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General Information for Online Merchants

How to use Microsoft Access as a front-end for a MySQL Database

To connect Microsoft Access (MS Access) to the edit tables in a MySQL database, you will need to download and install the MySQL ODBC Connector. Look for the Connector/ODBC 5.1.11 MSI Download for your platform.

Then, use these instructions for the setup: Using Microsoft Access as a Front-end to MySQL

Use the instructions here to set up the data source: Configuring a Connector/ODBC DSN on Windows

Here is the information you need to set up the data source:

  • Data Source Name: Edit Tables on Aten
  • Description: (leave blank)
  • Server: mysql.atensoftware.com
  • User: (provided by email)
  • Password: (provided by email)
  • Database: (provided by email)

Microsoft Access crashes when linking tables if the name of the MySQL table is too long. We will set up your tables with short names (less than ~15 characters) to avoid this. Each table also needs to have a primary key defined.

Google Shopping Ads (PPC/CPC/SEO) Campaign Management References

We do not offer Shopping Ad (PPC/CPC) campaign management, keyword optimization, or general SEO services. The companies listed below can manage your pay-per-click shopping advertising campaigns with Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, etc. This list is compiled from companies that we know have worked with our e-commerce clients.

Note: Listing here is not an endorsement. It is provided for reference only.

Batch Download Images using Wget

If you are comfortable with Access, SQL queries, or Excel, you can easily set up a batch file to download a large number of images from a website automatically with the wget.exe command line tool.

In your database or spreadsheet, just create a new field that generates output like this:

wget.exe -N -q -O widget-acme.jpg http://yimg.com/image11212
wget.exe -N -q -O foo-product.jpg http://yimg.com/image34324
wget.exe -N -q -O bar-product.jpg http://yimg.com/image56575

The above command downloads the URL and saves it with the specified file name in quiet mode. The -N switch tells it to skip the download if the file has already been downloaded and is up-to-date (based on time-stamping).

Next, copy and paste that column into notepad and save it with a .bat file extension.

Download wget.exe and put it in the same folder as the batch file.

Double-click the batch file to run it and wait for the images to download.

You can press Ctrl+C to cancel execution. Just double-click the batch file again to resume the downloads, and it will pick up where it left off.

If you run the batch file again after several weeks, only the images that have changed on the website since the last download will be re-downloaded, saving time.

See the following article for an example: Can I backup, download, or export all my Yahoo store images?.

Duplicate content and DMCA takedown notices for copyright violations.

If another website is copying your product images, product descriptions, or other content, it is a good idea to take action. If you do not, Google and other search engines may penalize your site for containing duplicate content, even if your site was the original source.

Most of the time, simply contacting the individual by email or letter requesting that they remove the content is sufficient. You may have spent hundreds of hours painstakingly developing your content, and it is usually worthwhile to spend a few hours identifying violators and writing them notices.

If you have limited time, there are DMCA takedown services that can perform this service for you, often for a fixed fee and guaranteed results. Just search in Google for DMCA Takedown Service to find a company that provides this service.

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