Data synchronization system and method based on offline POS

Abstract

The invention discloses a data synchronization system and method based on an offline POS (Point Of Sale). The data synchronization system comprises a server and a POS terminal, a main program and an independent synchronization program are arranged in the POS terminal; when the transaction data can be normally uploaded, the data synchronization between the server and the POS terminal is carried out through the main program; and when the POS terminal is offline or asynchronous uploading of transaction data fails, data synchronization between the server and the POS terminal is carried out through an independent synchronization program. Compared with the prior art, the method has the advantages that double synchronization of the main program and the independent synchronization program can be adopted, the problems of data loss and untimely synchronization easily caused by single synchronization are avoided, and the synchronization timeliness of the data is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of POS data synchronization, and in particular relates to a data synchronization system and method based on offline POS. Background Art

[0002] In the rapid development of retail and service industries, the POS (Point of Sale) system is the core equipment for transaction data processing. The efficiency and reliability of its data synchronization are directly related to the operational efficiency and customer experience of the enterprise. Traditional POS data synchronization technology mostly relies on online instant messaging mode, that is, the POS terminal immediately tries to establish a connection with the server after each transaction, uploads transaction information, and receives the latest system updates or price changes. However, this model has some significant limitations in actual application:

[0003] 1. Strong network dependence: When the wireless network is unstable or disconnected, the traditional POS system often cannot complete data upload, resulting in a backlog of transaction records, affecting the timeliness and accuracy of the data. In the long run, it may cause problems such as chaotic inventory management and difficulty in financial reconciliation.

[0004] 2. Single data synchronization: Data interaction relies solely on the main program. Once the main program fails or cannot run due to network problems, the entire data synchronization process will be interrupted. There is a lack of effective backup mechanisms to ensure data continuity and integrity.

[0005] 3. High resource consumption: Frequent full data synchronization not only takes up a lot of network bandwidth, but also increases the processing burden on the server and POS terminals. Especially when the amount of data is huge, it directly affects the system's response speed and processing capacity.

[0006] 4. Basic data are not updated in a timely manner: For changes in basic data such as price adjustments and product information updates, traditional systems often require manual triggering or regular checks, making it difficult to achieve real-time synchronization, affecting the flexibility and accuracy of store operations.

[0007] 5. Data redundancy and low storage efficiency: The lack of an efficient file management mechanism often leads to repeated downloading of the same content, which not only wastes storage space but also prolongs the data processing cycle. Summary of the invention

[0008] In view of the above deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a data synchronization system based on offline POS, which effectively solves the deficiencies in traditional POS data synchronization through the dual protection mechanism of the main program and the independent synchronization program, as well as innovative designs such as the broadcast instruction set and the file comparison module, greatly improves the resource utilization and processing efficiency of the system, ensures the consistency and integrity of data in various network environments, and provides retailers and service providers with more stable and efficient IT support.

[0009] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention is solved by the following technical solutions.

[0010] A data synchronization system based on offline POS includes a server and a POS terminal. The POS terminal is provided with a main program and an independent synchronization program. When transaction data can be uploaded normally, data synchronization between the server and the POS terminal is performed through the main program. When the POS terminal is offline or the asynchronous upload of transaction data fails, data synchronization between the server and the POS terminal is performed through the independent synchronization program. Through the above design, the data synchronization system can adopt dual synchronization of the main program and the independent synchronization program, avoiding the problem that single synchronization easily leads to data loss and untimely synchronization, and ensuring the timeliness of data synchronization.

[0011] Preferably, the server is provided with a broadcast instruction set module, and the server actively pushes the content to the POS terminal through the broadcast instruction set module. This design enables the data synchronization system to notify the POS terminal of the content change in real time, ensuring that the basic data of the POS terminal is synchronized in time.

[0012] Preferably, the POS terminal is provided with a file comparison module. This design is conducive to improving the storage performance of the POS terminal and shortening the overall link time from downloading to saving.

[0013] The present application also proposes a data synchronization method, which uses the above-mentioned offline POS-based data synchronization system and includes two parts: data downloading and data uploading.

[0014] During data download, when the data is synchronized for the first time, the POS terminal downloads all data from the server. During subsequent data synchronization, the server generates incremental content based on the last download time transmitted by the POS terminal, and the POS terminal only downloads the incremental content.

[0015] During data upload, if the transaction data can be uploaded normally, the main program will upload the transaction data to the server. When the POS terminal is offline or the asynchronous upload of transaction data fails, the independent synchronization program will initiate a scheduled polling and upload the transaction data that has not been successfully uploaded. After the end of the business day, the main program uploads all the data, and the server verifies the data. If the data is inconsistent, it will be uploaded again.

