PHP and enterprise DB apps

Hello there!

I am considering to use PHP to write the client software for an application that has to manage the inventory of a company, its purchases, its sales, the the movements of items between branches, etc.
Now I have to doubts:
1- I know PHP is great for websites that needs access to a small DB, but... is PHP good enough to develop the app I want?
2- PHP is great if there are few interactions with the DB and thus few windows must be generated, but... if the app has to continuously interact with the DB and new windows need to be generated every few seconds, will the user note the acumulated latency? (I you access a web page where you have to provide some data and go through 3 pages to do what you want, it does not matter if there is a little latency. But if you are hours and hours in fornt of an app. even the samllest latency can be a problem, I think)

Thanks

antipeko,

First of all, complex enterprise programming requires very experienced programmers (PHP or otherwise). Equally important are people who understand the business very well who will be in constant communication with your programmer(s). Make sure that you have the expertise on hand otherwise you *will* have major problems once your system goes into production. Find someone who has experience in this area, you will thank yourself later for the extra expense.

Alternatively, if you are trying to get the most bang for the buck, consider some other open-source enterprise inventory systems already in production. Why re-invent the wheel?

I would check out Compiere as one possible software package:
http://www.compiere.com/

Whatever you end up using I would expect that ANY system will still need a fair amount of customization to handle the idiosyncrasies in your business.


For something as sensitve as inventory control you must have a transactional-based database. MySQL is capable of this, but PostGres is a better choice in the open source arena. You will probably need a bunch of business logic directly in the database to check and prevent errors. Stored proceedures and triggers are a well-known and robust way to do this. Find someone who is well versed in the database as well as someone who knows the data you will be using EXTREMELY well. Given the sensitivity of your data you need to have as much error checking/prevention as possible INSIDE the database logic (not your client-programs). This business logic and maintanence of the database will be a very significant part of this job and you must have the resources ready for it.

How does PHP fit into this picture?

If you are still considering using PHP, a web-based solution to inventory control can be done from a web-interface with very low-latency. The trade-off is that you must use a lot of client-side programming (Javascript) and DHTML (Javascript + CSS) to make the application speedy for those users who will be using it. [XmlHttpRequest is a relatively new technique that gives all you need to have your screen change very quickly without reloading the webpage.] You will be required to restrict which browsers that the staff is permitted to use. This client-side scripting does not rely upon PHP so any server-side language would do the trick here.

PHP can do the trick for the internal data entry/order screens but it is still a fraction of the whole.

Howard Katz
Web Programmer

Please ......

Salespeople seem to be the class of individual enamored with the enterprise buzzword.

Dont be scared by people trying to sell you consulting or people antipeko. Just do your home work and setup a good proof of prototype and load testing environment to determine if a php solution can meet your needs.

The database related design elements are not difficult... anyone of average ability can master those parts of an "enterprise" solution.

People commenting without knowing anything about the details of your app and business requirements are just blowing smoke .....

Quote:

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Originally posted by Howard Katz
antipeko,

First of all, complex enterprise programming requires very experienced programmers (PHP or otherwise). Equally important are people who understand the business very well who will be in constant communication with your programmer(s). Make sure that you have the expertise on hand otherwise you *will* have major problems once your system goes into production. Find someone who has experience in this area, you will thank yourself later for the extra expense.

Alternatively, if you are trying to get the most bang for the buck, consider some other open-source enterprise inventory systems already in production. Why re-invent the wheel?

I would check out Compiere as one possible software package:
http://www.compiere.com/

Whatever you end up using I would expect that ANY system will still need a fair amount of customization to handle the idiosyncrasies in your business.


For something as sensitve as inventory control you must have a transactional-based database. MySQL is capable of this, but PostGres is a better choice in the open source arena. You will probably need a bunch of business logic directly in the database to check and prevent errors. Stored proceedures and triggers are a well-known and robust way to do this. Find someone who is well versed in the database as well as someone who knows the data you will be using EXTREMELY well. Given the sensitivity of your data you need to have as much error checking/prevention as possible INSIDE the database logic (not your client-programs). This business logic and maintanence of the database will be a very significant part of this job and you must have the resources ready for it.

How does PHP fit into this picture?

If you are still considering using PHP, a web-based solution to inventory control can be done from a web-interface with very low-latency. The trade-off is that you must use a lot of client-side programming (Javascript) and DHTML (Javascript + CSS) to make the application speedy for those users who will be using it. [XmlHttpRequest is a relatively new technique that gives all you need to have your screen change very quickly without reloading the webpage.] You will be required to restrict which browsers that the staff is permitted to use. This client-side scripting does not rely upon PHP so any server-side language would do the trick here.

PHP can do the trick for the internal data entry/order screens but it is still a fraction of the whole.

Howard Katz
Web Programmer

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