BookAccents maintains four important data tables, contained in two independent Microsoft Access Databases. These Databases are:
BOOKSTORETR.MDB
Each computer performing Cash Register functions is required to have a copy in its "C:\Program Files\BookAccents" Folder.
This database maintains two tables:
A listing off all books sold
A running account of transactions performed on this computer.
BOOKSTORE.MDB
A single copy of this database must exist on your Local Area Network. In a single user environment, it is generally located in your "C:\Program Files\BookAccents" Folder.
In a multi-user environment is located on a File Server allowing shared access to all of the computer comprising your BookAccents See BookAccents LAN.
This database also maintains two tables.
The
ISBN Database is a table containing a single record for each unique
ISBN.
Until the introduction of BookAccents, the most expensive item required to implement a computerized book selling system was purchasing a subscription to a ISBN Database. It didn't seem to make sense purchasing a database, since within about 60 days, it is completely obsolete.
The ISBN Database contains important information about unique books. The uniqueness is defined as having an ISBN shared by no other book. For a given ISBN, there is just a single ISBN Record in your database.
Multiple books share this unique record.
When you license BookAccents,
we furnish you with a localized
ISBN Database, residing on your local computer.
This database contains the ISBN Numbers of all the books we have processed to that date.
This BookAccents
ISBN Database
is periodically downloaded to your computer.
thus constantly updating the information you have locally. Although the task of contacting our Internet Spider, "Hairy" is fast and efficient, it is much more desirable to have this data locally available. That's why we send you periodic updates.
For everything (else) you ever wanted to know about ISBN http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/
The Book Inventory Database is a table containing a record for every book (sold and not) in your store.
It references
your ISBN Database
for common information
All of your books, both new and used, sold and not, reference this database to extract fixed information such as Book Author, Book Title, Retail Price, etc.
Each book is treated
as in individual.
Every book in your store sports a Unique Book Inventory Number Label. When you sell a book, you sell THAT book, not just one from a pool (of ISBNs).
Let's say that you have five "Midnight Bayou" books. Two are brand new, two are used, and one is signed by Nora, herself. You do not sell all of these books for the same amount, do you? You probably do not want to sell the signed book, or the two brand new books for half the retail, minus credits.
To resolve this dilemma, we implemented BookAccents utilizing our Book Inventory Database. In the case stated above, there would be five individual records in your Book Inventory Database. All five share and reference the same, single record in your ISBN Database.
Because of this, it is possible to price each book separately, and apply yes or no trading to each individual book.
When you look up a book by Author, Title, or ISBN, all of the books referencing matching values (arranged by ISBNs) are displayed.
BOOKSTORECR.MDB
This database table contains the details for credits issued, organized by the credit number on the credit receipt.
A single copy of this database must exist on your Local Area Network. In a single user environment, it is generally located in your "C:\Program Files\BookAccents" Folder.
In a multi-user environment is located on a File Server allowing shared access to all of the computer comprising your BookAccents See BookAccents LAN.
The Internet. see BookAccents Internet Connection
Strictly speaking, this is a data source, not a file. Definitely not to be overlooked, your connection to the Internet provides indispensable access to valuable outside data sources.
Our Web Spider
Our Spider,
is
the real hero of BookAccents even those of you with
anorexia will learn to love
him..
He relentlessly
prowls the Internet, abducting ISBN
Information for YOU.
When you reference an ISBN, book Accents tries to first find reference to it locally. If not available, our Web Server is contacted, asking our spider for help.
Our spider first checks to see if another BookAccents subscriber has requested this ISBN since the last download. If so, the data retrieved for that subscriber is sent to your computer. If not, off he goes, prowling the Web. He is very, very good at his job. He usually finds the information that need so quickly that you are not even aware that you woke him up.
In either case, you only need contact our Spider once. The information returned is stored in your local ISBN Database.
Click here to Meet Our Web Spider
See BookAccents Program folder
For everything (else) you ever wanted to know about ISBN http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/
