Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System Requirements

You want a stable and reliable retail system that will grow with your business and encourage that growth. Microsoft Retail Management Store Operations gives you hallmark technological advancements you expect in a stable, reliable environment. And it's backed by award-winning training and support.

Store Operations is designed to run on any PC-compatible system under Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. One central design goal for Store Operations is to make the software scalable and extensible. It relies on Windows DNA and Microsoft SQL Server as framework and the architecture for scalability. SQL Server easily scales from desktop to enterprise server to accommodate a database of any size.

The minimum requirements below will yield a functional level of performance. Higher levels of performance can be gained with hardware upgrades.

Store Operations requires Microsoft SQL Server for its database storage. The SQL Server can be run on the same machine as Store Operations or on a dedicated database server for higher performance.

The vast majority of retailers are small to medium-size and do not have the budget or technical expertise to set up and maintain database servers. For this reason, the Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000) is provided with Store Operations so retailers can start with a robust database engine even on desktop PCs. The following are some quick facts on MSDE:

MSDE database is 100% compatible with Microsoft SQL Server
MSDE 2000 supports only one CPU, there is a 2GB data limit per database¡ªmore than adequate for most chains
Contains built-in scaling factors that limit the performance of the MSDE 2000 based on connections and data loads
The Desktop Engine supports Microsoft® Windows® 98, Microsoft® Windows® Millennium Edition (Windows ME), Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0 Workstation/Server, Microsoft® Windows® 2000 (all versions) and Microsoft® Windows® XP (all versions)

Store Operations can run on a stand-alone PC or in a networked environment. Any of the following operating systems can be used: Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation Edition (or later) Service Pack 5, Windows NT 4.0 Server Edition Service Pack 5, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Professional Edition, Windows XP (all versions).

You need stable chain-wide views of far-flung inventories to wisely balance purchasing. You must manage central and distributed purchasing. You need to see customers' records, no matter where or how they shop in your enterprise. And you need to selectively control pricing, discounts and ordering in specific stores, regions or globally. You need enterprise-wide data entry of new items, deletions of old SKUs to be done once, in one spot, and take effect exactly where you dictate.

Listed below you'll find the minimum system requirements for HQ that will yield a functional level of performance. Higher levels of performance can be gained with hardware upgrades.

At Each Store
Each store must be running Retail Management System Store Operations software and able to connect to HQ via either a dial-up modem, the Internet, VPN, ISDN or WAN. You will need to install the HQ Remote Client program at each store. HQ Remote Client can run on the same computer as Store Operations. Typically the back office computer, equipped with a modem for communications to the head office, is used.

At the Head Office
HeadQuarters is designed to run on any PC-compatible system under Windows 98/Me/XP, Windows NT 4.0 SP5, or Windows 2000. At the head office, you will need to install the HQ Communications Server program on a computer equipped with the proper communications gear (modem, the Internet, VPN, ISDN, WAN, etc.) to receive data from stores.

Very small chains can run Microsoft SQL Server, HQ Communications Server and HQ Manager programs on a single PC though performance may not be optimum. At minimum, a Pentium 300-MHz computer with 256MB of RAM and 8GB of hard drive is required. A faster CPU and more RAM will significantly increase the performance.

The MSDE version of SQL Server is provided with HQ so retailers can start with a robust database engine even on desktop PCs. MSDE limits the size of the HQ database to a maximum of 2GB. As your needs grow, you can add additional PCs and upgrade to Microsoft SQL Server for increased storage and better performance.

Larger chains may elect to run SQL Server, HQ Communication Server and HQ Manager program on dedicated computers for best performance and availability. Multiple computers running the HQ Communications Server program can be used to distribute the communication load or provide backup.