Author: Bob

Both, DataNatuRe as well as Ecoinform are currently primarily for german data consumers – perhaps that will change some time in the future.

For some time now, DataNatuRe has been building a product database for the organic and natural goods trade. In addition to data from our proprietary “Ökobox”-pool and that of the pioneer in this field, Ecoinform, our shops can now also display data from this new source.

In the online shop we need descriptions, pictures, exact manufacturer information and details of the ingredients. This is important for displaying, filtering and organizing information on the web pages. However, some of these are also important in the ERP backend. Anyone who has already registered new articles in the system knows how time-consuming this process can be.

Of course, it is as simple as possible for the seller if this data is complete and uniform, because then the import can be done automatically. Unfortunately, this is not always the case: why is it so difficult to get good article information for the online shop? Or to put it another way: why is it so difficult to build a unified database?

On the one hand, not every manufacturer has the capacity to present its products well for all sales channels. For example, an image should usually be high-resolution and rich in detail for printing, while for an article list in the online shop a striking and less data-intensive smaller image is more likely.

On the other hand, a central database is used by many people in different positions. They often have a very specific look at the data: Bookkeepers, for example, tend to look at prices rather than pictures, while marketing people focus on the text and the picture, rather than the ingredients. Statisticians compare merchandise categories and need the articles in a certain order. Some mean well and fill in the fields for description-long, descriptive-medium and description-short, others are in a hurry and write a sentence in the “-lang” field.

The article information also differs according to the product group – i. e. there are different data fields for a cheese (e. g. fat content, rind or rind type) than for a wine (drinking temperature or decanting time). And then the structure and type of data are not the same: the fat level is expressed in %, but there must be clear indications in the country of origin. Allergens can be one or 10, certifiers usually have one, but sometimes several.

This complexity is even evident in DataNatuRe’s rather young database, which is designed with modern means and on a broad basis. This way we get all the information for our system, but the preparation is not easy:

• From the large number of data fields (more than 1000 in total) the relevant data fields for filtering or display in the online shop must be selected – even though the merchandise category assignment in the individual shops usually does not correspond to the data supplier’s specifications.
• Many numerical values are not entered homogeneously and cannot be compared easily, e. g. during filtering (100ml are 0.1l, but a computer does not know this easily)
• Despite a lot of trouble with the input masks, I have already seen vegans, which is explicitly not vegetarian, or a chicken broth which explicitly does not contain pork (oh).
• It often happens that some articles have a super detailed description, others don’t – if these articles stand side by side in the shop, for example, this is noticeable negatively – not to mention article names that wind around the screen.
• Unfortunately, images are typically not available on the web – optimized for small and large screens, for detail or list display. This is where automated image processing algorithms come into play, which have to cope with very different raw materials.

Last but not least, there is a series of additional information which in turn requires data to be added by other sources. For example, we have our own data pools with information on manufacturers, associations or origin marks.

In order to make the use of all these information details as easy as possible, the InfoPool module is available in the PCG. Not only can groups of articles be edited en-mass, but you can also simplify your work with the help of simple dependency rules. Finally, the information must be correct, even if the manufacturer changes the formulation of a cream, for example.

The different pools can be activated in the shop settings. For fast results, the system can easily add missing information from these data sources, e. g. by assigning them via GTIN. There are also statistics on their use and query options, which can be used during data entry and for checking purposes.

Use the PCG with its cash register module for shops or a connected farm shop. If several Cashier instances are used in the company, data storage is of course centralized in the merchandise management system. For smaller companies, a minimal configuration as a standalone cash register is also possible.

A tablet can now also be used for easier handling – the software has been adapted to work optimally with the touch screen of the device. In connection with a receipt printer and possibly a scanner, a cash register is quickly assembled.

Of course, the POS software is fully GDPdU-compatible (german recording policies).

In this section we will introduce you to colleagues occasionally. Today it’s Daniel’s turn!

I am Töpfl Daniel, 20 years young, and come from beautiful Bavaria. Since 2015 I have been in training as IT specialist for application development at PCGärtner GmbH. I support the PCG team from graphic design to independent projects such as the cash book. In my spare time I have fun with friends and take advantage of my age: -P.

The digital cash book is a module that simplifies the recording of cash register withdrawals and makes them verifiable. The application can be installed on different devices.

In this category we inform developers about changes to the system. Normally we will keep all interfaces (CSS class names, API calls, library dependencies) backwards compatible. For this reason, find here changes that can be incorporated into your managed websites, but they do not have to. Occasionally we also mention fixes for “prominent” bugs.

November 2017

• A change in the HTTP headers now prevents caching from taking effect in development environments if it is not intended. This was the case when simultaneously editing files with calls to a staging and to the live system (or generally from different servers).
• Improvements in the SEO area: All permalinks have been unified to really point to one resource. In general, navigation entries now all have an href attribute (. oo-shop-item-permalink). The generated sitemap has also been adapted to the new shop.

October 2017

• New component: Chat. After a long evaluation of alternatives we decided to implement our own. This component is to be installed and adapted like all the others; there is a design guide and also a reference. As a WebDesigner you have the right to use the “remote station” in the admin area, so you can try it out and design it. A more general description will follow in a later blog post.
• New switch on the search component: data-oo-search-onenter=”true” allows an “Enter” to trigger the search directly. If you do not select this option, the results preview will be displayed as before.
• New component: Subscribe. We also use them ourselves in our blog. This makes it very easy to register for a newsletter, including double opt-in. After successful confirmation, the addresses land in a PCG action group. The unsubscription can be done with links from the serial mails and is also handled by this component. So try out the whole process during design!

(Translated with DeepL.com/Translator -sorry, but its great! – Bob)

Thanks to our new colleague Rakel, the translations into Spanish and French have been revised or updated in recently. Especially texts for new program functions were still incomplete here and there. This applies to labels and texts in the PCG, as well as the default texts in the online shops.
The changes in the online shops are immediately active, for the PCG they may have to be installed manually.

By the way, the PCG can manage data (i. e. articles, product groups etc) in different languages – so it is possible to run the same shop for visitors in different languages and country settings! Only when other prices or cost calculations come into play, you would consider a real second shop (which can still be connected to the same PCG!). Then you can also seriously adapt even the design for the country … but that is worth another blog post.  ; -)

In any case, PCG owners are welcome to contact us if they need help translating names or texts in the article database or for texts on the website!

Our system has always sent reminder e-mails before deliveries are due. Depending on the settings, this takes place either directly before delivery or when a specific purchase order is created from a subscription.

In response to popular demand, proactive reminders are now also available: for customers who prefer to order periodically each time, or for occasional customers who have opted for this option.

As always, a number of rules are in place to protect customers from excessive mail from us – but you can now explicitly override this.

Here is the redesigned dialog in the PCG. Of course, customers can also change some options in their profile page.

Here we are professionals: All (organic) Santa Clauses use our packing station. And there were some minor changes in time before Christmas, among other things articles can now also be moved “last minute”.

By the way: With the PCG packing station you can pack a lot of deliveries item-related or customer-specific. There are a variety of functions, e. g. for processing in a certain order, selecting replacement articles or dividing the process into different packing stations – even the driver (the Santa Claus?) can be included here.

Of course, different scale systems can be connected, but we are happy to give recommendations – not all models are sensible or stable to integrate. The boxes can be marked with scanner or NFC.