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Running a Small Business on the Linux Platform?
WinDOOR asks: "As part of a small-mid sized family business, finding a way to rid ourselves from the dependence of using Microsoft products is a very daunting challenge. I've been searching for a good Linux based ERP/CRM software that's adequate for use with about 20 or so users and that can handle light manufacturing and POS type order inputting. I've looked at Compiere, but consider the Oracle tax to be one and the same as the Microsoft tax.
We don't have the money nor expertise to design our own solutions like the big corporations that have switched sides. What packages or vendors have you had the most success with? Is Postgre or MySQL an acceptable database backend? Is there a viable replacement for MS Access yet? What language would be best to learn if I had to create my own solution? Do CS Students do this kind of work to pay the bills?"
For databases both postgres and mysql are two great database backends. they are both free and open source, and both have stable ports to windows.
mysql is a faster database in general compared to postgress, but postgress supports more advanced queries than mysql. so both databases are evenly matched.
I don't know about the ERP/CRM angle, but wouldn't Berkeley DB (www.sleepycat.com) be a viable alternative to Access for easy data storage?
MySQL, on the other hand, is great for quick-n-dirty setups, but lends itself to poorly designed solutions that are a bear to maintain.
Bottom line: learn about data normalization before you do anything. If you're building something that will be extended and maintained over time, use PostgreSQL. If you're building a throwaway app, use MySQL. If your throwaway app will turn into a production system that will have to be maintained, use PostgreSQL.
Yeah, right.
...I can say that Linux and FOSS in general have been a godsend for my development.
We've got ~30 users, and our main business is data entry for financial / real estate transactions. That adds up to a lot of database hits, and a lot of data, period, for such a small shop.
Our main database server (which was recently deployed) runs Fedora Core 3 and Postgres. Setup was a breeze, and it's been rock solid. Postgres has a lot of the features you'll see in higher-end databases (PL/pgsql is similar to Oracle's PL/SQL). The main thing it lacks, IMO, is built-in auditing support. It does have a richer featureset than MySQL and some things that are better suited to business needs.
Our implementation uses httpd & php as the client interface. Report generation is done via PDF or postscript. PHP is relatively easy to pick up and seems to make for relatively fast development, too.
I can't speak for CRM/ SCM uses, but for our moderate demands, Linux+Apache+PHP+Postgres gets it done quickly and quite cheaply.
There are many applications (pgaccess, Rekall, phpPgAdmin, dozens more, even OpenOffice!) which will grant you drag-n-drop style access to your database, whatever it is. This is the essence of what makes MS-Access attractive.
PostgreSQL, MySQL, ibFireBird are all good as back-ends. It's almost certain that the first two shipped with your Linux distribution.
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
The trickiest part of using the whole thing is getting the connection set up to the database, and a simple google search will give examples of how to do it.
Running a business is hard enough with moving into software development. Find off the shelf packages that meet your needs and concentrate on what you are good at.
And there is no replacement for MS Access. IT professionals rightly hate it. But if you are paying salaries, a database that is quick and easy to set up, that anyone can make forms and queries in is waht you need. BUT, move to a SQL backend as soon as is possible and just use Access as a GUI.
1000s Warcraft Gold while you sleep
I can't imagine this is the first guy to consider Compiere but be reluctant to commit to Oracle -- who do they think their likely customers are?
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
I didn't say cheap you twit. We have no problems spending money on a decent solution. Our old system ran for 10 years with nary a hiccup, but y2k forced our switch into a windows based system. Just tired of the constant upgrades and headaches that Microsoft has caused me and am lookihng for a better solution. And going back to pencil and paper would kill our business.
When you are looking for source.
Try Freshmeat.net of course.
(hint look at the top of this window or the bottom right block on the main page.)
The GPL, for those that truely understand.
