Moving to wireless network

[johncook]

I have an app that is used to maintain account balances (much like your bank maintains it's cutomers balances). This app is VFP 7.0 using Visual FoxExpress framework.
This is the Trust Fund App.

I have an app used to conduct sales. It runs under VFP 7.0 but is a VFP 3 app that I merely ran thru the conversion program. I have converted the tables to a database but have 2 free tables used to pass data betwen this app and the aforementioned app. This is the Cart App.

Current Operation:
Trust Fund App produces a floppy with all current balances.
Cart App imports balances from floppy.
Cart App produces sales.
At end of day, Cart App places sales data in 2 free tables on the floppy.
Trust Fund App reads sales from floppy and updates accounts with sales information.

Operation desired:
Cart app gets one account balance as needed for a sale.
Cart App produces sale.
Cart App sends one sale to Trust Fund App which updates that one account.
Repeat for each sale.

Big Picture:
Can I modify the Cart App to open the Trust Fund Apps database, run the Cart App over the wireless network, and not have to mess with all the moving files back and forth stuff? Just have the Cart app apply sales to the Trust Fund Apps tables as needed?

Will the Cart App run fast? How could I test that?

Thanks for any ideas?
John

 

[johncook]

Correction: Cart App is 2.6 app run thru converter.

 

[KDavie]

This seems like it would be fairly simple to accomplish. All you need to do is import the needed data into your cart app. As far as how fast your wireless will be, well it really depends on what you are using. I am currently serving a wireles network. I have a 'DLINK Super G' wireless router and cards, and my application is very fast.


-Kevin

 

[johncook]

Hi Kevin,
As far as easy goes, that's not what I was thinking. I am pretty shell shocked.

Q: Am I thinking right on this? I would add my Trust Fund App's databases (actually 2, one for tables and one for views), to my Cart App. project.

In my Cart app, upon completion of a sale, I create my local views (all would be empty so I do not pull unnecessary data). I load the views up with the sales data. I save the views.

One more thing. I believe I would want to put the Cart App's exe on the cart computer. I believe that makes sense and would mean it would run the fastest possible way.
Are you doing that?

Running the Cart app and the Trust Fund both on the same server simutaneously. Other users are accessing the Trust Fund app. Actually there can and will be multiple carts running the cart app simultaneously as well.
Does that matter?

Thanks again,
John

 

[KDavie]

There are a lot of variables that will come into play when determining how quick your server will be. To be honest, the wireless newtwork isn't the most pressing issue. First off, how many users are in your application at once? How much data does each database hold? How fast is your server now. What kind of machine is it?

Depending on the machine, it may be feasible to serve multiple databases from one server. I am currently serving 2 databases on my server, and both run very quickly.

The cart app won't necessarily run faster because it is getting its data locally. Again, it depends a lot on the application and the machines.

-Kevin

 

[johncook]

Thanks Kevin,
Number of users is from 1 to 3.
The Trust Fund app is basically only used intermittently for a couple minutes every 15 minutes or so. Nothing heavy.

Data size is relatively small.

Server is just a Dell desktop but the business duty and pretty much the best they offered about a year ago.

Sounds like all this is inconsequential.

What about this: If you have 2 apps running simultaneously and accessing the same database, how does that work? Does the VFP database manager take care of managing access? If I get a "no problem" on this I believe I am in good shape. Perhaps there is a particular white paper or something I should read. If so perhaps someone will lead me toward it.

Thanks,
John