SQL-Ledger is an open source accounting software that can be used by micro, small, and medium enterprises. It offers basic functionality for purchasing, sales, inventory management and assembly tracking. The software is platform independent and can be accessed remotely. It uses a 3-tier architecture with a PostgreSQL database to store accounting data. Customizations can be done through external Perl modules.

1. Submitted by-
-Akanksha
-David Phillipowsky
-Rahul Kumar
-Samoneh
-Shweta Iyer

4.  Accounting, commercial & production suite for
micro and small enterprises or medium enterprises
with basic requirements
 It also offers basic functionality for purchasing, sales
and inventory management
 Functionality and user interface can be tested
online
 Migration scripts for upgrading from Quickbooks
and gnuCash also available

5.  Accounting data is stored in a SQL database server, for
the display any text or GUI browser can be used.
 SQL-Ledger is platform independent and runs on any
*NIX, Mac or Windows computer.
 It can be accessed remotely so people can be in
different parts of a city, country or across the world.
 The assembly feature can be used to build
manufactured goods from parts, services, labor units
and assemblies.
 When the assembly is sold all the accounts linked to the
individual items are updated and stock levels adjusted
accordingly.

6. 1. Customization
 Can be customized with external Perl modules and used
like a framework
 Code has to meet defined calling conventions and main
core needs not to be modified
 External module customizations apply on global or on
user level
 Sophisticated meta data customization without special
programming skills is not provided
 Layout for GUI and reports can be changed with
templates

7. 2. Flexible upgrades
 Depends on degree of customization
 When using external script approach, updates are
not a problem
3. Internationalization
 Language preference, comma and date formats
can be configured on user level
4. User friendliness
 Intuitive GUI

8. 5. Architecture
 3 – tier web architecture
 Web-based Perl program that interfaces with
PostgreSQL using the relevant Perl modules
 The code is well partitioned, and the main
operation modules are written in an object
oriented way.
 Software stack -

9. 6. Scalability
 Very scalable
 Two concurrent users can constantly (and rapidly)
add financial transactions and run into one query
that needs to be rewritten to accommodate
their performance needs over a space of more
than a year.
 With the right expertise, SQL-Ledger could be
scaled up indefinitely.
7. Security
 Access is controlled on user level
 Administration can grant several functionality
groups per module to a user
8. Interfaces
 CGI, SOAP, La Tex

10. 9. OS independence
 Independent and runs on any *NIX, Mac or
Windows computer
10. DB independence
 Mature open source database system, for data
storage, although already using Oracle or DB2,
these databases can also be used with SQL-Ledger
if preferred
11. Programming language
 Perl

11. 1. Support infrastructure
 FAQ and installation instructions on the download
page for various platforms available for free
 user and several active regional mailing lists on
which the developer pops in occasionally with his
inputs.
 Uses mailing list where there are questions &
comments of other users, that is active and
helpful.
 Online demo

12. 2. Documentation
 289 page manual
 Commercial development support contract
 The developer appears negative towards
community-based documentation, to buy theirs
 Community based documentation does exist to
some extent however it should not be relied on as
it may be incorrect.

13. 1. Project structure
 Run by DWS Systems Inc. , Canada & backed by
partners that provide customization & integration
services
 Partners located in Australia, Belgim, Italy,
Swizerland, Netherlands, U.K & U.S.A
2. Community activity
 150 – 300 mails a month

14. 3. Transparency
 Planned features and their progress are documented
 Bug tracking and versioning systems are not public
 Developer support is offered on a commercial basis
4. Update frequency
 Regular

15. 1. Development status
 Stable
2. Reference site
 Many reference site available
 Its Web site has only very superficial information
 There are a couple of helpful third-party Web sites,
but none with a great deal of detail

18.  Most popular ERP system nowadays
 Active community ( more than 900000 downloads)
 Targeted to small and medium companies operating in
distribution/ retail and service areas
 Most system released under GPL, professional Edition
available(purely proprietary)
 Functions: purchasing, material management & order
management ( few manufacturing functions)
 Functionality is organized along business processes:
- Quote-to-cash covers whole process from 1st
customer contact, pre-sales, sales and order actvities to
cash receive (strong CRM funtionality)
- Requisition- to-pay covers whole supplier process
from request, purchase order, request to payment

19. • CRM is integrated into other modules(not separate)
• Performance analysis covers accounting &
controlling
• Production currently in beta state and reference
customers are missing
• Web store delivers basic shop system (integrated
into other ERP system)
• Service management and basic project
management functionality available

20. 1. Customization
 Allows meta based customizations on the fly without shutting
down system
 Metabase is stores on the database in 114 tables called
Application Dictionary
 Can be modified with Compiere client having administrator
rights
 To create a new window database structure must be defined
first
 GUI consists of a window with several tabs and fields &
corresponding database elements

