The aim of this project was to create an interface between the clients Host Messaging Server and Microsoft Small Business accounting. The functionality of MS SBA was required to be translated into a messaging Agent with XML messages so that websites built in a PHP environment would integrate with MS SBA to enable making quotations from a web interface.
THE CLIENT
The IP Company is a Netherlands based telephony company. Their core business is to do research and implement revolutionary telephony solutions. They work with the latest in telephony technology such as latest Asterisk PBX versions a variety of SIP stacks (SIP Libraries) MJSIP, PJSIP, and so on, various deployment platforms such as desktop computers, smart phones and other handheld devices.THE PROBLEM
There is no cross platform API for SBA to enable websites built in open source technologies other than Microsoft to intergrate with SBA. IPCompany have a Host Messaging Server which is used to route communication between software agents in different platforms.Using this they needed a C# agent to interface with SBA to send and receive XML messages to their web interfaces in PHP to interact with SBA. This way they would list items, make quotations, get customer quotatations, get and enter employee time entries.
THE SOLUTION
The agent was built as a windows service to listen to messages from the Host Messaging Server for requests from websites to list Items, make quotations, get customer quotatations, get and enter employee time entries.
Each request resulted in an API interaction with SBA to update or read data. For request for data, the Agent queries the SBA using the SBA API and generates XML list or value and send this as a response message to the Host Messenger. For an update, it does the update to SBA and sends back a response indicating the update status with an error string if any.
The solution included protocols and technologies such as:
- C#, Windows Services
- XML Messaging
- MS SBA SDK
- Host Messanging Server
- IP communication
- Success Comment
The project was completed successfully and on time
