OpenERP
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OpenERP |
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| Developer(s) | OpenERP s.a. (previously Tiny sprl) |
| Stable release | 6.0.3 / August 18, 2011 |
| Preview release | 6.1 |
| Written in | Python |
| Operating system | Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS X |
| Type | ERP, CRM, Accounting |
| License | AGPL and proprietary |
| Website | openerp.com |
OpenERP (previously known as TinyERP) is an open source integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) software manufactured by OpenERP s.a.
OpenERP is, according to the author, an open source alternative to SAP ERP and Microsoft Dynamics.
Contents |
[edit] Industry solutions
OpenERP is provided with standard modules addressing needs for the following industries:
[edit] License and Impacts on Business Model
Most parts of OpenERP are released under the AGPL license (previously the GPL) and some parts uses a derivative of the Mozilla Public License[1]. As a direct consequence, OpenERP does not require payment fees to be used, which is a difference compared to the market leaders. This also implies that, as long as the terms of the licences are respected, direct modification of the program is possible.
[edit] Architecture
[edit] Client-server Architecture
OpenERP has separate client and server components. The server runs separately from the client. It handles the business logic and communicates with the database application. The client presents information to users and allow them to inter-operate with the server. Multiple client applications are available.
[edit] Server and Modules
The server part is written in Python programming language. The client communicates with the server using XML-RPC interfaces.
Business functionality is organised into modules. A module is a folder with a pre-defined structure containing Python code and XML files. A module defines data structure, forms, reports, menus, procedures, workflows, etc... Modules are defined using a client-independent syntax. So, adding new objects, such as menus or forms, makes it available to any client.
[edit] Client applications
The clients are thin clients as they contain no business logic. Two client applications are officially supported:
- A web application, which is deployed as an HTTP server to allow users to connect using their Web browser.
- A desktop application, written in Python and using the GTK+ toolkit.
Other alternative clients have also been developed by the community.
[edit] Database
OpenERP uses PostgreSQL as database management system.
[edit] Reporting
OpenERP also provides a reporting system with OpenOffice.org integration allowing customization of reports.
[edit] Source code and contributions
The source code of OpenERP is hosted on Launchpad[2], using the Bazaar revision control system, and the contributions are also handled using Launchpad. The documentations are also managed using this service but a website dedicated to all publications has been set up in 2009[3].
[edit] Software as a service
Since version 6.0, OpenERP s.a. provides a Software as a service version of OpenERP[4].
[edit] OpenERP Apps
OpenERP s.a. provides a web site referencing the officially supported modules as well as contribution modules[5]. The principle is similar to Apple's App Store. Contribution modules can be referenced for free as long as they respect some submission rules[6].
[edit] Development environment
Module development mainly relies around edition of Python and XML files. There is no official editor, but community tutorials tend to go towards Eclipse/PyDev based development. Some application logic (i.e. workflows and data structure) can be changed through the client interface.
[edit] Fork
Tryton is a fork of OpenERP which began development in November 2008.
[edit] See Also
- List of free and open source software packages concerning finance
- PostgreSQL
- Python
- XML
- Comparison of Tryton and Open ERP
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: OpenERP |
- OpenERP, http://openerp.com/.
- Collaborative development platform, Launchpad, https://launchpad.net/openobject.
- blog, OpenERP, http://openerp.com/blog.
- presentations and videos, OpenERP, http://openerp.tv.
- TERP, text-mode OpenERP client, Google Code, http://code.google.com/p/terp-client/.
- Koo, a Qt based OpenERP client, Nan-tic, http://www.nan-tic.com/en/koo-platform.
- oerppy, a Python XML-RPC OpenERP client, Launchpad, https://launchpad.net/oerppy.
- Apps library, OpenERP, http://apps.openerp.com/.
- Pinckaers, F; Gardiner, G (2009), OpenERP for Retail and Industrial Management (1st ed.), Open Object Press, http://www.openerp.com/services/books.
- Aeroo Reports, a WYSIWYG HTML/Openoffice reports, Alistek, http://www.alistek.com/.