[0016] Preferably, during data synchronization, the server side processes the data download using two strategies according to the data size: when the data size is small, the data stream is directly transmitted to the POS terminal; when the data size is large, the server side generates a data compression package and uploads the data compression package to the file server, and then transmits the data compression package address to the POS terminal, and the POS terminal downloads the data according to the data compression package address. The data size is determined by the system according to the number of POS terminals or is adjusted by the user. By adopting the design of different data packet size strategies, the efficiency of the entire download process can be achieved, and the performance can be improved to increase the throughput of the server side.

[0017] Preferably, the server actively pushes the content to the POS terminal by means of instructions using the broadcast instruction set module, and the POS terminal initiates content downloading from the server after receiving the instructions. This design can notify the POS terminal of content changes in real time, ensuring timely synchronization of basic data of the POS terminal.

[0018] Preferably, in data downloading, after the data is downloaded to the POS terminal, the file comparison module packages the downloaded data according to the data type and generates a file identification code, and then compares the file identification code of the downloaded data with the file identification code stored in the local database, and discards the content with the same file identification code in the downloaded data. This design is conducive to improving the storage performance of the POS terminal and shortening the overall link time from downloading to saving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the data synchronization system.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a flowchart for POS data downloading.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a flowchart for uploading POS data. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] In the following embodiments, the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar components or components with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms: center, longitudinal, transverse, length, width, thickness, up, down, front, back, left, right, vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, inside, outside, clockwise, counterclockwise, etc. indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms: first, second, etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features shown. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms: install, connect, connect, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and ordinary technicians in this field can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this practicality according to the specific circumstances.

[0025] Reference Figure 1 , a data synchronization system based on offline POS, including a server and a POS terminal. The server is provided with a broadcast instruction set module, and the server actively pushes content to the POS terminal through the broadcast instruction set module. This design enables the data synchronization system to notify the POS terminal of content changes in real time, ensuring timely synchronization of basic data of the POS terminal. The POS terminal is provided with a main program and an independent synchronization program. When transaction data can be uploaded normally, data synchronization between the server and the POS terminal is performed through the main program. When the POS terminal is offline or the asynchronous upload of transaction data fails, data synchronization between the server and the POS terminal is performed through an independent synchronization program. Through the above design, the data synchronization system can adopt dual synchronization of the main program and the independent synchronization program, avoiding the problem of data loss and untimely synchronization caused by single synchronization, and ensuring the timeliness of data synchronization.

[0026] In order to improve the storage performance of the POS terminal, a file comparison module is provided in the POS terminal. After the data is downloaded to the POS terminal, the file comparison module compares the downloaded data with the local database and discards the content in the downloaded data that is the same as the local database. This design is conducive to improving the storage performance of the POS terminal and shortening the overall link time from downloading to saving.

[0027] Based on the above data synchronization system, the present application also provides a data synchronization method, including two parts: data downloading and data uploading.

[0028] During data download, when the data is synchronized for the first time, the POS terminal downloads all data from the server. During subsequent data synchronization, the server generates incremental content based on the last download time transmitted by the POS terminal, and the POS terminal only downloads the incremental content. The server uses two strategies to process data download according to the amount of data: when the amount of data is small, the data stream is directly transmitted to the POS terminal; when the amount of data is large, the server generates a data compression package and uploads the data compression package to the file server, and then transmits the data compression package address to the POS terminal, and the POS terminal downloads the data according to the data compression package address.

[0029] The data volume is determined by the system according to the number of POS terminals or adjusted by the user. For example, the system defaults to treating the POS terminals as large in volume if the number exceeds 5,000, and treating the terminals as small in volume if the number does not exceed 5,000. This default value can be adjusted in the system. The number of POS terminals determines the total amount of data sent by the server. The more POS terminals there are, the larger the total amount of downloaded data. By adopting different data packet size strategies, the efficiency of the entire download process can be achieved, and the performance can be improved to increase the throughput of the server.

[0030] To further ensure data synchronization, the server can use the broadcast instruction set module to actively push content such as price changes and product information updates to the POS terminal through instructions. Specifically, the broadcast instruction set module pushes instructions to the POS terminal. After receiving the instructions, the POS terminal initiates a content download request to the server. The server generates data content according to the instructions and then pushes it to the POS terminal. The POS terminal downloads the pushed content. This design can notify the POS terminal of changes in real time and ensure timely synchronization of basic data of the POS terminal.

