Can anyone tell me what the best tools for a custom barcode inventory application would be?

Can anyone tell me what the best tools for a custom barcode inventory application would be?

We’re looking to create an inventory application to be deployed to many unstaffed “parts closets” in various locations around the campus. Some of these locations have computers nearby while others do not.

We have an Oracle inventory database which currently must be updated manually from checkout sheets. A worker retrieving a part notes the part number and the quantity taken. What we’d like to do is provide a bar code scanner which the worker could use to scan either the barcode label on the part tray or the UPC code on the part itself. (The part numbers in the database are sequentially assigned and wouldn’t match the UPCs, but we could use a lookup table.) We also want a device with a screen and some sort of input capability because we want the worker to be able to indicate quantity when taking multiples. We also would like alphanumeric entry to associate scanned parts with a job code, though we could code that into work order printout in the form of a barcode. From a flexibility standpoint, being able to type it in as a backup would be preferable. Finally, since some of these closets are without nearby computers, we’d like the devices to be able to connect directly to a WiFi signal or through ethernet in cases where WiFi isn’t available.

Clearly we’ll need a custom application, but it doesn’t need to be very complex. It’s just going to be passing update queries to the database. It’ll need to display some data on screen, like an identification of what was just scanned and the quantity chosen. It would also need to be able to differentiate between a UPC code and our parts number codes (luckily they’re a different number of digits).

2D scanning capability is not needed. We’ll need these to be relatively inexpensive, as we’ll need many of them. I’m willing to learn whatever programming language is necessary to develop the application — I won’t have to learn it too in-depth.

What do you suggest as a starting point? Any devices that you may have worked with that sound like they’ll fit the bill? Any software already ready to go or easily customizable to fit our needs?
Thanks Colanth.

I’ve looked at those mobile computers and yes, they’re a little on the expensive side.

To clarify on my level of experience — I do know SQL fairly well. I write custom queries on a regular basis for updates and reports. I’m not a sophisticated application developer, but I do have some programming background in my past and have written several VB applications for an Access database we use for a separate purpose. Obviously a higher level language would make things easier for me…
I’m going to consider the cheap netbook plus wired scanner combo…

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