Information Systems:Electronic Ordering

Background

There are two primary ways of ordering from uniPHARM: Web Orders, and POS Orders. This section discusses the latter. POS systems are proprietary software (with complementing hardware, in some cases) that communicate with uniPHARM to place orders and, in some cases, retrieve invoices. Most POS systems communicate via FTP, while some send orders via email. For the store, a POS system is a way to do inventory management, as quantities can be managed for each product and thus automated ordering can be set up based on levels of stock. While Web Orders allows for convenient on-demand ordering, POS systems are becoming more and more popular for stores that want better control, automated ordering, and insight into their inventory.

Setup Instructions

Upon acquiring a POS/PMS system, either the POS vendor (most cases) or the store will request for credentials to be able to connect their software to our system. Most of the configuration is related to FTP connectivity, as email connectivity (where applicable) is pre-configured. The major steps in setting up a store for FTP Orders connectivity are as follows:

Create folders on the Mail server

Using remote desktop or Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\FTPOrders folder on Mail. Create a folder for the store using their account number as the folder name. Within this folder, create another folder with the name of the POS ('assystpos', 'assystrx', 'kroll', 'ranger', etc.).

For example, Northview Pharmacy (12345) uses 2 systems (one for front store and one for pharmacy management):

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\

C:\FTPOrders\12345\kroll\

Within these folders, create invoices, orders and orders\archive. This results in:

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\invoices

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\orders

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\orders\archive

Generate Serv-U account

Make an FTP account for the store in Serv-U. When creating the account, the username by convention is the store/customer number. A random password is automatically generated. Important: These details need to be logged into the spread sheet titled "FTP Order Accounts" on Superserver, as once the password is created, it cannot be retrieved (you can only generate another password). Specify these additional settings:

Home directory should be set to the folder 'that contains the invoices and orders subfolders i.e. C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger

Ensure Lock home user in directory is checked.

Set Permissions and Virtual Paths

Under the Directory Access tab, set the following permissions:

(R) - Read, (L) - List, (W) - Write, (D) - Delete, (E) - Execute, (C) - Create directory, (N) - Rename, (I) - Inherit

C:\FTPOrders\12345 - R, L, I

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\orders - W

C:\FTPOrders\12345\ranger\invoices - W, D, N

C:\FTP Root\catalogue\bc-share - R, L (Use bc-nonsh if this is a Customer.)

Virtual paths are folder aliases that point to a specific folder when using a relative path name i.e. /invoices. It is only really required when you allow users to navigate away from their root directory (home folder). Since we lock users in their home folder, the only virtual path we need to establish is the catalog folder:

C:\FTP Root\catalogue\bc-share %HOME%\catalogue C:\FTP Root\catalogue\bc-share %HOME%\catalog

The second rule accounts for the alternate spelling of catalog that may be used during initial store setup.

IBM i configuration

Two files on the i contain FTP configuration details required to connect to Serv-U to retrieve the order files and to place the invoice files in their respective store folders. A record will need to be added to both files for each store setup:

1. In Extensions, use menu option 22 - Work with UWD IT Tools and 30 - FTP connections
2. Add the records below by using menu options 4 and 5. F10 within DFU adds a new record

4-Order FTP Configuration

Name: Cust12345

Description: Ranger POS at Northview

FTP Server: ftp.unipharm.com

FTP User ID: ftporders

FTP Password: visionit525

5-Invoice FTP Configuration

Partner: 12345 Order Source: Description: Ranger POS at Northview FTP Server: ftp.unipharm.com FTP User ID: ftporders FTP Password: visionit525 FTP Directory: 12345/ranger/invoices

POS Systems used by uniPHARM customers

This section details previous experiences and general notes about the various POS and PMS systems that interact with uniPHARM. With the exception of WinRx, on-site I.T. staff have no access to the software, so the following information is the result of over-the-phone troubleshooting experience and dealing with the technical support departments of these companies.

Telus AssystRx/AssystPOS (formerly Tricomp)

• There are stretches of time where some stores place orders that never reach our system. They may or may not get an order confirmation (most of the time they do not), but there is also no seeming error on their end, leading to the frustrating experience of not receiving an expected delivery the next day. To date, the exact cause of this is unknown, but it is suspected that the Pharmanet connection is the culprit. See Pharmanet for explanation

Pharmacy Management Systems (PMS)

--norwinu (talk) 10:17, 13 July 2015 (PDT) To my limited understanding, a PMS has the functionality of a POS, in that it is able to place orders from uniPHARM, but it also manages the dispensing and inventory of pharmaceuticals.