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About MetaCart2 for SQL Server
Overview
Hardware/Software Requirements
Credit Card Processing
Installation/Setup
Support/Add-ins
Browser-based Administration
The MetaCart2 Demos
Overview
MetaCart2 for SQL Server was designed for small businesses and developers requiring the scalability and functionality of
an e-Commerce system powered by a high-end database.
Like its counterpart, MetaCart2, it remains
fully customizable for easy integration into your current web site. To
customize its interface, you will need to know basic HTML, have some
familiarity with Active Server Pages, VBScript and, of course, a working
knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server databases.
With MetaCart2 for SQL
Server, your electronic storefront will have
the following capabilities and functionality:
-
Catalogs and products will be fully searchable from every page by category, product name, product description, or price level.
- Database administration and order processing is accomplished through an integrated browser-based interface.
- Processed transactions can be archived
through the same administrative interface.
- Automatic application-based customer, shipping, and
warehouse e-mail notification using Microsoft's Collaboration Data
Objects (CDONTS).
Can be configured to work with third-party
ASP-based e-mail components, such as JMail.
- Customer credit card validation using the
Luhn Modulus 10 method.
- Encryption
of credit card numbers stored in database.
- Ability to
charge sales tax for in-state purchases or Value Added Tax (VAT) where
required,
- Automated
inventory reporting and updating,
- Calculation of
shipping charges based on weight,
- Support for subcategories
under main catalog listings,
- An enhanced catalog
and products search engine, and
- a stored
procedure for cleaning abandoned orders from the database.
Like its predecessors,
MetaCart2 for SQL Server was designed for manual
credit card processing. See "Credit Card
Processing" below for more information regarding accepting
credit card payments.
MetaCart2 for SQL Server is
based on Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) technology hooked to a
Microsoft SQL Server database.
After installation and setup, the system
readies your site for eCommerce. Customers can peruse your catalog of
products and add the items they wish to purchase to their "shopping
basket."
The customer then enters shipping and payment details and submits
his/her order, which is then processed and posted to the
database.
Hardware/Software Requirements
To use MetaCart2 for SQL Server,
your eCommerce site will need to be hosted on a web server that
supports Active Server Pages, such as Microsoft NT Server with at
least Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0 or Windows 2000 Server
with IIS 5.0.
You will also need a good website
design and HTML editing program (such as FrontPage 2000 or 2002, or
Visual InterDev 6.0), and at least the Desktop Edition of Microsoft
SQL Server 7.0 or 2000 to create the database. The MetaCart2 for
SQL Server software application was developed on a Microsoft
platform, using Visual Studio 6.0 and SQL Server 2000. All
MetaCart demos are hosted on a Windows 2000
Server.
The
only requirement for your customers is that their machine accept cookies since the application uses browser session cookies for some
features. The cookies expire when the user session expires. No cookies are permanently stored on the
customer's computer, though the application can be configured for persistent cookies.
Credit Card
Processing
The application assumes you will do
manual credit card processing. To use MetaCart2 for SQL
Server for credit card processing, you will need amerchant
account with a bank, an account with a credit card processing agent,
and a security certificate for access to your server's secure socket
layer (SSL) for secure transactions. Thawte and VeriSign are the two largest issuers of SSL server
certificates. Most of these services can be provided by the internet
service provider (ISP) hosting your eCommerce web site. One of the
largest eCommerce hosting companies is Interland, who
hosts this site.
For a complete rundown of accepting credit cards online, see
the article, "What You Will Need - Plain and Simple."
Additional Installation/Setup Instructions
Additional installation and setup
instructions, as well as the End-User License Agreement, are
included in the README file in the MetaCart2 for SQL Server
download package. Use of MetaCart2 for SQL Server
is governed by the terms of the End-User License
Agreement.
NOTE: The README file includes
resources for finding answers to the most frequently encountered
problems with installation of ASP-based applications. These involve
the correct directory location of the global.asa file, the proper
setting of permissions on a network or hosting server, connecting to
the database and setting up a System DSN (Data Source Name). Please
read these instructions carefully.
Additional instructions on setting up the SQL Server database;
executing the SQL Script file to set up the tables in the database;
and using the data contained in the file to populate the tables is
explained in the HELP.htm file. All the above are contained in your
download package.
Also, there are comments throughout the source code, to assist
you in customizing and configuring the application to your particular needs or situation.
Support/Add-Ins
MetaLinks.com provides
limited installation and setup support for MetaCart2 for SQL
Server via e-mail only. Should you discover any bugs in the
application, please notify us so we can post any fixes to our master
download file.
Assistance with other types of
services, such as programming and design, adding additional
functionality, or hooking up other ASP components to
MetaCart2 for SQL Server, are available at
reasonable rates at MetaLinks.com.
For developers and other do-it-yourselfers, the code alone is worth
the purchase price.
Browser-based
Administration
The
application includes a set of browser-based administration pages. For
security purposes, the pages are not included in the MetaCart2 for SQL
Server demo, but are
included in the download package.
The MetaCart Demos
You are encouraged to try out all the features
of our live demos prior to purchasing any of the
MetaCart applications to determine if they meet your needs since we do not offer refunds.
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