TRANSACTION PROCESSING SYSTEM
Operation support system that record and process data resulting from business transaction. They process transaction in two ways. In batch processing, transaction data are accumulated over a period of time and processed periodically. In real-time (or online) processing, data are processed immediately after transaction occurs.
Point of Sale (POS) system is a system for managing the sales of retail goods. The term is used to refer to the software and hardware associated with checkout stands, and all of the bundled features which are included. Most retailers use a POS system at their checkstands or counters, and several major manufacturers offer POS systems designed for various types of businesses, ranging from grocery stores to clothing boutiques. Using a POS system makes a business much more efficient, lowering the costs of running the business while improving customer service and making the business more pleasant to work in.
In the retail trade, the “point of sale” is the moment when a customer walks up to a counter with goods and prepares to purchase them. A POS system handles the transaction, whether it takes the form of an adding machine and a hand written receipt pad, or a complex computer system. Except in the case of very small businesses, a current POS system usually takes the form of a computer system.
The hardware of a POS system is also distinctive and important. A typical system includes a display screen for the clerk, a customer display, a cash drawer, a credit card swiping system, a printer, and a bar code scanner, along with the computer loaded with the POS software. Custom features may be added or removed, depending on the industry. A restaurant POS system, for example, may have a feature which prints order tickets directly in the kitchen, or a grocery store may have an integrated scale for weighing goods.