each
> > with his own, limited, inventory?  (many contractors do not keep an
> > inventory, which is something I'd have to be able to support also, but
> some
> > hhave observed they can get, and thus offer, better prices if they buy
> > certain raw materials in bulk - I think I'd need also to be able to
> provide
> > support for timing purchases, so that the contractors know how long, on
> > average, their suppliers take to fill and ship an order, so they then
> know
> > at what inventory level they ought to place their next order to ensure
> they
> > don't run out of stock on critical supplies)  Or did I misunderstand
> what I
> > have read so far?
> >
> > 1a) would it be much of a stretch to have some sort of integration with
> > suppliers' systems, so that if a supplier's systems support it, the
> > contractors can use OFBiz to place orders with their suppliers online,
> and
> > then either subsequently pick up the order or wait for it to be delivered
> > to either their warehouse or their job site?  What would be involved in
> > configuring Fred 's company and supply chain so that he could query a
> > supplier's API to verify the supplier has stock on what he needs, and
> then
> > place an order for these supplies, &c. &c., &c.?
> >
> > 2) Is there an interface, that displays well, and is usable, on any
> mobile
> > device, so that any of them can go into any of the building supply
> > companies they rely on, purchase what they need, and enter that fact into
> > OFBi, so the items purchased can be added to their respective
> inventories?
> >
> > 3) Is there a similar interface that lets them go to a job site, with
> some
> > portion of his inventory, and record the allocation of that inventory to
> > that job, as well as assign selected labourers to that job (some of whom
> > may be regular employees and others being casual labourers or
> > subcontractors)?  In fact, the contractor I spoke with said he'd like to
> be
> > able to take all the inventory required for a job to the job site at the
> > beginning, and record the time his labourers begin work, and then return
> to
> > the job site at the end fo the day to record how much inventory had been
> > used and when the labourers quit for the day.  And, he wanted QA info,
> > relating amounts of warranty service he needs to provide given the
> > materials (and their source) and the labourers he has used on each job,
> so
> > that he can then know what to correct in terms of materials selected for
> > future jobs, retraining of labourers, &c.
> >
> > 4) This is a question of security.  If I set something up for these guys,
> > I'd want both server and client ceertificates.  Thus, the question has a
> > few parts. a) How does  one configure it so that it uses a server
> > certificate (wheher self signed or from a CA)? and b) Can it handle
> > creation of a local CA and use it to issue client certificates to each of
> > the users, and this online through a special page (accessible only over
> the
> > latest version of TLS, and using stong, single use credentials) that
> > presents the user with a series of challenges, and if the responses
> > returned are consistent with what the user gave the RA, proceeds to walk
> > the user through the process (as simple as possible) of creating,
> signing,
> > and installing the required client certificate?  I know how to configure
> > Apache's httpd server to require client certificates for a specific
> > location, but how does one do that using OFBiz?  And, finally, for this
> > question, is there support for using client certificates to encrypt and
> > sign documents; and for use of client certificates to support
> > non-repudiation in the ecommerce modules of OFBiz?
> >
> > 5) For the ecommerce modules, just how far in supporting electronic
> > transactions do you go?  I have developed my share of gateway APIs, and
> > integrated them with the APIs provided by certain processing banks and
> > other gateways.  To use your ecommerce modules, does one need to do some
> > programming to complete the integration with the user's bank or gateway,
> or
> > is that complete and all that remains is that the user configure it with
> > his mid information?  And, related to that, is there reporting provided
> to
> > let the merchant assess the performance of each mid (approval/decline
> > ratios, refund and chargeback ratios, &c.) and risk related to refunds
> and
> > chargebacks (which determines just how much funds the merchant should
> have
> > in reserve in order to be able to fund any refunds and chargebacks that
> > arise after some catastophe that results in him being unable to process
> > further sale transactions?
> >
> > I suspect that the answer to most of my questions will be yes, and
> someone
> > will point me to one or another portion of your documentation.  I do have
> > browser windows open the the beginning pages of each of the documents you
> > have.  However, time is short and before I spend a lot of time on
> studying
> > that material, I'd like confirmation that what I would need to be able to
> > do is possible or even easy.
> >
> > Show stoppers would be no support for the concept of a job, along with
> > allocating inventory and manpower to each job, and inadequate support for
> > security, including proper generation and use of client certificates.
> >
> > So, can all this be handled out fo the box, as it were, by OFBiz, or
> would
> > I have to do a lot of programming myself to provide complete support for
> > everything these guys would need?  And if I would have to do a lot of
> > programming of this myself, would it be easier for me to start
> development
> > de novo and build it all using Perl, HTML5/Javascript, and SQL (in iether
> > Postgres or MySQL)?  I really don't want to be spending days or weeks
> > building/installing/configuring it only to find it can't handle
> everything
> > I need to do.
> >
> > I'd appreciate any information you can provide.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Ted
> >
> > --
> > Thanks,
> > Deepak Agarwal,
> >
> > Paxcel Technologies Pvt Ltd.
> > Hartron Complex, Sector 18, Gurgaon, India.
> > E-Mail: [hidden email]
> > Mobile: [phone]
> >
> >
>