You might give OpenMFG a look. I have no business affiliation with them but I know the CEO personally. They use the postgresql engine as a backend and as a former employee from GreatBridge.org, I can say the database is up for the task. Their application is geared more for the manufacturing market, but it is open source. If you can make it work without support, more power to you. Knowing there is commercial support available could make using it more attractive if your business depends on it.
Randy Hall
Some cs students will do these kinds of things to pay the bills but you had better make sure you make it worth their time. Before you contact a cs student you should also make sure that you have clear goals marked out so that whichever cs student you aproach is able to see that he will be DONE with the project at a certain point. $150 for a days work is not bad. The problem comes when the customer nickles and dimes the cs student to death with all sorts of extras for the next week.
As far as what to actualy make the product with leave that up to the cs student to decide. Give him clear requirements and let him do his thing. It's important that you provide (and are asked for it) input through out the project.
You shouldn't care about what goes on under the hood as long as the solution the cs student comes up with works and is what you want.
-- botsex is {grep;touch;strip;unzip;head;mount}
A company is working on a Firebird modification called Fyracle that will allow it to integrate with Compiere.
I have to wonder if you aren't looking for the wrong solution though. Enterprise Resource Planning, for a business your size, is kind of like fishing with grenades. Sure, it will get the job done.....
Wouldn't something like GNUCash with a POS add-on and a inventory database pretty much cover everything?
It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. -- Harry Truman
Try Knoda for managing your database and some RAD tools like Eclipse or KDevelop.
Another pair which might work very well at a reasonable price are KDE Studio Gold and Data Architect from theKompany
YMMV - I've had no experience with any of these programs. I develop with dia, vim, and a command-line SQL client.
To me, this sounds like a perfect opportunity for your firm to hire a bright and energetic CS student as an intern to write CRM software for your firm.
An intern is less expensive than someone with a degree and if you take a little time to look you can get someone who is very qualified.
Especially if part of the job is "develop and release a GPL'd CRM-lite package that can sit atop any SQL engine".
That's the kind of project that could help your student intern make a name for himself as well as make a product that is useful to your business.
[I'm not an expert in this application area, but I've heard of POS applications in Linux, but not full CRM suites, unless they're hiding in disguise on freshmeat under aliases like "auto parts store manager", "medical clinic manager" etc.]
"Provided by the management for your protection."
If you need CRM then SugarCRM might do the trick. http://www.sugarcrm.com
LAMP based and from what I hear easy to setup.
Postgre? It's called PostgreSQL.
And to answer your question, it is an acceptable RDBMS for a small business.
I'm confused. If your system works, why are you upgrading?
I'm pretty sure you're looking for a problem here.
I write in my journal
If you give me some idea what you really need it would be more possible to answer your question.
A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
Come on: Spit it out! What are you looking for?
A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
I've been researching situations like yours as this is an area I focus on for the analyst firm I work for. I can offer you some suggestions to help and a few stats. We have an evaluation tool FOSS Evaluation Center for ERP and CRM systems, as well as others with a combined total of about 7,000 functional criteria. We recently launched a new system (though we're still working out some kinks and refining it) to compare how vendors support these criteria but giving a priority advantage to the ones that support open source platforms, or are themselves open source platforms (both Compiere and SugarCRM are included). You can use this for free for a couple hours (more time requires a fee). It will also show you other vendors that run on Linux or support MySQL or PostgreSQL. If you want some stats about vendors supporting those systems, I recently wrote an article (sorry, there is a required free registration to read it). That shows the demand for the last year for enterprise systems that support those platforms, versus the enterprise vendors that actually support them. I'd be interested in discussing this more in depth as well, since I'm trying to build up more research in this regard and am thus, all ears to find out what people are seeking from vendors.
The functionality of SSA ERP LN (http://www.ssaglobal.com) will be everything and more that a manufacturing organisation needs. It is database independent so will grow as you do and it supports Linux and MySQL. Open source ERP is nowhere near proprietry ERP - yet.
