[AccessD] Automating Outlook from Access

[John Colby]

Jim, I am not "getting orders from an e-commerce website" I am getting
orders from my own custom written website.

On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 9:27 AM Jim Dettman via AccessD <
accessd at databaseadvisors.com> wrote:

> John,
>
> <<I don't understand the fascination with Polling.  >>
>
>    It's not a fascination with polling.  Polling anything is inefficient
> and should be avoided.  As you know, it's far better to have a push
> notification, which of course is what you are getting with the e-mail.
>
>    But getting those e-mails relies on a lot of additional layers and
> processes, where you could be going direct to the server. With e-mails,
> there's just a lot more opportunity for things to go wrong.   A simple
> example; your anti-virus updates and now your e-mails go to your junk
> folder.
>
>    I'd be very surprised if your web site doesn't have a database
> associated with it.  Almost any e-com site does these days.  If that is the
> case, why would I want to rely on all the additional things associated with
> sending/receiving e-mails and scrape the data, when I could go direct to
> the source and get the data strictly defined?  That's my point.
>
>    As far as push vs poll, the way e-com sites handle that now is that you
> subscribe to a "feed", which gives you a push notification when data is
> available.  Then you jump out and get it.  So you are not stuck with
> polling.   But if your site doesn't have that functionality, then you'd be
> stuck with a poll situation.   I don't think that would be the end of the
> world though and well worth it rather than relying on an e-mail process.
>  With that level of ordering, a poll every five or ten minutes is certainly
> not going to kill a server.  Plus you get the added benefit of knowing the
> web site is up and reachable.
>
>    With all that said, since you are in control of things, the e-mail
> approach will be workable.   But it's not the approach I'd be taking if I
> had a choice getting order data from a web site.
>
> Jim.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AccessD On Behalf Of John Colby
> Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2021 4:12 PM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving <
> accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> Subject: Re: [AccessD] Automating Outlook from Access
>
> This is not an Amazon site selling 100K pieces of junk a week.  This is a
> custom written app for a very specific market, with very specific
> professionals buying it.  The app is very specific and solves regulatory
> requirements for these professionals.
>
> The total market size is under 100K.  I expect an upside down bathtub sales
> curve.  Once a person buys one, it will auto renew, and / or emails
> soliciting renewal.
>
> I want the whole thing to be email driven.  All the professionals use
> Microsoft Office, that is a known.  I expect to email an attached database
> initially, with an email license extension key when they renew.  I expect
> to automate Outlook on their end as well such that the key comes in, I
> intercept it and process the key.
>
> I will "poll" a server if I must but I don't see that as an attractive
> design.  So far, Outlook automation has worked a treat.  Emails come in, an
> event is raised by Outlook, it is hooked by Access, and everything relative
> to that order just happens.  Within seconds of pressing buy on the sales
> server an email is on the way.  Outlook collects it's mail periodically (is
> that polling?)
>
> I don't understand the fascination with Polling.  We (citizens) get dozens
> or hundreds of emails every single day.  Email is a known, old, well oiled
> technology.  Our company owns the sales server, I personally own (wrote)
> the dedicated email receiver program processing the orders, we own the
> dedicated email address, we own the custom app that is being sold.
>
> If what I am doing works, then 98% of sales will be handled entirely
> automatically, programmatically.  Shipping is by email attachment.  License
> renewals is by email.  Sales is via the web site.
>
> So tell me why Polling is superior?  So far every single person replying
> has suggested polling.
> There must be some reason it is the preferred strategy.  I'm baffled.🤔
>
>
> On Sun, Aug 22, 2021 at 10:52 AM Jim Dettman via AccessD <
> accessd at databaseadvisors.com> wrote:
>
> > << Yep.  Until the web site goes down, the database corrupts, gets
> > hacked,  or
> > a million other problems that web sites have.>>
> >
> >  Well if any of that is true, you probably are not going to get an e-mail
> > anyway.
> >
> >  I don't think I'd be relying on receiving an e-mail.   But that's me and
> > as you say, there are a bunch of ways to do this.
> >
> > Jim.
> >
> <<snip>>
>
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-- 
John W. Colby
Colby Consulting