Integrating DBF tables with e-commerce

[SitesMasstec]

Hello!

I am a developer, and have a user running my VFP application in cloud, through Windows Remote Desktop program. The application manages data in DBF free table (PRODUCTS.DBF) . It works fine.

Now, the user will have an e-commerce site, and wants to access the data in my application, for reading information about products in the DBF file, and after the e-commerce system do some processing (selling products to online customers), it will have to send information to be written in the DBF table. They (third party e-commerce program developers) say I will have to provide API for this task.

How can I develop this API?
Which language is more appropriate?


Thank you,
SitesMasstec

 

[Mike Gagnon]

Depends what they needs, can they use a DBF? Could they use a text file?
You could use a Windows service that dumps the content of the product table into a text file for them the pick and import.



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[Mike Lewis]

Not sure why you need to provide an API. If the aim is to give them access to your data, you could do that via OLE DB. If you are worried about them altering the data (accidentally or otherwise), you could make it read-only. If you want to restrict them to only certain items of data, you could create a separate DBC and populate with views into the original data.

Mike

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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

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[Chris Miller]

I also don't see the necessity of an API, especially with a single DBF as the data, I'd say it would be easier to concentrate on syncing data between your DBF and the backend database of the ecommerce system.

Let me make a guess: Do they continue to use your cloud app via Remote Desktop and want to offer the same products online as offline (via shop clerks or phone operators)? And is PRODUCTS.DBF your applications major storage of all product information including the stock information? Otherwise - what do they really update after each sale, new products or product price changes could be done separately.

I think it's far easier to sync data, even if the online e-commerce system could be changed to use your products via an API. Even if they want to ensure syncing problems don't cause problems with discrepancies in the data, it'll be far easier to only change your system to use the e-commerce products list as backend instead of your own DBF. VFP can access any database via ODBC or OLEDB Provider, also data of online systems, the backend just needs to allow remote connections and even the security concern is no big deal, as a server only needs to allow access from a single external IP address, for example.

Chriss