[Ted Byers]

Thanks Deepak and Rishi

I guess I have some studying to do..  I guess I have some studying to do.

I may have some questions by the time I am done, though.

Thanks

Ted

On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 2:41 AM, Rishi Solanki <[hidden email]>wrote:

> Check the Manufacturing and WorkEffort component for #3. I would say #3 is
> also available. For specific requirements may need customization.
>
> --
> Rishi Solanki
> Manager, Enterprise Software Development
> HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
> Direct: [phone]
> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Deepak Agarwal <[hidden email]
> >wrote:
>
> > Following are my opinions. Rest, experts can comment.
> > 1) Yes. ofbiz can run on a single server or cloud for multiple
> > organizations where each organizations can maintain their own warehouses,
> > stores, catalog and websites. An advance purchase order is supported by
> > ofbiz. You can receive inventory to any warehouse. There are easy ON/OFF
> > mechanism to make functionalities mandatory and optional.
> > 1a) Ofbiz is SOA based so not much trouble intereacting with other
> system,
> > it is as easy as adding export='true' to a ofbiz service which will
> export
> > the service as SOAP or json.
> > 2) An example component hhfacility (handheld) is their with the ofbiz to
> > demonstrate it.
> > 3) Do not know
> > 4) Yes. It is there.
> > 5) Most of the payment integration is already setup but any other
> > integration is quite easy and with for a good developer it will take 2
> days
> > max
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:02 AM, Ted Byers <[hidden email]>
> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi All.
> > >
> > > I just discovered your website last night.  When I read that one can
> set
> > up
> > > multiple parties, or companies, in the same installation, I was
> excited.
> > > But then, looking at the BPL referenced on your site, I was
> disappointed
> > as
> > > it seems to deal only with the buying and selling of products.
> > >
> > > To put this into context, I was asked by a local contractor to
> > investigate
> > > the availability of software that is easy to use and that would help
> him
> > > keep track of inventory, labou costs, and to relate these material
> costs
> > to
> > > 'jobs'.  That is, if he gets a contract to repair or re-shingle a roof,
> > he
> > > needs a) support for entering the data that tells him how large or
> small
> > > the job is, what materials are used, and how many labourers work on it
> > and
> > > for how long.  And he wants output in a form that he can just pass to
> his
> > > accountant (for task purposes).  And he wants support for the task of
> > > entering the parameters that determine the size or scope of the job and
> > > estimates, from the history of himselve and his labourers, how long it
> > will
> > > take and what the cost will be (so, e.g., he can tell prospective
> clients
> > > what the upper limit on cost and duration will be based onthe upper 99%
> > > confidence interval of the mean cost and time; and this is so he can
> > build
> > > a reputation for being early and under-budget when he gives his
> > > estimates).  The contractor I spoke with told me he had seen insanely
> > > expensive software that the really, really big contractors use for this
> > > purpose, but he also said that when he spoke with the people that
> > actually
> > > have to use that software, they indicated they hated it because it was
> > hard
> > > to understand and harder still to use.  Ease of use, and an interface
> > that
> > > is intuitive even for a secondary school graduate with limited
> knowledge
> > of
> > > either business or IT, are high on my list of priorities.
> > >
> > > He also told me that while the contractors he knows are capable people,
> > > when it comes to IT they are 'luddites', unaware of what IT can do and
> > how
> > > it can be used.  This means that, if I find something useful for him
> and
> > > his peers, the interface has to be simple and intuitive to anyone who
> can
> > > read.
> > >
> > > Now, before I spend a large amount of time investigating how to install
> > and
> > > configure OFBiz, and working through the documentation (which seems
> > > unusually good for an open source product), can I trouble you for some
> > > quick yes/no answers, perhaps accompanied by URLs where the subject of
> my
> > > questions is discussed at length.  I can deal with technical
> information,
> > > having developed commercial software. products for close to three
> decades
> > > in Pascal, C/C++, Java (and related, such as JSP/JSF), Perl,
> > > HTML/Javascript, and SQL.  (So, if need be, I can dig into the OFBiz
> code
> > > and extend it: but only if there is no other option).
> > >
> > > Let's suppose, for the sake of my questions, that I am looking to help
> > Fred
> > > the plumber, Sam the roofer, and George the carpenter.
> > >
> > > 1)  Is it true that I can set up OFBiz on one server (probably in the
> > > cloud), and then set up Fred, Sam and George as separete companies,
> each
> > > with his own, limited, inventory?  (many contractors do not keep an
> > > inventory, which is something I'd have to be able to support also, but
> > some
> > > hhave observed they can get, and thus offer, better prices if they buy
> > > certain raw materials in bulk - I think I'd need also to be able to
> > provide
> > > support for timing purchases, so that the contractors know how long, on
> > > average, their suppliers take to fill and ship an order, so they then
> > know
> > > at what inventory level they ought to place their next order to ensure
> > they
> > > don't run out of stock on critical supplies)  Or did I misunderstand
> > what I
> > > have read so far?
> > >
