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SAP Retail POS Connectivity Overview

Point-of-Sale and POS connectivity

SAP Triversity is able to offer our customers complete flexibility by delivering 2 store solution alternatives: Transactionware GM and Transactionware Enterprise.

 Transactionware Enterprise is the most cost-effective, feature-rich J2EE POS solution available on the market today.

Designed for retailers who have embraced enterprise computing, Transactionware Enterprise is the first and only Java point-of-sale (POS) solution designed from the ground up to harness the power of J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) at all customer touch points. Its highly scalable, open architecture gives retailers virtually limitless deployment options ranging from wireless handhelds and true thin-client POS to thick-client POS systems, on up to massively scalable enterprise server environments that handle billions of transactions per year.

AdvancedEnterprise Architecture

Unlike first-generation Java applications, Transactionware Enterprise is fully architected on the J2EE standard - the most powerful, versatile and robust Java-based platform. The J2EE standard specifically addresses the needs of enterprise applications to ensure that all the benefits of Java are available at the enterprise level. This includes faster delivery of code, “write once/run anywhere” application development, and simplified connectivity of enterprise applications.

SAP Triversity’s enterprise POS platform greatly simplifies application development and decreases the need for system programming, allowing your IT staff to concentrate on creating business logic rather than infrastructure services such as middleware. Transactionware Enterprise runs on leading operating systems and middleware.

As a true J2EE application, Transactionware Enterprise enables transactions, enhances customer interaction, and reduces the total cost of ownership through configurable, component-based business logic and a suite of retail-centric applications - including point-of-sale, kiosk, mobile POS and e-commerce - that share the same business logic.

Superior Flexibility and Functionality

Transactionware Enterprise’s flexible architecture can be easily adapted to your unique business requirements, making it ideal for multi-format, multi-brand/multi-banner, and multi-national retailers. Transactionware Enterprise enables real-time connectivity with enterprise applications, handles multiple languages and currencies, supports entirely different business models, taxation rules and government requirements, and much more. The broad range of functionality makes Transactionware Enterprise the perfect solution for virtually any retail segment - from department stores to big-box retailers, discounters to large and small specialty retailers.

Transactionware Enterprise includes a powerful Enterprise Configurator tool and business rules engine that offers virtually limitless options. Using the Enterprise Configurator, your IT staff (and even non-technical personnel) can quickly and easily enable changes to the software, without the need for custom develop­ment from SAP Triversity. Changes can be made in minutes, then instantly deployed across the retail enterprise.

The Leader in Data Security

Protecting cardholder data is a critical issue, and Transactionware Enterprise helps retailers protect sensitive customer information even if unauthorized individuals breach their systems. With its latest release, Transactionware Enterprise is the first Java-based solution to incorporate sophisticated data encryption and masking to help retailers who adopt the necessary practices and procedures to comply with the require­ments of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard.

Transactionware Enterprise POS Application Suite

The Transactionware Enterprise product suite includes the POS Client, the back-office POS Manager and the powerful, flexible Enterprise Configurator.

POS Client

Transactionware Enterprise helps retailers deliver a new level of customer-centric functionality that greatly enhances the customer shopping experience. Transac­tionware Enterprise’s POS client includes a number of features designed to facilitate the shopping experience.

o        Sophisticated pricing algorithms allow advanced discounts, promotions and mix match pricing rules.

o        The industry’s best layaway and special order capabilities provide flexibility in meeting customer needs.

o        Centralized transaction recall for merchandise returns ensures accuracy and reduces the risk of fraud.

o        Extensive receipt and document printing capabilities include rebates, special policies and other retailer-defined documents.

o        The graphical, customizable user interface make Transactionware Enterprise easy to learn and use, keeping training time for employees to a minimum and customer service to a maximum.

o        The POS Client recovery/update tool lets you reload the POS client image for easy repairs or changes to the system with minimal effort and maximum uptime.

POS Manager

The back-office module, POS Manager, automates and simplifies store opera­tions so that your managers can focus on what they do best — running the store and taking care of customers.

o        Management functions can be accessed from a web browser from anywhere in the store or the enterprise, even on wireless devices.

o        Our complete set of reports come standard with the application and allows your personnel to make informed decisions quickly based on the effectiveness of a promotion, analyze sales to determine customer throughput, and even report on exceptions to detect potential fraud or possible training issues.

o        With the industry’s best cash management component, POS Manager allows the quick, easy transfer of funds throughout the store with a complete audit trail.

o        An intuitive interface speeds up procedures for opening and closing the store. Managers can search electronic journals and even view digital receipt images of any transaction as needed.

Enterprise Configurator

No other Java solution comes close to matching the power and flexibility of Transactionware Enterprise’s Configura­tor. SAP Triversity pioneered the concept of configuration tools and business rules engines for POS software, and today’s fifth-generation Enterprise Configurator combines ease of use with limitless options for changing, updating and configuring the software — without programming.

Using the Enterprise Configurator and the business rules engine, you can configure all business logic from the head office or any other central location, then deploy that logic to the entire enterprise, a group of stores, an individual store, or even an individual device within the enterprise.

o        Business functions such as tendering, discounting, non-merchandise items and tax rules have a number of options that can be activated, de-activated or specifically configured for your environment.

o        The Enterprise Configurator allows development of specific transaction types such as returns, pending transactions for layaways, and/or special orders and sale type transactions.

o        The ability to capture additional data can be activated for individual stores, for any type of transaction.

o        The Enterprise Configurator enables global retailing by allowing easy customization for foreign currency, global tax rules, and global language capabilities for single-, double- and multi-byte character set languages.

o        As a browser-based application, the Enterprise Configurator can be accessed from anywhere within your enterprise.

o        The Enterprise Configurator includes a deployment manager to update rules on any device anywhere in your retail organization, so you can change business policies or promotions on demand, and verify that the changes took place as scheduled.

Summary of Features

o        Layered architecture. Fully open infrastructure support allows you to choose your own operating system, database, application server, middleware and web server, from commercial or open source alternatives. Operating systems include Linux, Windows®, Solaris, AIX, 4690 and others.

o        Supports industry standards. Fully supports XML, Web Services, IXRetail, J2EE, JavaPOS, UnifiedPOS, JDBC, JMS, Unicode, MBCS.

o        Transactionware Enterprise supports browser-based retail devices, kiosks, PDAs, and wireless and Internet stan­dards, with multi-channel integration.

o        Connectivity with EAI (Enterprise Application Integration) frame­work. Broad integration toolkit permits greatest interoperability with the least amount of work. Connector architecture provides a standard way to connect Transactionware Enterprise applications to any legacy application or third-party component.

o        Fault tolerance. Robust fault toler­ance combines the enterprise strengths of J2EE with the reliability you’ve come to expect for mission critical in-store systems.

o        Special customer transactions. Transaction sets may be written once and used across all channels.

o        International capabilities. Multi-byte character set capability with local configuration.

o        Fully configurable user interfaces. Customize the look and feel for all devices, giving your customers and staff a consistent retail experience.

o        Business building blocks. Reusable source code gets you started faster.

o        Integrated EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer). Access multiple service providers through a single interface. Promote credit, debit, check and gift card payment processing and negotiate your best rate from each service provider. Integrated EFT can be switched out from a central location with minimal configuration at the store.