Help & Resource Center

Installing Counterpoint Integrator

Overview

In order to connect Counterpoint to your website, Modern Retail must install our Counterpoint Integrator on your computer or server.  This integrator sends data back and forth between Counterpoint and Modern Retail's Middleware using our Application Programming Interface (API), which ultimately allows us to send data back and forth with your Bigcommerce, Magento, Shopify or WooCommerce website.

Modern Retail typically installs the Counterpoint Integrator for our clients.  However, some customers prefer their internal IT group to install our Counterpoint Integrator instead.  These installation and setup instructions are meant to aid those customers who wish to do it themselves.

Installation

Before installing the Modern Retail Integrator software, use the following to gather the information necessary to successfully install and configure the software.
 

Modern Retail Integrator Configuration Questions

Your Counterpoint System Administrator should be able to provide you with the following information.
  1. CP Database Source:
    • The network name or IP number of the MSSQL server where the Counterpoint database is located. If the MSSQL server is on the same machine as where the Integrator will be installed, localhost may be used.
  2. CP Database:
    • The name of the Counterpoint database.
  3. Database Username:
    • The MSSQL user must have dbcreator privileges. Additionally, dbreader and dbwriter privileges on the Counterpoint database.
  4. Database User Password
  5. Counterpoint POS Store:
    • A separate Counterpoint store of the purpose of the integrator is not required but recommended. Having a separate Counterpoint store allows for greater flexibility in customizing the integration based on client needs.
  6. Web Store Price:
    • Please select which Counterpoint Item price to send to the web store. Regular Price, Price-1, Price-2, Price-3, Price-4, Price-5 or Price-6.
  7. Web Store Sales:
    • Please select which Counterpoint Item price to send to the web store as the Sales Price. Or you may choose the Counterpoint “Price Rules”, Regular Price, Price-1, Price-2, Price-3, Price-4, Price-5 or Price-6.
  8. Use E-Commerce HTML Description:
    • By default the Integrator uses the item log description. Some clients have an investment in item HTML descriptions used in previous integration. If "Use HTML description" is selected, the Integrator will send the item HTML description if available. 
  9. Counterpoint Primary Inventory Location:
    • You can list as many Inventory locations as required. The primary location will be first, flowed by secondary locations. Integrator will aggregate QTY_AVAIL.
  10. Misc. Charge used for shipping:
    • Please indicate which CounterPoint Misc. Charge is used for shipping. Misc. Charge-1, Misc. Charge-2, Misc. Charge-3, Misc. Charge-4 or Misc. Charge-5
  11.  Misc. Charge taxable:
    • Please indicate if Misc. Charge is taxable. Yes/No
  12. POS Station ID:
    • A unique POS station for web site is recommended. Example: WEB
  13. POS Drawer ID:
    1. A unique POS drawer for web site is recommended. Example: WEB
  14. POS Payment:
    • Code Must be a CASH payment type. A unique payment type for web site is recommended. Example: WEB
  15. POS Liability Payment Code:
    • Use to account for Store Value cards used to make a web store purchase. Must be a CASH payment type and is required. A unique payment type for web site is recommended. Example: WEBSVC
  16. POS Gift Certificate Payment Code:
    • Please indicate the GFC pay code used for processing Counterpoint GFC used in web store.
  17. POS Sales Rep
  18. POS Currency Code
  19. POS Tax Code
    • A unique tax code for web store is recommended. Example: WEB The web store will be responsible for determining the amount of tax to collect. The value of the amount of tax collected in an order will be passed down to the integrator. The integrator will place the tax collected value in the Counterpoint tax code selected. The web store will be the tax reporting authority.
    • Counterpoint POS Tax code requires a configured tax authority. How the tax authority is configured does not matter as the Integrator will ignore the tax authority configuration.

Other Information

You will receive the following information from Modern Retail that will be required to complete you installation. 
  1. Registration Name
  2. Registration Key
  3. API User
  4. API Password
  5. API Service Key

Counterpoint Configuration

Check and verify the following 2 configuration settings in Counterpoint.
  1. Setup->Ecommerce->Control
    • In the Ecommerce Control window, there is a checkbox labeled "Use Ecommerce". This checkbox must be checked.
  2. Setup->Point of Sale->Stores
In the Stores window, select the tab labeled "Ticket-1". In the Ticket-1 tab, there is a section labeled "Drawer Activity" which contains several checkboxes. The following 2 checkboxes must be checked:
  1. Allow auto-count
  2. Allow auto-reconcile

Connectivity Note

The Counterpoint Integrator may be installed on any workstation or server that meets hardware and software requirements. It is important that the installation machine have TCP network connectivity to the MSSQL server hosting the Counterpoint company database. Additionally, the MSSQL server user must have read, write and dbcreator permissions.
 

Software Installation

With the above information in-hand, you are now ready to install the Integrator software.  The latest version of the Modern Retail Integrator can always be downloaded here:

Download and run the Integrator MRCPISetup.exe installation program provided. The Setup program will check for .NET Framework 4.5 on host machine. During installation, If .NET Framework 4.5 is not found on host machine, the Integrator will fail to install.

The Integrator software contains 3 Windows services named: MRCPIService, MRCPIOrderService, MRCPIAPUDR, and a Graphical User Interface. The service MRCPIService is responsible for sending product information to Modern Retail API. The MRCPIOrderService is responsible for importing orders into Counterpoint. The MRCPIAPUDR service wakes up around midnight and auto-updates the Integrator if a newer version exists. Once configured, the services will run in the background and are responsible for all automated tasks. 

 

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to submit a support request through the Modern Retail Admin Panel.