I've been looking for a CRM solution for my company, Venn Technologies, Inc.. IMO, the best Open Source CRM out there right now is SugarCRM. I covers the basics at least. It doesn't have hooks for issue tracking and billing just yet but they are working on that. Currently, I'm evaluating SQL-Ledger and GNUCash for tracking the financials.
Most people (detractors AND advocates) seem to miss the point of Access.
For quick and dirty solutions made by non or semi-technical people, it provides a simple, highly integrated environment covering ALL of the following areas: database management (storage), forms data entry, query building, reporting, scripting.
Access has some horrible weaknesses (the database engine is practically suicide for any important application). Equivalent and arguably superior open source solutions exist for every single piece of functionality Access provides. Therefore it is quite possible to put together a suite of tools that is far superior to Access as a whole.
However, getting each piece up and running and familiarizing yourself with it takes a certain amount of time and effort, as is especially the case with most open source software. Multiply it by everything you need to make up the whole suite, and most people will not bother unless they are professionals at creating datbase applications.
That said, if you are reasonably conversant with SQL, and don't have fancy reporting or validation needs, I think a lot of the kind of simple form entry and data retrieval tasks could be handled by Zope with the appropriate Zope extensions (products). You don't get a fancy query builder or report formatter, but on the plus side you have a three tier application that requires only a browser to operate.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
I'm all for F/OSS in the workplace. However, if you can't afford to roll your own core business applications (as well as the ability to support and maintain them), you don't have much choice other than buying the shrinkwrapped stuff. Want to use ADP's PC Payroll? You're stuck with the Windows platform (desktop and backend). If you want Linux desktops and Windows desktops, you either have to hire or train staff to support both. Much of this doesn't make financial sense. Furthermore, if you've got your hads full with other stuff, I really don't recommend writing any custom software. People generally don't budget in the time (and/or money) involved with developing custom applications.
Not that there's anything wrong with F/OSS...but the fact is that it isn't always practical for every business yet. If/when you do start moving to F/OSS, it will help you tremendously to choose the most mainstream products available. When you scale your IT group up, it's helpful to use software that people tend to know...much easier to hire and train new employees.
-Turkey
Have you considered something like SalesForce.com
It's a swanky mail merge for sure, but don't kid yourself, lest karmic punishment force you to dev a real database in it!
Is Postgre or MySQL an acceptable database backend?
Yes and no, in that order.
Been looking in to this area lately and here are some of the options I've come across:
:t ly seem to be in the middle of a rewrite
. html
WebERP:
http://www.weberp.org
Lots of activity for the last few months
phpOrganisation:
http://www.phporg.net
For smaller enterprises
Open Accounting
http://open-accounting.sourceforge.net
Curren
Callisto : http://www.redrocketconsortium.com/Callisto/index
HTH
How is the GNU Enterprise project coming along?
reed
VOS/Interreality project: www.interreality.org
"but y2k forced our switch into a windows based system"
That's why WinDOOR changed first time.
"Just tired of the constant upgrades and headaches that Microsoft has caused me and am lookihng for a better solution"
and that's why he wants to change again.
Now, I probably earned a "-1 redundant", but please, don't give it to me till parent post is mod'ed "-1 dumbass" first.
No, that's not what he said. He said that there were "constant upgrades." So far, I haven't heard about any. It sounds more like he's just looking for an excuse to badmouth Microsoft (and therefore drive up Slashdot's traffic figures) than anything else.
I wouldn't be surprised if this whole story were a plant.
I write in my journal
At Linux Canada's Quasar. It's a nice piece of work that will handle most of a businesses needs and can use postgre or mysql for the backend. I looked at this issue last year for a start up, that didn't. Quasar had everything we needed except payroll. It has inventory mgt, POS, reports, a good package at a reasonable price.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.
Daffodil (http://www.daffodil.com/) is working with Compiere (http://www.compiere.org/) nicely in beta stage currently. There are bugs to be squashed but they hope to have everything working at a production level by this January.
Compiere is very deep in functionality and the point of sale functionality is just not ready for production, which is stopping me from implementing it for a client right now.