Integrate a magnetic ink check printer with older Unix-based distribution system.
Integrate a magnetic ink check printer with older Unix-based distribution system.
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"I'm completely thrilled about the work you've [Allegro] done for us. You have quick responses and the creativity to design things I wouldn't have thought about. It's nice to have a place where people can gather info and see pictures. The site frees up so much of our time. We'd have to hire another staff person if we didn't have this website.'"

- Roy Miller, Owner of Frog Level Farm

Allegro Builds Easy-to-Update, osCommerce Site for LaDifference

Firm Can Now Easily Manage Content with E-commerce Application

(April 6, 2009 - Richmond, Va.) LaDifference, a modern furniture store in downtown Richmond, could not easily manage or update the thousands of products displayed online with its previously static, HTML-based website. After years of handing over ever-growing lists of changes and tasks to their graphic designer, owners Andy Thornton and Sarah Paxton realized they needed a more efficient way to manage their website. They needed a website that was easy to use, easy to update, and easy to manage. More importantly, they needed to be able to make changes themselves rather than rely on an expensive, dedicated web developer.

"The need for our new site came to a head when our [old] HTML [site] had hit the one-thousand page point and had become a ‘monster’ to manage and update," according to Paxton. "One reason we wanted to switch was because our existing site had become a behemoth of super deep, HTML pages that required major editing every time we had a price change or a product that was discontinued."

When contemplating how to overcome this obstacle, the owners turned to Allegro, a long-term I.T. services provider and partner in Glen Allen, to explore options that would help them achieve their business and website goals. Sarah Paxton explained, "The need for our site is for it to allow the consumer to get some good information, some research, get a feel for what site is like via news and 'About Us' [sections], and be able to make a decision about whether they’d buy from us."

Allegro recommended building a dynamic website using osCommerce, an open-source, web storefront (e-commerce) application. By switching to the osCommerce application, the information on LaDifference’s website was now treated as data to be managed and displayed via a database-driven framework rather than static information. As a result, LaDifference now has the ability to update and change products themselves without having to employ a full-time web developer.

"I think the beauty is that they [Allegro] helped us create a site that’s completely changeable and manageable within our own staff. We don’t have to outsource every little change we want to do to the site. I have friends who have to do it and it’s a nightmare for them. Ninety-nine percent of the time I can make changes myself," said Paxton. She said she liked osCommerce because it is easy to customize and it could "evolve and it wasn’t just out-of-the-box software."

Andy Thornton said, "Allegro had an understanding of what we wanted the end product to look like. I’ve dealt with other web designers who obviously just went on a creative binge and [developed a website that was] not at all user-friendly. I’m happy with Allegro and they were very responsive to us and we like the results that they’ve given us so far. Allegro is very good at listening to what we’re trying to do and responding to us. We’re currently working with Allegro to make additional changes."

"It’s [the new website] a lot richer in content. Personally, from the buyers’ standpoint, for us to not have to filter any changes, color issues, deletions, etc. to one central person is hugely beneficial. The fact that it’s dynamic [means] changing one page changes that page wherever it appears on the website," said Thornton.

For example, Paxton mentioned that her company can now give consumers a lot more information via the new website. Allegro was able to customize much of the site’s layout and framework to meet LaDifference’s unique needs. Not only was the website’s public area manipulated, but also the administrative sections underwent huge improvements. Inaccessible by the public, these administrative sections were customized by Allegro to allow LaDifference’s buyers to sort products by specific product attributes. Now buyers can much more easily manage and make product changes on the fly.

Paxton said, "We’ve [the buyers] got ways to categorize things that if we want to throw in items such as internet specials, the buyers can choose one to two months, code these [changes], and set to expire at this date."

Furthermore, Allegro simplified the buyers’ task of updating or removing product information. Formerly the buyers had to write up changes and send them to their graphic designer. After the (sometimes thousands of) changes were completed, the website pages had to be uploaded via FTP (file transfer protocol) to LaDifference’s old site, a laborious process for everyone. With the new osCommerce site, now buyers can quickly make website changes within this organized administrator section without having to wait for files to upload, etc. No matter what time of day it is or where they are, buyers can easily and quickly make website changes, which visitors can instantly see.

"You’re sitting reading the site at 10 p.m. and see a stupid typo and can make a change and poof, it’s done!" said Sarah Paxton. "It [osCommerce site] makes for a much easier process for the buyer dealing with the product on daily basis… instead of having to get on our graphic designer’s to-do list and hope that it happens."