> > > 1a) would it be much of a stretch to have some sort of integration with
> > > suppliers' systems, so that if a supplier's systems support it, the
> > > contractors can use OFBiz to place orders with their suppliers online,
> > and
> > > then either subsequently pick up the order or wait for it to be
> delivered
> > > to either their warehouse or their job site?  What would be involved in
> > > configuring Fred 's company and supply chain so that he could query a
> > > supplier's API to verify the supplier has stock on what he needs, and
> > then
> > > place an order for these supplies, &c. &c., &c.?
> > >
> > > 2) Is there an interface, that displays well, and is usable, on any
> > mobile
> > > device, so that any of them can go into any of the building supply
> > > companies they rely on, purchase what they need, and enter that fact
> into
> > > OFBi, so the items purchased can be added to their respective
> > inventories?
> > >
> > > 3) Is there a similar interface that lets them go to a job site, with
> > some
> > > portion of his inventory, and record the allocation of that inventory
> to
> > > that job, as well as assign selected labourers to that job (some of
> whom
> > > may be regular employees and others being casual labourers or
> > > subcontractors)?  In fact, the contractor I spoke with said he'd like
> to
> > be
> > > able to take all the inventory required for a job to the job site at
> the
> > > beginning, and record the time his labourers begin work, and then
> return
> > to
> > > the job site at the end fo the day to record how much inventory had
> been
> > > used and when the labourers quit for the day.  And, he wanted QA info,
> > > relating amounts of warranty service he needs to provide given the
> > > materials (and their source) and the labourers he has used on each job,
> > so
> > > that he can then know what to correct in terms of materials selected
> for
> > > future jobs, retraining of labourers, &c.
> > >
> > > 4) This is a question of security.  If I set something up for these
> guys,
> > > I'd want both server and client ceertificates.  Thus, the question has
> a
> > > few parts. a) How does  one configure it so that it uses a server
> > > certificate (wheher self signed or from a CA)? and b) Can it handle
> > > creation of a local CA and use it to issue client certificates to each
> of
> > > the users, and this online through a special page (accessible only over
> > the
> > > latest version of TLS, and using stong, single use credentials) that
> > > presents the user with a series of challenges, and if the responses
> > > returned are consistent with what the user gave the RA, proceeds to
> walk
> > > the user through the process (as simple as possible) of creating,
> > signing,
> > > and installing the required client certificate?  I know how to
> configure
> > > Apache's httpd server to require client certificates for a specific
> > > location, but how does one do that using OFBiz?  And, finally, for this
> > > question, is there support for using client certificates to encrypt and
> > > sign documents; and for use of client certificates to support
> > > non-repudiation in the ecommerce modules of OFBiz?
> > >
> > > 5) For the ecommerce modules, just how far in supporting electronic
> > > transactions do you go?  I have developed my share of gateway APIs, and
> > > integrated them with the APIs provided by certain processing banks and
> > > other gateways.  To use your ecommerce modules, does one need to do
> some
> > > programming to complete the integration with the user's bank or
> gateway,
> > or
> > > is that complete and all that remains is that the user configure it
> with
> > > his mid information?  And, related to that, is there reporting provided
> > to
> > > let the merchant assess the performance of each mid (approval/decline
> > > ratios, refund and chargeback ratios, &c.) and risk related to refunds
> > and
> > > chargebacks (which determines just how much funds the merchant should
> > have
> > > in reserve in order to be able to fund any refunds and chargebacks that
> > > arise after some catastophe that results in him being unable to process
> > > further sale transactions?
> > >
> > > I suspect that the answer to most of my questions will be yes, and
> > someone
> > > will point me to one or another portion of your documentation.  I do
> have
> > > browser windows open the the beginning pages of each of the documents
> you
> > > have.  However, time is short and before I spend a lot of time on
> > studying
> > > that material, I'd like confirmation that what I would need to be able
> to
> > > do is possible or even easy.
> > >
> > > Show stoppers would be no support for the concept of a job, along with
> > > allocating inventory and manpower to each job, and inadequate support
> for
> > > security, including proper generation and use of client certificates.
> > >
> > > So, can all this be handled out fo the box, as it were, by OFBiz, or
> > would
> > > I have to do a lot of programming myself to provide complete support
> for
> > > everything these guys would need?  And if I would have to do a lot of
> > > programming of this myself, would it be easier for me to start
> > development
> > > de novo and build it all using Perl, HTML5/Javascript, and SQL (in
> iether
> > > Postgres or MySQL)?  I really don't want to be spending days or weeks
> > > building/installing/configuring it only to find it can't handle
> > everything
> > > I need to do.
> > >
> > > I'd appreciate any information you can provide.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Ted
> > >
> > > --
> > > Thanks,
> > > Deepak Agarwal,
> > >
> > > Paxcel Technologies Pvt Ltd.
> > > Hartron Complex, Sector 18, Gurgaon, India.
> > > E-Mail: [hidden email]
> > > Mobile: [phone]
> > >
> > >
> >
>

