RetailPulse

Smart Retail Order & Inventory Analytics Platform

RetailPulse is a modern Inventory and Order Management System developed using ASP.NET Core MVC, ASP.NET Core Web API, Entity Framework Core, SQL Server, JWT Authentication, Repository Pattern, Service Layer Pattern, SOLID Principles, and MSTest.

The platform helps retail businesses efficiently manage products, suppliers, inventory transactions, orders, and business analytics through a secure, scalable, and maintainable architecture.

Overview
Business Problem
Project Objectives
Key Features
Technology Stack
System Architecture
Project Structure
Database Design
Authentication & Authorization
Frontend and Backend Connectivity
Business Rules
Design Patterns Used
OOP Principles Applied
SOLID Principles Applied
Dashboard Features
API Documentation
Unit Testing
DevOps Assets
AI Assistance
Installation Guide
Running the Application
Screenshots
Future Enhancements
Live Application Comparison
Author

Overview

RetailPulse is a centralized retail operations platform that enables businesses to manage inventory, suppliers, products, stock movements, and customer orders while providing business insights through an analytics dashboard.

The application follows a layered architecture using ASP.NET Core technologies and modern software engineering best practices.

Business Problem

Retail businesses frequently face challenges such as:

Manual inventory tracking
Inaccurate stock levels
Delayed order processing
Lack of inventory visibility
Limited supplier management
Insufficient reporting capabilities
Data inconsistencies

RetailPulse addresses these challenges through a centralized and secure inventory management platform.

Project Objectives

The primary objectives of RetailPulse are:

Manage products efficiently
Manage categories and suppliers
Track inventory transactions
Process customer orders
Generate business reports
Monitor stock levels
Provide dashboard analytics
Implement secure authentication
Implement role-based authorization
Apply modern software engineering practices
Implement RESTful APIs
Perform unit testing

Key Features

Authentication & Security

JWT Authentication
Role-Based Authorization
Secure Login
Protected API Endpoints
Session Management

Supported Roles:

Admin
Manager
Staff

Dashboard Analytics

The dashboard provides:

Total Products
Total Categories
Total Suppliers
Total Orders
Total Revenue
Low Stock Alerts
Sales Trend Analysis
Category Distribution Analysis
Inventory Summary
Recent Inventory Transactions

Category Management

Features:

Add Category
Edit Category
Delete Category
View Categories
Search Categories

Supplier Management

Features:

Add Supplier
Edit Supplier
Delete Supplier
View Suppliers

Product Management

Features:

Add Product
Edit Product
Delete Product
Product Search
Category Mapping
Supplier Mapping
Inventory Tracking

Inventory Management

Features:

Stock In
Stock Out
Inventory Transaction History
Low Stock Monitoring
Inventory Analytics

Order Management

Features:

Create Orders
View Orders
Delete Orders
Revenue Tracking

Reporting Module

Features:

Sales Reports
Inventory Reports
Dashboard Reports
Revenue Analytics

Technology Stack

Frontend

ASP.NET Core MVC (.NET 8)
Razor Views
Bootstrap 5
SB Admin Template
HTML5
CSS3
JavaScript
Chart.js

Backend

ASP.NET Core Web API (.NET 8)
C#
RESTful API Architecture

Database

SQL Server
Entity Framework Core
EF Core Migrations
Code First Approach

Security

JWT Authentication
Role-Based Authorization

Testing

MSTest
Moq

Version Control

Git
GitHub

DevOps

GitHub Actions
Docker

System Architecture

RetailPulse follows a layered architecture pattern.

Users
   │
   ▼
ASP.NET Core MVC Frontend
   │
   ▼
ASP.NET Core Web API
   │
   ▼
Service Layer
   │
   ▼
Repository Layer
   │
   ▼
Entity Framework Core
   │
   ▼
SQL Server Database

Architecture Benefits

Separation of Concerns
Scalability
Maintainability
Reusability
Testability
Security

Project Structure

RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics
│
├── RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.API
│
├── RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.MVC
│
├── RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.Tests
│
├── .github
│   └── workflows
│       └── dotnet.yml
│
├── AI Assets
│   └── CopilotPromptLog.txt
│
├── Dockerfile
│
└── RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.sln

API Project Structure

RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.API
│
├── