Field Sales

www.vanware.co.uk

Vanguard Sales Manager

Introduction

Palm PDA

Vanguard is a powerful multi-user field sales system, that runs on Palm handhelds. It is fast, efficient, and can handle large amounts of data. Vanguard allows the salesman in the field to take orders and to print invoices, using a handheld device.

The salesman does not have to carry a laptop, and the device can also be used as a PDA, or even a smartphone. Barcode scanning can be used to improve the speed and accuracy of order taking, and to improve the cash flow of the business.

Key Features

Technical Details

System Diagram

Vanguard has four main components:

  1. A Palm application
  2. A desktop database
  3. Hotsync conduits
  4. A desktop application

The Palm application allows the user to take orders, and to print invoices. It is a native Palm OS program, that closely follows design guidelines, and is easy to use.

database Schema

The desktop database is a relational database, with a very simple structure. Only Microsoft Access and SQL Server are supported, though other systems such as Oracle and DB2 can also be used.

The Hotsync conduits synchronize data between the Palm handhelds and the desktop database. They are standard COM conduits, and can be configured like any other conduits.

The desktop application allows the user to manage the desktop database, to import and to export data, and edit tables. It also contains basic business functions, such as creating orders and printing invoices.

The desktop application is open source, and is implemented as a Microsoft Access database. Both the desktop database and the desktop application can be modified, to meet particular business needs.

What's New?

Version 5.1

Version 5.1 improves navigation for the main lists. Lists can now be positioned by entering the first letter of the key. FuturVersion 5.1 improves navigation for the main lists. Lists can now be positioned by entering the first letter of the key. Future enhancements will extend full 5-way navigation to all forms.

Browsing a saved invoice

In version 5.2, the desktop database is now in Third Normal Form. There is also a feature to browse saved invoices.

Free Trial Version 

Download a free trial version of the Vanguard Sales Manager. This version has all the features of the full product, but only allows limited amounts of data.