[0031] In addition, after the data is downloaded to the POS terminal, the file comparison module packages the downloaded data according to the data type and generates a file identification code, then compares the file identification code of the downloaded data with the file identification code stored in the local database, and discards the content with the same file identification code in the downloaded data. This design is conducive to improving the storage performance of the POS terminal and shortening the overall link time from downloading to saving.

[0032] During data upload, if the transaction data can be uploaded normally, the main program will upload the transaction data to the server. When the POS terminal is offline or the asynchronous upload of transaction data fails, the independent synchronization program will initiate a scheduled polling and upload the transaction data that has not been successfully uploaded. After the end of the business day, the main program uploads all the data, and the server verifies the data. If the data is inconsistent, it will be uploaded again.

[0033] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3Taking the restaurant order management system as an example, in terms of data download, the store turns on the POS machine (i.e., POS terminal) when it starts business, and the POS machine synchronizes data with the server for the first time, and the POS machine downloads all data from the server. During subsequent data synchronization (such as order entry or online order generation at the front desk), the server generates incremental content (newly generated orders) based on the last download time transmitted by the POS terminal, and the POS terminal only downloads incremental content.

[0034] During the download process, when the amount of downloaded data is small, the server directly pushes the data to the POS machine through a data stream; when the amount of downloaded data is large, the server compresses the data, and then uploads the compressed data package to the file server, and then sends the address URL of the compressed data package in the file server to the POS machine. The POS machine downloads the data from the file server according to the URL and decompresses it.

[0035] In terms of data upload, during business hours, every time a transaction order is completed, the POS machine uploads the order data to the server through asynchronous upload. When handing over a shift, the POS machine cuts and organizes the data by shift and uploads the shift data to the server. After the end of the day's business, the main program generates a shift data summary and uploads it together with all the order data to the server. The server performs data verification, cuts the data by shift dimension, and compares the data of each shift one by one. If the data is consistent, the synchronization ends, and if the data is inconsistent, it is uploaded again.

[0036] During the upload process, if the POS terminal is offline and the data is not uploaded or the asynchronous upload of transaction data fails, the independent synchronization program will initiate a scheduled polling and regularly upload the transaction data that has not been successfully uploaded.

[0037] The protection scope of the present invention includes but is not limited to the above embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the claims. Any replacement, deformation, and improvement of the technology that can be easily thought of by technicians in this field shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A data synchronization system based on offline POS, characterized in that: It includes a server and a POS terminal; the POS terminal is provided with a main program and an independent synchronization program; when transaction data can be uploaded normally, data synchronization between the server and the POS terminal is performed through the main program; when the POS terminal is offline or the asynchronous upload of transaction data fails, data synchronization between the server and the POS terminal is performed through the independent synchronization program.

2. According to claim 1, a data synchronization system based on offline POS is characterized in that: The server is provided with a broadcast instruction set module, and the server actively pushes content to the POS terminal through the broadcast instruction set module.

3. The data synchronization system based on offline POS according to claim 1, characterized in that: The POS terminal is provided with a file comparison module.

4. A data synchronization method, using the offline POS-based data synchronization system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It includes two parts: data download and data upload; During data download, during the first data synchronization, the POS terminal downloads all data from the server; during subsequent data synchronization, the server generates incremental content based on the last download time transmitted by the POS terminal, and the POS terminal only downloads the incremental content; During data uploading, when the transaction data can be uploaded normally, the main program uploads the transaction data to the server; when the POS terminal is offline or the asynchronous upload of transaction data fails, the independent synchronization program initiates timed polling and regularly uploads the transaction data that has not been successfully uploaded; after the end of the business day, the main program uploads all data, the server verifies the data, and re-uploads the data if it is inconsistent.

5. A data synchronization method according to claim 4, characterized in that: During data synchronization, the server uses two strategies to handle data download according to the data volume: when the data volume is small, the data stream is directly transmitted to the POS terminal; when the data volume is large, the server generates a data compression package and uploads the data compression package to the file server, and then transmits the data compression package address to the POS terminal, and the POS terminal downloads the data according to the data compression package address; The amount of data is determined by the system based on the number of POS terminals or can be adjusted by the user.

6. A data synchronization method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The server actively pushes the content to the POS terminal by means of instructions using the broadcast instruction set module, and the POS terminal initiates content downloading from the server after receiving the instructions.

7. A data synchronization method according to claim 4, characterized in that: During data download, after the data is downloaded to the POS terminal, the file comparison module packages the downloaded data according to the data type and generates a file identification code, then compares the file identification code of the downloaded data with the file identification code stored in the local database, and discards the content with the same file identification code in the downloaded data.

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