A robust, enterprise-grade Inventory Management System built with PowerBuilder and SQL, designed to streamline stock tracking, product management, and warehouse operations through a clean desktop interface. 📊 Add inventory reports and PDF export functionality
- 🔐 Implement user authentication and role-based access control (RBAC)
- 🔔 Low-stock alerts and notification system
- 📈 Dashboard with charts for stock movement analytics
- 🧾 Purchase order and invoice generation
- About the Project
- Features
- Technologies Used
- Project Structure
- Getting Started
- How to Run
- Screenshots
- Learning Outcomes
- Future Improvements
- License
The PowerBuilder Inventory Management System (Mini ERP) is a desktop-based enterprise application developed to manage inventory operations efficiently. It leverages PowerBuilder's powerful DataWindow technology for seamless database interaction and provides a complete solution for stock and product lifecycle management.
This project was developed as a learning and enterprise practice project to demonstrate proficiency in PowerBuilder development, SQL integration, and enterprise application design patterns.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 📋 Product Management | Add, view, update, and delete product records |
| 📦 Stock Management | Real-time stock level tracking and updates |
| 🔍 Dynamic Search | Filter and search records with flexible query support |
| 🗄️ DataWindow Integration | Powerful data display and manipulation via PB DataWindows |
| 🔄 Full CRUD Operations | Complete Create, Read, Update, Delete functionality |
| 🔗 Database Integration | Direct SQL database connectivity and transaction management |
| 🖥️ Desktop UI | User-friendly Windows desktop interface |
| 📊 Data Reporting | Tabular data views with sorting and filtering |
| Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|
 |
Core application development framework |
 |
Backend database for persistent data storage |
| DataWindow | PowerBuilder component for data-bound UI |
| PowerScript | Server-side scripting for business logic |
| PBL Libraries | Modular code organization via PowerBuilder Libraries |
Mini_erp/
│
├── 📂 Mini_erp/ # Main project directory
│ ├── mini_erp.pbw # PowerBuilder Workspace (entry point)
│ │
│ ├── erp_app.pbt # ERP Application Target
│ ├── erp_app.pbl # ERP Application Library (main app logic)
│ │
│ ├── erpwindows.pbl # ERP Windows Library (UI windows)
│ ├── datawindows.pbl # DataWindows Library (data components)
│ │
│ ├── dynamic_search.pbt # Dynamic Search Target
│ ├── dynamic_search.pbl # Dynamic Search Library
│ │
│ ├── erp_app.usr.opt # User-specific IDE options (erp app)
│ └── dynamic_search.usr.opt # User-specific IDE options (search)
│
└── README.md
Note:
.pbl= PowerBuilder Library |.pbt= PowerBuilder Target |.pbw= PowerBuilder Workspace |.opt= User Options (IDE-specific, not committed)
Before running this project, ensure you have the following installed:
- ✅ PowerBuilder 2022 or a compatible version (2019+)
- ✅ SQL Server (or compatible RDBMS — SQL Anywhere, Oracle, etc.)
- ✅ Windows 10/11 OS
- ✅ Appropriate ODBC/database driver configured
- Open your SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or equivalent tool.
- Create a new database (e.g.,
mini_erp_db). - Run the SQL schema scripts to set up required tables:
productstablestocktable- Any related lookup/reference tables
- Configure an ODBC Data Source on your machine pointing to this database.
Step 1: Clone or download this repository to your local machine.
Step 2: Open PowerBuilder IDE.
Step 3: Go to File → Open Workspace
Navigate to: Mini_erp/mini_erp.pbw
Click Open.
Step 4: In the System Tree, right-click on erp_app target
→ Set as Active Target
Step 5: Configure the database profile:
Tools → Database Profiles → New/Edit
Set the ODBC connection to your configured data source.
Step 6: Click Run (F5) or use the toolbar Run button
to compile and launch the application.
Tip: If you encounter library errors, right-click each
.pblin the System Tree and select Regenerate to rebuild the library entries.
Screenshots will be added here. Place images in a
/screenshotsfolder and reference them below.
| Module | Preview |
|---|---|
| 🏠 Main Dashboard | (screenshot placeholder — screenshots/dashboard.png) |
| 📦 Product Management | (screenshot placeholder — screenshots/products.png) |
| 📋 Stock Management | (screenshot placeholder — screenshots/stock.png) |
| 🔍 Dynamic Search | (screenshot placeholder — screenshots/search.png) |
Through this project, the following skills and concepts were practised and strengthened:
- 🔵 PowerBuilder Architecture — Understanding workspace, targets, and PBL library structure
- 🔵 DataWindow Technology — Building and configuring data-bound components for efficient UI/DB interaction
- 🔵 PowerScript Programming — Writing event-driven business logic scripts
- 🔵 SQL Integration — Connecting PowerBuilder apps to relational databases via ODBC/direct connections
- 🔵 CRUD Design Patterns — Implementing full Create, Read, Update, Delete workflows
- 🔵 Enterprise Application Design — Structuring modular, maintainable desktop applications
- 🔵 Dynamic Querying — Building flexible, parameterized search functionality
- 🔵 Transaction Management — Handling database commits and rollbacks programmatically
- 🌐 REST API integration for web/mobile connectivity
- 🗂️ Audit trail / change log for data modifications
- 🔄 Supplier and purchase management module
- 🖨️ Print-ready reports using PowerBuilder reporting
This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.
MIT License
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files, to deal in the Software
without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy,
modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software.
