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The osCommerce family of shopping carts are only able to perform inventory synchronization at the SKU level, not at the option level.
Real-time inventory synchronization differs from manual inventory synchronization in that the program will automatically send Quantity on Hand counts to the web site as inventory is decremented (product sales) or incremented (receive inventory from a supplier). Manual synchronization requires human intervention and is not normally executed more than once per day; it refers to the use of the [Send QOH to Website] or [Get QOH from Website] buttons found on the Shopping Cart Functions screen.
To automatically synchronize inventory counts between Order Manager and osCommerce, the user must first ensure that the shopping cart and Order Manager have an accurate, identical, count before enabling real-time inventory synchronization. The user should occasionally monitor the quantity counts in both places to ensure the two remain in sync. If they are not in sync, the user should take steps to re-synchronize inventory.
Determine whether Order Manager or osCommerce contains the most accurate count of your inventory and perform one of the next two steps accordingly.
If osCommerce contains the most accurate inventory count, use the Shopping Cart Functions form to "Get QOH From Website". (The Create Records for New Products check box can be left unchecked).
Figure 1: Shopping Cart Functions screen - osCommerce carts
First, turn on system-wide quantity-on-hand (QOH) synchronization by setting the SynchQOH parameter (in the Program group) to True. Note: You will not see the Synchronize Inventory check box on the Shopping Carts form unless you set the parameter first.
Next, go to the osCommerce shopping cart definition as found in the Create/Edit Shopping Carts screen. Click in the Synchronize Inventory check box and save the changes.
Repeat for each osCommerce shopping cart in your store data file.
Figure 2: Shopping Carts screen - osCommerce shopping cart is selected
Each time an item's QOH count is changed for any reason, e.g. filling a backorder, placing a phone order, receiving a purchase order, or importing orders from your shopping cart, the inventory level between your osCommerce store and the Order Manager is updated.
The Order Manager uses the stack controller to send the updated information to osCommerce. The website should respond within seconds and update the QOH count to match the changes in Order Manager.
Perform one of the tasks mentioned previously that will trigger the sending of a QOH update to the web site. Test this interaction yourself by manually adjusting the QOH for a given product and then monitor the QOH count of the appropriate product in your store.
If the count is not adjusted within roughly two minutes, consult the Setting Up a Shared Post Stack Controller article in case there is a problem on your web site or with the integration script.
QOH counts should be monitored frequently when this feature is first enabled, and at regular intervals thereafter (no more than a week is advisable).
Over time, it is possible that sporadic errors or delays in transmission will cause the count of your products on your web site to be different from the Order Manager’s count. In any case, whether the count is inaccurate in the Order Manager or on your web site, use the Shopping Cart Functions screen to re-submit or re-download the correct QOH counts to or from your osCommerce shopping cart.
Disable real-time inventory synchronization prior to manually resetting the product counts by un-checking the Synchronize Inventory box on the Shopping Cart definition screen. When the counts have been reset correctly, re-check the Synchronize Inventory box.
See Also
Setting Up an osCommerce Shopping Cart
Setting Up a Shared Post Stack Controller
Updated: 8/21/09