Some of the customer-facing changes to the website done by Allegro include adding drop-down menus on product pages, allowing visitors to quickly see products in various colors, sizes, and shapes. Additionally, Allegro created cross-referencing capability within LaDifference’s different website sections, which are broken down by particular household rooms. For example, a website visitor viewing chairs on one page can get recommendations for particular dining room table on another web page within the site.

In addition to buyers benefiting from the new osCommerce website, the sales team have also experienced an easier time assisting customers. While helping visitors in the 50,000 square-foot store, the LaDifference sales team can now suggest various products by conveniently pulling up the website at one of the PC workstations and using it as an internal catalogue or library.

By collaborating with its long-term partner Allegro, LaDifference has achieved its goal of educating potential customers about its products on the new website to bring them through the store’s front door at 125 South 14th Street in downtown Richmond. The furniture store also has a website that is easy to update and manage internally without having to hire a full-time web developer. Keeping product information fresh is very easy for the buyers, who plan to add site enhancements such as blogs, staff recommendations, etc. in the future.

###

About Allegro

Allegro delivers professional open-source and Progress software development and support to small and medium-sized businesses throughout North America, while it is headquartered in Glen Allen, Va. Its experienced Progress, Oracle, MySQL, and MS SQL database administrators, programmers, and trainers install, customize, and integrate mission-critical applications such as ERP/MRP/CRM and accounting. Allegro’s customers have included EURPAC, McKesson, J.M. Waller, U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, Cargill, WorldStrides, Virginia T’s and Northrop Grumman. Learn more about Allegro at http://www.AllegroConsultants.com/about-allegro-consultants.

Contact:

Laura Woodard
Allegro
Marketing and Public Relations
804-553-1130
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
 

Using EventBoard Makes Managing Your Conference Easier!

PUG Challenge has announced that they will be using EventBoard to help conference attendees manage their schedules better.  EventBoard is a free app that allows you to view and search for conference sessions by name, speaker, track, and time slot. Once a conference catalog is downloaded, the information is stored locally on your device, making it accessible even if you’re not. You can also plan sessions, rate sessions and mark favorite sessions.For more information on PUGChallenge's use of this app, visit PUGChallenge.org.

Spring 2012 PUG Presentations Now Available!

A big thank you to Progress Software for hosting the Spring 2012 VA and NC PUG meetings.  In case you missed it, this was a great opportunity to hear from Progress itself regarding all of the great new offerings in OpenEdge 11.  Progress presented on topics such as Progress Developer Studio, Developing Business Process Applications, Multi-Tenancy, and Cloud Security.  All of the presentations are available for download at PUGCentral.org.  To access these and other helpful documents, you will need to register first.  Go to "downloads" and select "presentations".  Visit PUGCentral.org today!

Date Change for the Spring 2012 NC PUG Meeting

Please note that the date for the Spring 2012 NC PUG meeting has changed.  The meeting, which will be part of the OpenEdge Release Tour, will be held on Tuesday, April 17th.  The location will be the Keystone Systems offices as usual.

Visit Allegro At Business After Hours!

On February 16th, Allegro will be exhibiting at one of Richmond's Premier Networking events; Business After Hours.  From 5:30 to 7:30pm you can enjoy refreshments and door prizes with your fellow Richmond businesses at the Torque Club!

Allegro will be on hand to show you how SugarCRM can make keeping in touch with your clients a breeze!  Also, if you are ready to expand your business and want to sell your products online, we can share  our expertise with Magento - a flexible yet, robust ecommerce solution.

We can't wait to meet you!

Upcoming conferences

Allegro Hopes to See You Soon!

There are many opportunities to explore the world of opensource and osCommerce this year.  Below are some great conferences aimed at helping you learn how to gain a web presence and start selling online!  Allegro can help you expand your business to the web!  Already have a website and ready to start selling your products online?  Contact Allegro today!

imagine eCommerce

April 23-25, 2012
Las Vegas, NV
Imagine is where merchants, partners, developers and Magento enthusiasts from around the world come together for three days in an engaging and exciting environment for collaboration, learning, networking, inspiration… and of course – Imagination!

