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13–15 SCAN DATA WITH MODIFIED PALM General Best Practices
COMPUTING PLATFORM
There are a number of applications in which accounting department personnel
can scan bar codes that store data about various items, such as personnel, fixed
assets, or inventory, and then either compare this information to a central data-
base for accuracy or input new data to a database that is at least partially com-
prised of this bar coded data. For example, the accounting staff should verify the
existence of all fixed assets in the company at least once a year. To do so, they can
scan the bar coded identification tags that are attached to each asset. This task is
typically accomplished with a bar code scanner that either transmits the data
directly to the central accounting computer or stores it internally for an upload at
a later date. These scanners can be quite expensive. An alternative to this
approach has just been developed by Symbol Technologies.
Symbol has developed a variation on the popular Palm computing platform
that contains a bar code scanner that can scan and translate nearly all of the
major bar code methodologies. The product descriptions can be found on the
Internet at www.symbol.com/palm. With this product, one can scan and store bar
codes in the Palm computer and then upload this data at the user’s leisure into
the central accounting database. It is also possible to first download data to the
Palm and then use the scanning option to bring in and compare additional data
to the downloaded data. For example, inventory information can be dumped
into the Palm, so that the user can take it to the warehouse and scan in product
quantities during an inventory count. A program stored in the Palm can then
compare the quantities scanned to the inventory information. Any differences
can be investigated on the spot.
The initial pricing for these Palm products are in the range of $500 to $700,
depending on the amount of RAM added to them. These prices are roughly dou-
ble the rate at which a Palm computer without the scanning feature can be pur-
chased. The software for these products is still being developed, so it may be eas-
ier to purchase developer software from the manufacturer in order to create
internal applications. At this time, the main development effort has been made by
Stevens Creek Software, which has developed the On Hand program that allows
one to conduct inventory counts and asset tracking. A similar product, called
Pocket Inventory, has been developed by PC America.
A unique possibility is the ability to create invoices in the field with the Sym-
bol Palm computer. By using either the Route Accounting Automation software,
written by Remote Data Systems, or else the Route Salesman 3 software, written by
PalmX Route Accounting, one can scan shipping information in the field, such as
product codes, prices, and quantities, and create an invoice on the spot for immedi-
ate delivery to the customer. This option requires the use of portable printer that can
receive information from the infrared port on the Palm computer.
This new device may become a superior tool that supplants the more tradi-
tional bar code scanning devices that have been available for many years, because