Author Topic: Exporting a configuration?  (Read 17186 times)

Bryan Winter

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Exporting a configuration?
« on: February 27, 2012, 01:53:05 am »
Hello!

First off, i want to say to the developers, hats off to this program. What you guys do is awesome, and providing support like you do is even more awesome. I spent days trying to find the right program for a bar and grill i want to start next year, and Samba Rocks!

Now i'm pretty computer savy, but i haven't really messed with databases to much. Basically we don't have any POS equipment yet, and I am just playing with set up at home to try and get it configured the way we would like. We meet at the home of one of our other partners, and Id like to be able to export all the settings I've done thus far so i can demonstrate to them what we can do with it, and take their suggestions to making it work the way we want.

Anyways, long story short is their a file i can copy or a way i can export my current configuration so i can make it portable to a different computer? Can i just copy the entire directory?


Bryan Winter

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Re: Exporting a configuration?
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2012, 02:02:05 am »
Never mind. I bothered to read some tech notes and figured it out. Thank you!

JohnS

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Re: Exporting a configuration?
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2012, 02:24:33 am »
Bryan,

Welcome to SambaPOS.

This subject has popped up a few times as you have found.

Compact SQL is the easiest if you are running a single development terminal as you only need to copy the SambaData2.sdf file.

If you are running multiple terminals, then you need SQL Express, which is two files to copy or you can use SambaPOS Training mode to create a Compact SQL file and copy that to demo on a single terminal.
SambaPOS - POS'n the World, one Terminal at a time.

wawan

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Re: Exporting a configuration?
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2012, 05:45:17 am »
Hello John,
I have read your post about SQL Compact is for a single terminal and SQL Express is for multiple terminals. Why Compact SQL is not suitable for multi terminals? All terminals in SambaPOS do not talk directly to the database server. I know that SQL Compact is a derivative product from Windows CE/Mobile. But in our SambaPOS application, only the SambaPOS Server makes the connection to the database server by using the connection string. When any terminal needs a database service, it requests the data from SambaPOS Server. So that only one database connection is being used by SambaPOS network.

JohnS

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Re: Exporting a configuration?
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2012, 05:59:05 am »
Wawan,

Firstly, there is no SambaPOS server, only the computer that hosts the database file, and this computer does not even need SambaPOS installed on it.

When using SQL Express, each terminal runs SambaPOS locally and connects to a central database hosted by one computer running SQL Express.
With Compact SQL, each terminal has its own local database, but can use network printers.

Compact SQL was designed for single user applications - while it can handle multiple connections, it is only from the one user/local machine. It is a standalone database engine.

Compact SQL is NOT a network SQL Engine.

SambaPOS - POS'n the World, one Terminal at a time.

wawan

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Re: Exporting a configuration?
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2012, 06:14:01 am »
John,
Thank you for your response. I have one more question, when the terminal is an iPod. It does not run SambaPOS. It runs RDP to connect to a Terminal Server which runs SambaPOS. Is it ok to use Compact SQL for this situation?

JohnS

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Re: Exporting a configuration?
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2012, 06:41:43 am »
Wawan,

I was waiting for this question :)
This is the grey area of Compact SQL.

In a Terminal Server situation, each user is regarded as kind of interactive service account, while you have your own login, you share the resources of the host computer including applications.

So, yes technically, you could run Compact SQL, and most likely have no issues as you conform to the single computer scenario, and because the database is only accessed by a single application it may work in theory.

Now you are thinking that I am dodging the question, and your right. Microsoft have not documented Compact SQL very well in terms of what will and will not work, and it has been trial and error. Compact SQL does not stop multiple connections, but what it does not do is handle these very well in respect to data integrity, data commits to the file and file sharing.

Quote from an SQL forum
"Two or more processes cannot simultaneously access the same SQL Server Compact database over a network share because the second process will cause a file-sharing violation error. However, a process can open multiple connections to the database. For example, the process can run an Insert query on one connection and a Select query on another connection at the same time. "

Test it, push it and try to break it.

What I will tell you from personal experience for production environments
Compact SQL - Single Standalone Terminal
SQL Express - Networked & Terminal Server

If in doubt, install SQL Express 2008 - it's not that hard.
SambaPOS - POS'n the World, one Terminal at a time.

cnttech

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Re: Exporting a configuration?
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2012, 05:09:21 am »
hi,
 i need help about wiped out old sales in samba pos , i was training the staff so i would like to start from new data but keep the existing menu?

is that possible?

JohnS

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Re: Exporting a configuration?
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2012, 06:11:13 am »
This link provides a way to remove the transactional data from a SQL Compact database and is easily modified for SQL Express - http://forum2.sambapos.org/index.php/topic,60.msg177.html#msg177

Due to the need of Training and testing, I created SambaPOS Training Mode that is included in all of the latest builds of SambaPOS. Once you have your menus and functions built you can test and modify without destroying the original database.
http://forum2.sambapos.org/index.php/topic,184.0.html
SambaPOS - POS'n the World, one Terminal at a time.