DrupalCon

March 19-23, 2012
Denver, CO

DrupalCon Denver is the official conference of the Drupal community. DrupalCon is a biannual event presented to an ever-expanding international audience since Drupal became an open-source project in 2001. It's put on by a fabulous group of volunteers and organizers from across the globe.
The Colorado Convention Center will accommodate the largest and most active gathering of Drupal developers and users in the heart of downtown Denver, Colorado.
DrupalCon is a world-class conference with a world-wide audience. If you or your organization actively use Drupal, or even if you never have but want to learn, DrupalCon is your chance to engage the community, learn from others, and share your experiences. Training sessions will be available before the conference on March 19th and a code and contribution sprint on March 23rd (view full program).

DrupalCon Denver's theme, "Collaborative Publishing for Every Device," is a study on the shift of web access from traditional desktops to mobile devices, phones or tablets, and with it the greater combination of platforms Drupal leverages and integrates. The overall conference theme will be integrated into eight different categories: check out the Session Tracks page to read more about the subjects that will be covered at DrupalCon Denver or dive into the ~100 sessions on the schedule thus far!

 

Joomla! World Conference

November 16-18, 2012
San Jose, CA
The Joomla! Project is pleased to announce that the first Joomla World Conference will occur in November 2012 in San Jose, CA.  More details are to come, save the date!

Mike Lonski Attends Business Briefing in Washington D.C.

Mike Lonski, President of Allegro, was one of 25 people from the Richmond business community to travel to Washington D.C. to be part of a business leader briefing session at the White House.  The group met with Obama administration officials on Thursday, November 17th to discuss a variety of topics that affect business owners including; economic growth and health care reform.  The meetings are an effort to bring business leaders into the policy making process.

Tom Bascom to Speak at the VA and NC PUG Meetings

Tom Bascom, of White Star Software, is well-known in the Progress Community for his consulting expertise and experience with OpenEdge. He is a frequent speaker at Progress Exchange and Progress User Groups. His widely acclaimed and freely downloadable Progress tool set is used by Progress DBA's around the world.

 

Tom's Talk Overview:

Database Management Worst Practices

========================

Calling widespread bad habits in database administration "Worst Practices" may seem extreme. However, when you consider the critical nature of
most data, and just how damaging data loss or corruption can be - it seems pretty dead-on.

Although these behaviors are distressingly common among DBAs, they are curable with some shrewd management intervention. What follows is a
guide to the habits we consider to be the worst along with some ideas on how to successfully eliminate them.


Using the Progress Profiler

================

The most confounding performance problems are often application coding issues. These problems can be far more difficult (and expensive) to
diagnose and cure than hardware or database & operating system tuning problems. A very powerful, yet little known tool that helps you take the
guesswork out of the equation in order to target real problems rather than chasing phantoms and produce dependable results is the Profiler. The
Profiler can be used in all versions and on all platforms of Progress from v8.2 forward.

This talk will cover practical usage of the profiler and includes demo code that you can put to work immediately.

 

Both meetings will be held from 1-5pm with a networking lunch from 12- 1pm.  Please contact Amy at (804) 553-1130 or email agray@allegroconsultants.com by 10/7 if you would like to register for the upcoming meeting.

 

Virginia PUG Meeting:

Tuesday, October 11th
Allegro’s Office
9800 J.E.B. Stuart Parkway, Suite 106
Glen Allen, VA 23059
(804) 553-1130
Directions: http://www.allegroconsultants.com/allegro-consultants-office-directions

North Carolina PUG Meeting:

Wednesday, October 12th
Keystone Systems
8016 Glenwood Avenue
Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27612
(919) 782-1143
You can use MapQuest or Google Maps. To see it on GoogleMaps: http://tinyurl.com/3chuzu

Fall 2011 PUG Meetings Announced

Mark your calendars now to attend the next PUG meetings.  Allegro was unable to hold the Spring series and now there is so much to catch up on! We will hold the VAPUG meeting on Tuesday, October 11th in the Allegro offices in Glen Allen.  The NCPUG meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 12th at the Keystone offices, as usual.  Both meetings are scheduled 12PM - 5PM.  Enjoy networking with fellow Progress users and partners while learning about the latest Progress technologies. Catch up with your peers during our free catered lunch at noon! The presentations will begin around 1 p.m. and end around 5 p.m. The meetings are free of charge!

Please contact me, Amy Gray at (804) 553-1130 or agray@allegroconsultants.com to confirm your attendance and update your contact information. This will ensure you are notified of the final meeting details and future events. I also need to know if you will be joining us for lunch so that I can include you in the meal planning.

Speakers and topics will be posted shortly. We look forward to seeing all of you soon!