--
R.E.(Ted) Byers, Ph.D.,Ed.D.
[hidden email]
CTO
Merchant Services Corp.
17665 Leslie st., unit 30
Newmarket , Ontario
L3Y 3E3

[Pierre Smits]

Ted,

Anytime you feel an OFBiz related question rising, do not hesitate and ask
it here.

Regards,

Pierre

2012/7/27 Ted Byers <[hidden email]>

> Thanks Deepak and Rishi
>
> I guess I have some studying to do..  I guess I have some studying to do.
>
> I may have some questions by the time I am done, though.
>
> Thanks
>
> Ted
>
> On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 2:41 AM, Rishi Solanki <[hidden email]
> >wrote:
>
> > Check the Manufacturing and WorkEffort component for #3. I would say #3
> is
> > also available. For specific requirements may need customization.
> >
> > --
> > Rishi Solanki
> > Manager, Enterprise Software Development
> > HotWax Media Pvt. Ltd.
> > Direct: [phone]
> > http://www.hotwaxmedia.com
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:17 AM, Deepak Agarwal <[hidden email]
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > Following are my opinions. Rest, experts can comment.
> > > 1) Yes. ofbiz can run on a single server or cloud for multiple
> > > organizations where each organizations can maintain their own
> warehouses,
> > > stores, catalog and websites. An advance purchase order is supported by
> > > ofbiz. You can receive inventory to any warehouse. There are easy
> ON/OFF
> > > mechanism to make functionalities mandatory and optional.
> > > 1a) Ofbiz is SOA based so not much trouble intereacting with other
> > system,
> > > it is as easy as adding export='true' to a ofbiz service which will
> > export
> > > the service as SOAP or json.
> > > 2) An example component hhfacility (handheld) is their with the ofbiz
> to
> > > demonstrate it.
> > > 3) Do not know
> > > 4) Yes. It is there.
> > > 5) Most of the payment integration is already setup but any other
> > > integration is quite easy and with for a good developer it will take 2
> > days
> > > max
> > >
> > >
> > > On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:02 AM, Ted Byers <[hidden email]>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi All.
> > > >
> > > > I just discovered your website last night.  When I read that one can
> > set
> > > up
> > > > multiple parties, or companies, in the same installation, I was
> > excited.
> > > > But then, looking at the BPL referenced on your site, I was
> > disappointed
> > > as
> > > > it seems to deal only with the buying and selling of products.
> > > >
> > > > To put this into context, I was asked by a local contractor to
> > > investigate
> > > > the availability of software that is easy to use and that would help
> > him
> > > > keep track of inventory, labou costs, and to relate these material
> > costs
> > > to
> > > > 'jobs'.  That is, if he gets a contract to repair or re-shingle a
> roof,
> > > he
> > > > needs a) support for entering the data that tells him how large or
> > small
> > > > the job is, what materials are used, and how many labourers work on
> it
> > > and
> > > > for how long.  And he wants output in a form that he can just pass to
> > his
> > > > accountant (for task purposes).  And he wants support for the task of
> > > > entering the parameters that determine the size or scope of the job
> and
> > > > estimates, from the history of himselve and his labourers, how long
> it
> > > will
> > > > take and what the cost will be (so, e.g., he can tell prospective
> > clients
> > > > what the upper limit on cost and duration will be based onthe upper
> 99%
> > > > confidence interval of the mean cost and time; and this is so he can
> > > build
> > > > a reputation for being early and under-budget when he gives his
> > > > estimates).  The contractor I spoke with told me he had seen insanely
> > > > expensive software that the really, really big contractors use for
> this
> > > > purpose, but he also said that when he spoke with the people that
> > > actually
> > > > have to use that software, they indicated they hated it because it
> was
> > > hard
> > > > to understand and harder still to use.  Ease of use, and an interface
> > > that
> > > > is intuitive even for a secondary school graduate with limited
> > knowledge
> > > of