21.  Windows GUI structure input handling and validation, print formats,
default accounts, process buttons, menu structure and callouts are
defined in Application Dictionary
 Modifications generate model code
 For lower level customizations this can be extended with callouts,
document process workflows and SQL stored procedures
 Callout can change values of all fields in a window and access all
tables
 Further customizations are done following patterns followed by
Compiere
2. Flexible Upgrades
 Commercial migration tool supports high-level customizations done via
application dictionary and callout functions
 For changes in core code flexibility depends on patterns used

22. 3. Internationalization
 GUI & reports are translated into English, Chinese,
German, Spanish, French, Italian & Dutch
 Translation efforts in 26 languages
 Accounting schemes available for US, Spain, Italy, &
Germany
 Supports multiple sites by providing 3 entity levels
› System level (accessible by all organizations)
› Client level(multiple accounting schemes for single
client)
› Organization level(lowest level where transactions
are performed, virtual organizations supported)

23. 4. User friendliness
 Tabbed layout
 Supports a subset of rich GUI
 Ex. Master views are not possible on one screen
 Users complain of bad look and feel
5. Architecture
 Mixture of fat client 2-tier & 3-tier architecture
 Uses fat Java Client
 Accounting engine is on application server
 Thin web clients are used for web store and some
CRM functionality
 Beta thin client serving all forms

24. 6. Scalability
 On DB side
 Application is mostly 2-tier based and thus depends
on DB scalability
 Used application server supports clustering
 No cluster installation is documented
 Scalability is not proofed, but the used components
are known to scale well

25. 7. Security
 Compiere provides a complete application-level security infrastructure,
supporting role-based security, data security, data encryption and auditing.
 fully equipped with an application to implement security policies that protect
valuable corporate data from inappropriate or unlawful access.
 Role-based Security
- Each User account is associated with one or more roles.
- Roles are used to secure access to both data and functionality. An
inheritance-based model is used to grant or revoke privileges according to role.
 Data Security
- Robust data-level security is applied using Roles to restrict read and write level
access at the record or field level.
- With data security you have the ability to automate internal controls using
precise access rules, ensuring appropriate governance checks and appropriate
segregation of duties for transactions.
 security policies are in your control.

26.  Auditing
- Compiere provides the ability to audit any transaction in the
system, including changes to the
Active Data Dictionary (metadata).
- New transactions, changes to existing data and even queries of
specific records and fields can be
tracked in the audit log.
- The choice of how restrictive or open your

27. 8. Interfaces
 Emails can be sent and files can be attached to
documents
 Built- in reporting engine
 CSV export-import of data is provided by the
commercially available migration tool
 Other interfaces can be developed in Java using
APIs
9. OS independence
 Independent and runs on any Linux/Unix, Mac or
Windows computer

28. 10. DB independence
 DB abstraction layer is very SQL-centric
 Some open source DB’s are available as Sourceforge
side projects, but they are neither supported nor
tested
 Sybase also supported
 Runs under the Firebird database using
the Fyracle extensions, without porting SQL code for
PostGreSQL was translated manually
11. Programming Language
 Java

29. 1. Support Infrastructure (support services, support request, support
service exclusions)
 Provides various levels of support
 Support Services will be provided to customer's Authorized Users only
on unmodified versions of the Software
 Uses reasonable commercial efforts to respond to the Support
Request within the Response Time specified in the Support
Agreement
 Except if expressly provided, Compiere provides the support services
and software to customer and the authorized users "as is.“
 Customer agrees that as a condition of Compiere's providing the
Support Services, Customer shall migrate to the most current version
of the Software at least once per year using Version Migration
Services to enable & provide effective ongoing support.

30. 2. Training
 User & developer training
 Implementation Technique Documentation Pack
 Development Technique Documentation Pack
 Tutorial Video
 Online Q & A
3. Documentation
 User manual consisting of 850 pages
 Little developer documentation is available
 Auto generated API documentation in Javadoc
format is minimal
 Instructions on Community maintained developer
documentation( 36 pages) & Developer forums

31. 1.Product structure
 Company driven project, led by Jorg Janke
(based in Portland, US)
 Concentrates on development, second level
support & training
 Project management, planning and execution
 No implementation services no competition with
partners
 More than 70 partners sell consulting & consulting
services in at least 25 countries
 They determine development priorities
 Track costs associated with multi-phase projects
across your business solution.

32. 2. Community activity
 Active user community
 Responsive forums
 About 500 forum messages a month
 Support requests, bugs & feature requests tracked
separately
3. Transparency
 Project roadmap & detailed change log available
 Public services for bug tracking & change requests
 Public CVS access

33. 4. Update frequency
 Regular
5. Other lock-in effects
 PDF generation & migration tool need license
 Customers with support contract have access to
installable fixes & patches
 They get priority support & optional embedded
Oracle license

34. 1.Development status
 Stable
 Manufacturing and full web client in beta status
2. Reference site
 Many reference sites available
 Partners have customer cases on home page &
more details are provided during contracting
phase
 Few are presented on an open source conference
 Own Web site has accurate information
 Helpful third-party Web sites