SOHOdb

SOHOdb (related to GetWiki) is a cross-platform, enterprise-class database management application designed for simplicity in the “small office, home office” environment, but not limited to small business. SOHOdb includes integrated modules for customers, contacts, suppliers, employees, invoices, products, purchases, documents, projects and assets. These modules are used by nearly all businesses and organizations. Smaller businesses are under-represented in the IT landscape, therefore, this application was originally called “SOHO”.

Daunted by the puzzle of cost, platform dependence, and development time, between licensing, servers, consultancy fees, platform choices, programming and design costs, one can realize the benefits of a business database sometimes only with detailed study. SOHOdb can give any organization the benefits of web-enabled, open technology, leveraged into affordable, complete solutions. Whether your company is run by a single computer, or if tens of thousands of your users and partner users are scattered across networks, or for anything in between, SOHOdb can solve your database puzzle, so you can get back to business.

SOHOdb was first released as rimric interactive, SOHO edition in 2001 by M.R.M. Parrott, developer of GetWiki, wholly under a Commercial License for the code, but is available under a Creative Commons License with free download. The idea was to build a simple, bullet-proof business database that would do what the outrageously expensive solutions were doing. The current stable release of SOHOdb is 1.0.

Technical Features

• Cross-connected modules for customer, supplier, invoice, purchase order, contacts, and other vital business data
• Data storage in industry leading MySQL database
• Use of web standards, like CSS styles (colours, positioning)
• Clean output to the browser, PHP code underneath
• Easy to use interface options, labeling and inputs

Why the CCL Licensing?

The Creative Commons License is a newer, customizable, and apolitical choice for licensing all kinds of creative and technical works. Software tools should be free (or inexpensive) and open (GPL’ed or CCL’ed). For example, the PHP server, or a Linux distribution should be open-source and completely unlimited. However, business solutions like SOHOdb should not always be expected to be GPL’ed or automatically associated with the politics of the FSF. We therefore offer SOHOdb under the Creative Commons License.

How does it Work?

SOHOdb works as a “server-side” application available via an internet browser. It can be installed on a single machine and accessed from that machine, it can be installed on two servers and accessed by a “client” machine anywhere on the network or across the internet, or it can be installed in clusters, or load balanced servers, with clients spread out across the network. It is based upon a “three-tier” model. The client machine can be any computer capable of running a web-browser, including some PDA’s. All of the work is done on the server, which hides the programming and database abstraction from the end users.

What Technologies does it Use?

SOHOdb uses the PHP and XML languages via the PHP4 server module, along with the MySQL 3.23x RDBMS with normalized tables. SOHOdb also uses HTML and CSS to display the output of these technologies to the end user’s browser.

Where to Download?

SOHOdb 1.0 is available, and the current download (185k) is the first public release under the CCL. It is an update of SOHO Edition 1.0. Changes will be noted here as a simple changelog. Code is released under the CCL.

• SOHOdb 1.0 getwiki.net/download/sohodb/sohodb-1.0.tar.gz (download folder) | README
• 09/17/2007 - updated header.php, invoices and purchases “pdf” for PHP5
• 08/07/2005 - converted/relicensed to SOHOdb 1.0 under CCL, redesigned
• 21/12/2003 - updated XML doc, error controls for incomplete data
• 02/12/2003 - added PDF invoices/purchases, customized styles/PDF
• 18/03/2003 - fixed invoices, invoices_print to pull correct customer address
• 01/09/2002 - removed session code and dynamic colour changes
• 12/09/2001 - changed locations entries for products/assets in default data
• 17/07/2001 - added new line & tabs to scripts for cleaner XHTML output
• 24/04/2001 - initial design of 1.0




• Apache under Unix/Linux installation recommended
• PHP 4.3.2 - PHP 5 required for application
• MySQL 3.23 - MySQL 4.1 required for database
• SOHOdb 1.0 data schema required
• No other server dependencies

Installation

• NOTE: A working knowledge of PHP and MySQL, as well as file transfer/permissions at the command line is highly recommended
• FTP or Copy files to webserver directory
• Ensure file permissions are correctly set for server
• Configure settings in the “connect.php” file (if advanced, customize “sohodb.sql” file)
• Import via MySQL the “sohodb.sql” file (new databases only!)

Credits

SOHOdb 1.0 designed by M.R.M. Parrott (proteus) and rimric design, with huge thanks to:

• Steven Hait, Nelson Thompson
• Peter Schuttevaar, Stephano Mazzocchi, Paul DuBois, Ed Zander, Ernie Miller, Mark Orr, David Pollack
• PHP.net and MySQL.com
• Jen Feraz and Hostasaurus.com