For enterprise users, access to network-resident data is vital. Not all information you need on the road is always stored in an Excel file on your PC desktop. A lot of it will be stored in databases on your network. While Palm platform solutions from companies like Oracle and Sybase also exist, their implementations are more complex, and their costs a good deal higher than delivering information to your users through the familiar spreadsheet format. Your Palm spreadsheet or database application should allow you to link to a corporate network and then automatically synchronize with an XLS file or ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) compliant database like Oracle. With that kind of capability, a salesperson could synchronize with the network and receive the most updated pricing and inventory list prior to meeting with a customer.

You've got email attachments
I love email. Well, in reasonable doses. Email makes our lives even more convenient now that we don't need to print out our documents and courier them to our clients. Instead, we simply click on the Paper Clip button and send them as attachments to our email messages. When considering your Palm software options, make sure you'll have the ability to send attachments to and from your workgroup's handhelds. Email is too important to be left out, especially when users are away from the office and are in a hurry to beat a deadline. To solve this problem, check to see if the software you're considering includes a conduit for use with popular email software such as the built in Mail application, Eudora for Palm computers, or Palm's recently acquired and robust MultiMaila Pro (at http://www.actualsoft.com). Email continues to be the backbone for transferring files between users in the field and their corporate offices, so be sure your chosen solution supports outbound email attachments as well as the receipt of inbound attachments.

Bar code scanning
For some positions, collecting data by scanning bar codes is important. To enable on-the-spot data acquisition, analysis, and display, your spreadsheet or database software should ideally support the popular Symbol SPT 1500 and SPT 1700 handheld scanning devices, which run on the Palm OS. With a spreadsheet application installed on your Symbol device, you'll be able to quickly and effortlessly scan bar codes into a familiar tabular format for later synchronization and use.

Conclusion
Though I know I haven't hit all the bases, the issues discussed here should get you started. Keep in mind that if you want to ease support of your users, it'll pay to seek their input on the front end. Talk to your sales folks, engineers, and other key prospective users. Listen to them. Don't just do what they tell you, though. As Carl Yankowski, CEO of Palm, said in a recent speech, "Don't listen too much to the geeks."

Get a solid grip on the most common needs your Palm device users are likely to have for standard document formats like Word and Excel. Think about extendibility of the solution, since as the comfort of users increases, they are likely to demand more of the solution. Of course, it'll take some compromise to find the right mix of functionality, cost, and compatibility with your company's existing systems, budget, culture, and needs, but you knew that. You've been balancing these issues on the desktop for years. Now, thanks to the Palm Economy, you get to learn to juggle them in your hands.

Kathy Burns has been writing for over 15 years and has columns in a number of publications. Questions, comments and suggestions on her handsizing column are welcome and can be directed to PPENT@palmpilotfiles.com. In addition to writing, Kathy runs a large Palm OS-related Web site. You can browse the site at http://www.palmpilotfiles.com or view additional articles by Kathy at http://www.sasezpublications.com.