Orders Database Software

Blue Claw Database Design developers were contracted to design a custom order management software system to assist with the management of daily order processing and delivery. This business is a worldwide gift delivery service that specializes in a wide variety of products as well as custom orders. The specific challenge for this project was the variation of delivery addresses as well as delivery methods.

It was crucial for them to find the perfect balance between customer orders, order transmissions and vendor delivery. An off the shelf solution did not fit their needs; they needed a completely customized order management system that is easy to use and manage all aspects of products and orders, customer and vendor information as well as payment and invoice tracking. A few deliverables of this custom order management database are as follows:

• Manage vendor master list

• Manage vendor daily order transmission

• Manage customer information

• Generate product delivery receipts

• Generate daily credit card reporting

• Product invoices and manage payments

• Management of product pricing
  

For the order tracking software we used Access's built in toolbars and Access's standard feature rather than custom features to reduce the cost and makes the database less expensive to maintain and less expensive to port to new versions of Access as they are released.

We do not duplicate standards controls such as, new record, next record, etc. if at all possible.  Also, we do not use Macros - we program all form functions using simple visual basic routines and calls to a few subroutines that are required for the database.  Unlike other developers, we don't load in every function we have developed over time 'just in case'.  Our design practices keep the database consistent and simple to enhance and maintain.

Shown below is the welcome screen featuring a simple user interface for the order administration software.  All functions are accessed through tabs across the top of the main menu.  No popup forms or nested menus to navigate.

Order entry is the first step of the process for this gift delivery business. When an order is placed the order processing database auto assigns an order number. The order type entry populates forms with the proper calculation variables. These variables include where the product is to be delivered (hotel, business, home address, or cruise ship) as well as what type of product is to be delivered. Order type is also used to issue a credit (return), cancellation, quote or invoice.

The order management software has a reserved area at the top of each form for filtering and search capability on each form.  This feature allows each form to serve as both data entry and data review forms.

Below is the customer order entry form used for entry of relevant customer data such as billing information and payment terms. This form allows for selection of pricing type which determines the rate at which the customer is billed (retail versus wholesale). The bottom section of the customer order management form allows for customer order tracking history. 

The Orders Database helps this gift delivery business manage several products with a variation of pricing levels that can fluctuate based on both the delivery method and delivery area. The product entry form allows the user to enter the pricing list and price level per item which is directly associated with the delivery area.

The nature of this business requires tracking vendor capabilities; i.e. do they stock the product and are they capable of delivery to cruise ships, hotels or residential addresses?  The vendor entry form manages vendor pricing and vendor profile information.  There are six pricing tiers and each vendor is assigned a particular tier.  New pricing tiers can be easily added to the system because a lists and functions are data driven rather than being hard coded in the software.

After the order has been placed for the customer the user would then find the vendor to fulfill that order in a timely manner.  The user completes the form below to create a new vendor order for transmission to that vendor by choice of fax, email or a printed form.  The efficiency of this form allows the user to take orders that they receive throughout the day and consolidate them into one transmission to that vendor.  The filter at the top lets the user search by order number or vendor name.

The order administration software's invoice/payment form allows the user to mark which invoices are paid and then filter them for quick verification of payments received.

The form below lists the reports available for this order management database.  To run a report the user would double click to activate the filter choices that control the report.

The last tab in the orders database software is very important.  The List tab allows full customization of the drop down lists contained on the other data entry forms.  This feature makes the order management database highly flexible and efficient.

Contact us today for an online demo of our Orders Database Software Template.