Hi.Our company has a POP3/SMTP mail service running at our ISP. We are also using the MS Access application for tracking letters, all necessary correspondence with the customers is being input there manually.
We would like to use a server system like Domino to track incoming/outgoing mail to see who is responsible for certain letters and what was received/sent and when.
We have already got some ideas about working with the data in our database, but we need to collect it first.
I have managed to configure Domino for sending emails through Internet SMTP host. But I can’t get where and how the log data is stored. I’ve set up LotusSQL ODBC driver and managed to link Domino files as a Data source, the data looks like tables, but it’s not quite clear how to work with them. The forums gave me a glue I need to create a customized View for the mail first, but i have no idea how to do this.
So, the questions are the following:
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How do I set up Domino Server for routing/logging incoming POP3 Mail? The letters themselves should be stored at ISP’s server, and only when user starts Outlook on his PC, Domino should just transfer mail with logging Date & Sender & Recipient & Subject & (Maybe Some Unique Number).
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How do I retrieve data from Domino Server for further work? I need the same information (Date & Sender & … ) for both POP3 and SMTP messages. Should it be a table-like view for connecting through ODBC? How do I create it? Or is there the way to put some trigger script on the server for certain actions on any letter coming through?
Appreciate any help/links.
Regards,
Eugene.
Subject: My suggestions…
I think your project can have various scenarios, so the following is possibly just one of many suggestions that can work:
- A solution may be to setup a dedicated machine with outlook running to check your POP3 account. Then create a custom Microsoft program that will read the messages in that account, perform your logic / rules on the sender, subject, body information, then forward it out or process it accordingly. If basic automation is what you are looking towards, you may want to hire a Microsoft programmer specifically experiences with Outlook automation to get some code written. Your programmer can copy the information into MS Access, or automate it to forward the email to someone else. This will keep you in the “Microsoft world” and it may encourage you to use their tools. This may be least costly way in terms of man-power and ease of effort if you can find the experienced programmer to help you.
However, should you want to venture in the “Lotus world”, the following are some scenarios.
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The Lotus Notes / Domino mail server is a mail server like the POP3 mail server at your ISP. They are independent and separate servers, so when you get email you typically have a server handle an entire domain like *@yourdomain.com. (2a) To get just 1 address out of it, you can ask your ISP to forward all of those email to a new address such as newEmail@yourDominoNamedServer.com, and setup your Lotus Server to handle @yourDominoNamedServer.com. By doing it this way, though, you may loose all of the “From” information because it will be form the ISP. (I think you mentioned that you need the “Sender” information, so this may not work for you.) (2b) Another way is to setup your Lotus Server to handle @yourDominoNameServer.com, and use a third party provider like PostINI (and a many others) that will act as your mail gateway / filter / anti-virus / etc. In a product like PostINI, I think you may be able to send emails directed to a specific person sent to your Lotus Server, and have everything else sent to your ISP. However, configuring this way is the way large enterprises configure their systems, and you may need to do significant research and configurations or should hire an experience consultant (which may be more than what you want to spend for a single POP3 mail file).
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Another way of doing it may be a client based solution where you would have your Lotus Notes client check for new email and download from your POP3 account. Aftwards, you would replicate the changes on your Lotus Server so everyone can have access to the emails, and possibly make modifications to the template to create your application needs. (I personally do not think this is a good solution, and there is a dependency for your client to manually download–what happens when they forget, go on vacation, or blows up their computer. However, this may the lease costly way to get the information onto a Lotus server). You may want to check around if there is a server-based way of triggering a POP3 send/receive–I simply lack the experience with POP3 options and Lotus Notes.
When you get data on a Lotus Server…
For accessing email, your Lotus / Domino server can be configured as another POP3 server if you want, and if you get clever, use iNotes. Outlook or whatever client you are using can access the same way, or you can use one of the many ways of accessing Lotus Notes–Lotus Notes client, web, LotusODBC, custom code by VBA, COM, Java, etc.
- Any application development should probably be done in Lotus Notes to benefit from the rapid environment. You can add your own triggers that are “near real-time” (about 1 minute). Application development can (4a) record any specific metrics about the email, (4b) use code to look for keywords in the subject, sender, or body, (4c) forward it another Pop3 address.
(I honestly believe your best solution is #1 for just 1 POP3 account. If you have a complex application, I think Lotus Notes / Domino rapid programming will save you time with an experience Lotus programmer than a Microsoft alternative. But, if it is only a 20 hour effort, the time saved may be offsetted with the time it needs to administer and setup a Lotus Server and environment. Where a simple Microsoft solution may only be a 40 hour, one-time effort.)
-Kyle Huang