one database, or xml updating feed

[cdcaveman]

well , i'm looking for a solution. i have two stores. one is retail lets just call it pd. it sells products through a brick and mortar location and in the near future a shopping cart application. There is also a site lets just call it blankdealer that is a wholesale platform that offers retail to the public as well if you can't supply a tax certificate. so now that i've set the stage. there are products in the brick and morter store that will be sold on the pd site. there are products that will be sold on the pd site that come from the blankdealer site. There is point of sale software in the store that has its database. there is going to be a database for the pd site. and there is going to be a database for the blankdealer site. So what i'm thinkign is using one database , creating a web application interface for the brick and mortar store (esentially a pos on the web) the shopping cart for that pd store. Adn then at that point use ONE Database to hold all the inventory. so that if i sell a blank on the pd site then its gone, i can't sell it in the store on the point of sale app. or on the pd site online. is ONE database the answer. or is some xml feed application better? i'm so new to this arena period i'm confused.

[httpwebwitch]

Ah. Great question. There are many correct answers - it's like asking "how should I make a sandwich?". Let me count the ways...

If it's the same business entity controlling inventory for both POS, then use a single database for sure. Knowing the number of items in stock for both POS is nice.

Are both sites hosted on the same server? Then use one database, because it's easy to connect both of them to the same DB.

If the business logic for each site is different, then consider building a DAL (Data Access Layer) to interact with the DB, with custom methods for the interface, with stored procedures hidden beneath.

If, someday, there will be 3, 4, more sites all using the same data, or if the sites will be hosted on disparate servers, then building your DAL into a REST service is useful. (make sure it's secure!)

Will you need to export this data to the public? If so, then an XML feed is a good idea.

Good luck!