> > > > either business or IT, are high on my list of priorities.
> > > >
> > > > He also told me that while the contractors he knows are capable
> people,
> > > > when it comes to IT they are 'luddites', unaware of what IT can do
> and
> > > how
> > > > it can be used.  This means that, if I find something useful for him
> > and
> > > > his peers, the interface has to be simple and intuitive to anyone who
> > can
> > > > read.
> > > >
> > > > Now, before I spend a large amount of time investigating how to
> install
> > > and
> > > > configure OFBiz, and working through the documentation (which seems
> > > > unusually good for an open source product), can I trouble you for
> some
> > > > quick yes/no answers, perhaps accompanied by URLs where the subject
> of
> > my
> > > > questions is discussed at length.  I can deal with technical
> > information,
> > > > having developed commercial software. products for close to three
> > decades
> > > > in Pascal, C/C++, Java (and related, such as JSP/JSF), Perl,
> > > > HTML/Javascript, and SQL.  (So, if need be, I can dig into the OFBiz
> > code
> > > > and extend it: but only if there is no other option).
> > > >
> > > > Let's suppose, for the sake of my questions, that I am looking to
> help
> > > Fred
> > > > the plumber, Sam the roofer, and George the carpenter.
> > > >
> > > > 1)  Is it true that I can set up OFBiz on one server (probably in the
> > > > cloud), and then set up Fred, Sam and George as separete companies,
> > each
> > > > with his own, limited, inventory?  (many contractors do not keep an
> > > > inventory, which is something I'd have to be able to support also,
> but
> > > some
> > > > hhave observed they can get, and thus offer, better prices if they
> buy
> > > > certain raw materials in bulk - I think I'd need also to be able to
> > > provide
> > > > support for timing purchases, so that the contractors know how long,
> on
> > > > average, their suppliers take to fill and ship an order, so they then
> > > know
> > > > at what inventory level they ought to place their next order to
> ensure
> > > they
> > > > don't run out of stock on critical supplies)  Or did I misunderstand
> > > what I
> > > > have read so far?
> > > >
> > > > 1a) would it be much of a stretch to have some sort of integration
> with
> > > > suppliers' systems, so that if a supplier's systems support it, the
> > > > contractors can use OFBiz to place orders with their suppliers
> online,
> > > and
> > > > then either subsequently pick up the order or wait for it to be
> > delivered
> > > > to either their warehouse or their job site?  What would be involved
> in
> > > > configuring Fred 's company and supply chain so that he could query a
> > > > supplier's API to verify the supplier has stock on what he needs, and
> > > then
> > > > place an order for these supplies, &c. &c., &c.?
> > > >
> > > > 2) Is there an interface, that displays well, and is usable, on any
> > > mobile
> > > > device, so that any of them can go into any of the building supply
> > > > companies they rely on, purchase what they need, and enter that fact
> > into
> > > > OFBi, so the items purchased can be added to their respective
> > > inventories?
> > > >
> > > > 3) Is there a similar interface that lets them go to a job site, with
> > > some
> > > > portion of his inventory, and record the allocation of that inventory
> > to
> > > > that job, as well as assign selected labourers to that job (some of
> > whom
> > > > may be regular employees and others being casual labourers or
> > > > subcontractors)?  In fact, the contractor I spoke with said he'd like
> > to
> > > be
> > > > able to take all the inventory required for a job to the job site at
> > the
> > > > beginning, and record the time his labourers begin work, and then
> > return
> > > to
> > > > the job site at the end fo the day to record how much inventory had
> > been
> > > > used and when the labourers quit for the day.  And, he wanted QA
> info,
> > > > relating amounts of warranty service he needs to provide given the
> > > > materials (and their source) and the labourers he has used on each
> job,
> > > so
> > > > that he can then know what to correct in terms of materials selected
> > for
> > > > future jobs, retraining of labourers, &c.
