Global Contacts from Another database?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matt Neimeyer
  • Start date Start date
M

Matt Neimeyer

I'm sure this probably isn't the right place to ask but I know I don't
know enough to ask intelligently so I wanted to get some basic questions
out of the way.

We have 10 users that all connect to our Exchange 2003 server using both
Outlook and Blackberries and they want to be able to get to customer
email addresses from our in-house work order system through that
"interface" just like our GAL. I manage the work order system so I'm a
little in the dark about the Exchange side of things, but the guy that
does that charges an arm and leg just to talk to him.

I could probably find a way to sync that data manually by having a user
click buttons once a week, once a day, once a month whenever but what
they'd really like to be able to do is have that "query live data".

I'm asking here because I could probably live with some solution in
Outlook (and install it 10 times) or maybe find some contact
synchronizing app to cross between an outlook only address book and the
GAL. I did look and I don't see any Exchange groups that jump out as
looking like they are relevant to contacts to ask if there is a way to
have Exchange read something directly from somewhere to do that?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Matt Neimeyer
 
Perhaps you need to explain the role of your "in-house work order system" in order to fix this problem. If your users want to pull info from that just like from Exchange, it is definitely in play. The GAL is not in play, but your custom work order system.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Matt Neimeyer asked:

| I'm sure this probably isn't the right place to ask but I know I don't
| know enough to ask intelligently so I wanted to get some basic
| questions out of the way.
|
| We have 10 users that all connect to our Exchange 2003 server using
| both Outlook and Blackberries and they want to be able to get to
| customer email addresses from our in-house work order system through
| that "interface" just like our GAL. I manage the work order system so
| I'm a little in the dark about the Exchange side of things, but the
| guy that does that charges an arm and leg just to talk to him.
|
| I could probably find a way to sync that data manually by having a
| user click buttons once a week, once a day, once a month whenever but
| what they'd really like to be able to do is have that "query live
| data".
|
| I'm asking here because I could probably live with some solution in
| Outlook (and install it 10 times) or maybe find some contact
| synchronizing app to cross between an outlook only address book and
| the GAL. I did look and I don't see any Exchange groups that jump out
| as looking like they are relevant to contacts to ask if there is a
| way to have Exchange read something directly from somewhere to do
| that?
|
| Thanks in advance for any advice.
|
| Matt Neimeyer
 
Seriously sidetracked... Anyways...

Basically the work order system is an older FoxPro system that houses
all of our current customer's call histories, work orders that they have
put in with us, etc. It also includes the relevant contact information
for all of our customers. In other words, more than just a contact
database, but not quite a full blown project management system. That
said... it works, and it works well. It does no more and no less than it
needs to and replacing it would be a NIGHTMARE.

To put it even simpler, it's an ODBC accessible database that "lives" on
our file server.

What I want is, in addition to being able to send an email to someone in
my "local" contacts, or my GAL to be able to pick a third list and have
it show "live" current contact email addresses out of our FoxPro system.

Hopefully, if I can get it that far I can then sync that list to our
users Blackberries.

Thanks

Matt
 
Back
Top