OLTE – Offline Ticket Entry Preparation Tasks.
Waiting until the last possible moment to start preparing for a remote trade show sale or a sidewalk sale is not good idea, especially when it comes to computer hardware and software configurations. Generally, you should have your registers, peripheral, software, and data updated (1) one week prior to it’s scheduled deployment. Everything should be tested properly prior to be boxed-up or transported to the destination, and the data re-updated preferably the day before the system leaves your facilities. Remember that OLTE ia also designed to keep you online if your server is down during busy seasons like the holiday rush coming up.
Some questions to consider…
Is the PC hardware and software properly configured for offline use? – I had a recent experience with a customer where they planned to deploy a PC at a trade show that did not have enough com ports for peripheral devices; there was no OLTE software configuration or data on the PC. They called in for assistance with less the 2 hours remaining in their current workday, the night before the equipment was supposed to be deployed.
How recently has the POS application data been updated? – Luckily, the customer referenced above,
did have one PC on-site that was properly configured, however, the data on the PC was over a year out
of date, and had to be updated. Unfortunately, the particular software version the were using required all users to be out of the software in order do the data update. This meant a further delay in the work, because it had to be done after normal working hours. At one time, there was a scheduled task set-up to update the data on the PC nightly, however, this had been long ago deleted by a staff member.
Do I have spares for any of the peripherals, just in case something breaks? – You may be miles
away from the nearest specialty computer store. Replacement parts and accessories may not be readily
available, and may have to be shipped in. This could easily delay things by days. Items required could include things such as peripheral power and data cables, network cables, receipt paper, printer ribbons, etc.
Will the destination have Internet access for doing Credit Card authorizations? If, not does the
location have phone access for doing Modem authorizations? The answers to these questions should
be known well in advance of your scheduled event.
OLTE for both CounterPoint Version 7.5.X and CP SQL 8.3.X can be set-up to automatically scheduled data updates.
If you would like more information about the OLTE options or need help with the configuration, please contact the CCS Retail Systems Support Department.