> > > >
> > > > 4) This is a question of security.  If I set something up for these
> > guys,
> > > > I'd want both server and client ceertificates.  Thus, the question
> has
> > a
> > > > few parts. a) How does  one configure it so that it uses a server
> > > > certificate (wheher self signed or from a CA)? and b) Can it handle
> > > > creation of a local CA and use it to issue client certificates to
> each
> > of
> > > > the users, and this online through a special page (accessible only
> over
> > > the
> > > > latest version of TLS, and using stong, single use credentials) that
> > > > presents the user with a series of challenges, and if the responses
> > > > returned are consistent with what the user gave the RA, proceeds to
> > walk
> > > > the user through the process (as simple as possible) of creating,
> > > signing,
> > > > and installing the required client certificate?  I know how to
> > configure
> > > > Apache's httpd server to require client certificates for a specific
> > > > location, but how does one do that using OFBiz?  And, finally, for
> this
> > > > question, is there support for using client certificates to encrypt
> and
> > > > sign documents; and for use of client certificates to support
> > > > non-repudiation in the ecommerce modules of OFBiz?
> > > >
> > > > 5) For the ecommerce modules, just how far in supporting electronic
> > > > transactions do you go?  I have developed my share of gateway APIs,
> and
> > > > integrated them with the APIs provided by certain processing banks
> and
> > > > other gateways.  To use your ecommerce modules, does one need to do
> > some
> > > > programming to complete the integration with the user's bank or
> > gateway,
> > > or
> > > > is that complete and all that remains is that the user configure it
> > with
> > > > his mid information?  And, related to that, is there reporting
> provided
> > > to
> > > > let the merchant assess the performance of each mid (approval/decline
> > > > ratios, refund and chargeback ratios, &c.) and risk related to
> refunds
> > > and
> > > > chargebacks (which determines just how much funds the merchant should
> > > have
> > > > in reserve in order to be able to fund any refunds and chargebacks
> that
> > > > arise after some catastophe that results in him being unable to
> process
> > > > further sale transactions?
> > > >
> > > > I suspect that the answer to most of my questions will be yes, and
> > > someone
> > > > will point me to one or another portion of your documentation.  I do
> > have
> > > > browser windows open the the beginning pages of each of the documents
> > you
> > > > have.  However, time is short and before I spend a lot of time on
> > > studying
> > > > that material, I'd like confirmation that what I would need to be
> able
> > to
> > > > do is possible or even easy.
> > > >
> > > > Show stoppers would be no support for the concept of a job, along
> with
> > > > allocating inventory and manpower to each job, and inadequate support
> > for
> > > > security, including proper generation and use of client certificates.
> > > >
> > > > So, can all this be handled out fo the box, as it were, by OFBiz, or
> > > would
> > > > I have to do a lot of programming myself to provide complete support
> > for
> > > > everything these guys would need?  And if I would have to do a lot of
> > > > programming of this myself, would it be easier for me to start
> > > development
> > > > de novo and build it all using Perl, HTML5/Javascript, and SQL (in
> > iether
> > > > Postgres or MySQL)?  I really don't want to be spending days or weeks
> > > > building/installing/configuring it only to find it can't handle
> > > everything
> > > > I need to do.
> > > >
> > > > I'd appreciate any information you can provide.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > >
> > > > Ted
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > Deepak Agarwal,
> > > >
> > > > Paxcel Technologies Pvt Ltd.
> > > > Hartron Complex, Sector 18, Gurgaon, India.
> > > > E-Mail: [hidden email]
> > > > Mobile: [phone]
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> R.E.(Ted) Byers, Ph.D.,Ed.D.
> [hidden email]
> CTO
> Merchant Services Corp.
> 17665 Leslie st., unit 30
> Newmarket , Ontario
> L3Y 3E3
>