Help needed with data capture

[asplus]

Hi everyone,

I am currently experimenting a situation that encompass many technologies and would like to find out the simplest solution that could do the job.

I have a portable barcode scanner that can be plugged to a COM port in order to download data to a worksation. I have downloaded a trial version of a software product called data-logger by aggsoftware.

I want to do the following:

Run a process that will accept data from the portable barcode device and feed it to a file readeable by the AS/400. That file consists of one field that contains a serial number. Since the portable will contain many records for the file, I want to be able to break when the whole file has been downloaded, process the data downloaded on the AS/400 (serial numbers to produce a shipping list) and wait for the next file that is downloaded. Data-logger provides API's in the form of ODBC and others.

I want to have the minimum user involvement in the process. Start the Data logger and press transmit on the portable bar code device. The rest should be automated.

Any help would be appreciated,

Bernard Le Jour
President and Systems Integrator
AS Plus Informatique Inc.

 

[MdnghtPgmr]

Bernard,

Wow. I think there are about a million ways to do that. One would be to write a "never-ending" CLP to watch for a file in a library and once found, process.

I take it that the process of getting the file to the AS/400 is already handled (press transmit on the portable bar code device)?

Another thing I have seen done is to use a data queue. You use API's to get entry into and out of the data queue. You can then process based on the entry(ies) in the data queue.

HTH,
MdnghtPgmr

 

[jmanj]

Bernard,

This is an old technology. We used to have this on several of out hospital locations used specially in material inventories and ordering supplies. Today we have either microwave and or something like satellite technology. Your vendor should be able to explain to you how data is handle by any systems and or in your case AS400.

1. Physical and logical files are created in AS400 depending
on what type of data.
2. Several RPG programs are created as daemons to watch certain ip packets that comes in thru tcp/ip. Each daemon is configured a unique tcp.
3. These daemons in turn calls the corresponding RPG programs that will process the incoming data. This daemon also will sleep if no activities within 10 seconds.

You vendor (Scanner, readers etc) should be able to provide you with several easy configurable connectivity drivers like ODBC which should be both located in the devices and AS400.

 

[jmanj]

Bernard,

forgot to mention that since our new portables are capable of receiving data and printing bar coded labels, we also have to
split our daemons to send data from AS400. Device configuration are all done in AS400. IBM should be able to tell you more about this type of setup. Our portables are good (I think) 100 meters away from the nearest junctions so we have these transmitters/receivers all over the facilities.