| The Point of Sales System is part of an
extensive research project involving a complete Wide Area Networking System using Cash
Registers, Personal Computers, Dialup Modems, Bar Code Scanners and Printers. The data is
stored in a C relational database system. The
project was first developed from software techniques implemented in the BERNAMA News
System, using a polling loop.
The Point of Sales System was first implemented in a Bakery. It was our first
experiment in PC Point of Sales Systems. There were many bugs in the system.
The next deployment was successfully implemented at the G2000 and U2 stores, which are
clothing boutique outlets. This project involved using the polling loop to read the bar
code scanners as a RS-232 output device.
The POS Terminal registers sales as scanned in at the outlet.
The POS Management System (POSMS) involves printing bar codes as a serial input device.
Further work involved reading inputs from hand-held bar code Scanner devices as serial
file output devices. The POSMS has a feature to import the file as a serial stream, and
update the Stock file.
Other import features include reading the exported file from LOTUS © 123 worksheets,
and updating the Stock.
The management reports involve parsing the bar code for season, style, color, and size.
Sales Data from each terminal is first consolidated at the outlets using diskettes and
RS-232 null modem cabling. (There were only a maximum of two terminals in each outlet)
The consolidated data was sent by modem to the Headquarters using PC Anywhere.
At the Headquarters, the data from each outlet was consolidated, to produce various
sales management reports.
Later a Warehouse Terminal was added at the Warehouse. This Warehouse Terminal is a
modified PC POS terminal, that reads barcode scanners for goods received, and goods sent
to the outlets. The data was sent by modem to outlets and HQ.
In 1995, the POS Sales System was implemented at Tiffin Bakery, which had 12 outlets
throughout the country.
A Modem dialup system was developed to enable daily real-time update of sales from each
outlet. This forms the basis of the Wide Area Networking scheme.
An outlet at Kota Raya using our PCPOS (1998) |
DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER 
