barcode help

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fj45lvr
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barcode help

Post by fj45lvr » Tue Apr 28, 2015 11:24 pm

hello,

I have been using DHES registers for at least 10 years for firework stands yet I am not very knowledgeable on finer details of how to do things.

I have been using metrologic scanners that are keyboard wedge style (I seem to remember that sometimes they did not work scanning items until they scanned something to "program"? them) That is not my main question though I guess I should refresh myself as to finding the correct barcode to scan for this kind of programming (maybe online which I can print) and then learning how to do it again).

my main dilemma over the years has been getting in new product and then entering the correct barcode numbers into the stock table and then copying the stock table and updating about 16 registers (a real pain)...some companies have thankfully started to release catalogs which have the item barcodes so I can get them entered weeks in advance at home and not right before sales start.

One company has sent me a list of barcode numbers that is one digit shorter than the actual 13 digit barcode number on the items themselves (for example one item has this number printed on the label barcode: 8145270115817 but the companies excel file lists the number without the 7 as the item number. does anyone know how I would integrate these numbers into the stock table and have them work without the last digit?? would this require changing existing numbers in the stock table that are 13 digits to only be 12 if it is even possible? or reprogramming my scanners?? I want to know if it is possible first and then decide if it make sense for me to mix in these numbers with the full numbers I have already in the stock table for current inventory. Last year this manufacturer gave a new expensive item the same number of a previous inexpensive item which was a real pain to try to educate all cashiers of the issue to not charge the expensive price for the inexpensive item.

this year for the fist time I am working in excel workbook which I downloaded from the stock table and doing my editing in excel instead of in the posconfig stock table. I even bought a couple of wireless scanners to hopefully be able to scan some barcodes into the excel worksheet for those items I do not have access to barcodes in advance (previously we had to bring each item to the computer to scan instead of now taking the scanner and tablet to the items).

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peewee3ie
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Re: barcode help

Post by peewee3ie » Mon May 04, 2015 4:50 pm

Hi,

It sounds to me that you are missing the check digit at the end of the barcode. You should ask you suppliers are they using a barcode font in the excel file and if so you may need to install the same font may fix your problem.
Tony McGuire
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brucef2112
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Re: barcode help

Post by brucef2112 » Fri May 08, 2015 1:46 am

This will not be fixed with a font.
This is fixed by choosing how you store the stock numbers in your POS and how you choose to have the barcode scanner 'enter' the data.
Let's do the scanner first. Almost all scanners can be programed. One feature is to program it to either included or exclude the the check digit when the item is scanned.
You will choose which method you want and then program the scanner to match your choice of data storage. (side note, scanners can also be programed to Include or not include the "Carriage Return" / [Enter] key after reading the number. Most scanners are set to do this as their default)

Now for the data storage part.

The first question to ask yourself is:
Do I want to include the check digit when storing the barcode in the table?
There is no correct answer. Its the philosophy of database design. Some will say "YES". Others will say "NO". The argument goes, "Why store a number that can be calculated?" The two camps will fight forever and only agree on one thing. It must be consistent for the entire data table.

In my opinion, for the world of DHPOS, it is better to store the entire 13 digit number (includes the check digit). As you stated, most of your vendors included it in the stock tables, so its easy to work with like data when it comes to importing/exporting and comparing data.

EAN-13 / JAN-13
for those vendors that don't have the check digit, there is an easy way to generate it with Excel. Lets say your UPC number is in column A. place this formula in column B and it will calculate the check digit.

Code: Select all

=A1&MOD(10-MOD(SUMPRODUCT(MID(A1,ROW($1:$12),1)*(1+2*ABS(MOD( ROW($1:$12),2)-1))),10),10)
Once you have your full UPC you can then copy the column and then do a right-click choose 'Paste Special' > Past Values. you are now ready to import/export, or whatever else you need to do based on the new 13 digit stock number.

You mentioned you have data in the stock table already. If your in the camp of "YES, store the check digit" and your scanner is set to do so, then with vendor's data missing the digit, you'd use the method above to create a file you can import into the POS stock table which will then have the extra digit.
If your stock table is mixed, then you have some work to 'normalize' your data. ie export your stock table into excel so you can sort it on the ones missing the digit and run the formula on those and then import your data back into the POS stock table. So your stock table has the full 13 digits.

One note of caution about barcodes and DHPOS. (You may not encounter this because your stuff most likely made in china.) BUT take note, some product's barcode start with the number ZERO. Take note that DHPOS will drop a leading ZERO (because its stored as a number).
So if you export your stock table out of the POS and want to do some type of analysis comparing the Vendor's list of stock#s (which will be stored as a string to preserve the leading ZERO) to the POS stock #, you will find that some items aren't found or don't match because of the mismatched data types (number stored as a number vs number stored as a string)
This will usually catch me when I use the scanner to enter stuff directly into the POS stock table (zero is dropped) and then I may do a store inventory using the scanner directly into Excel where it preserves the leading zero. Then using excel's lookup function to do some work between the two data sets and I find this often has me slapping my forehead. No biggie once you catch yourself forgetting about leading zeros.
If you are lucky to only deal with BC with 13 digits, your life is good. In my world I have stuff from around the world. Some are 13 digits, some are 12, some are more or less. So the leading zero makes it hard to reconcile which barcode really is missing a leading zero.

..manufacture re-used a barcode from a different product?!?!?!
The only answer for a duplicate barcode on two different items is to assign your own barcode to one of the two items and manage it on your own so the employees don't have to be trusted to catch a certain expensive item being sold at the cheaper price.
My suggestion is to take which ever item came into the store second with a duplicate number, make your own barcode by changing the first digit to "4" and use the same remaining digits. This then becomes your stores internal barcode for that item. Why use 4 as the first number, you say? Because the barcode gods say that no manufacture will be given a barcode starting with a 4. So, if you, as retail start a barcode with a 4, it should never conflict with any barcode in the manufacturing world. This will also work if you get an item without a barcode. You can safely create your own as long as it starts with a 4 and rest assured that you won't get some other item in from a manufacture with that same barcode.
For myself, I have hundreds of items that i need to create my own barcode numbers to print labels. I've been using Wasp Barcode software for years. It work pretty good.
If you just need to make a sheet or two of just a few in-store barcodes, there are a bunch of online sites that let you enter a number and then it make a jpg/bmp file you can copy and paste to print the barcodes you need.
Try this one: http://www.free-barcode-generator.net/ Note that when creating your own barcodes that you need remember to calculate the check digit. The link given will generate the check digit for you but not all sites do it.

If you need a check digit for 12 digit barcode (UPC-A Code) use this formula

Code: Select all

=A1&MOD(10-MOD(SUMPRODUCT(MID(A1,ROW($1:$11),1)*(1+2*MOD(ROW($1:$11),2))),10),10)
Later,
Bruce

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin - Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

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AussieAussie
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Re: barcode help

Post by AussieAussie » Mon May 18, 2015 8:17 am

A great, great reference page for barcodes etc. is http://grandzebu.net/informatique/codbar-en/codbar.htm.

Play with the stuff there.....it's brilliant for making your own in house barcodes too. And is stand alone.
"...In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

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brucef2112
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Re: barcode help

Post by brucef2112 » Tue May 19, 2015 8:43 pm

very informative and helpful!
thanks!
Later,
Bruce

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin - Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

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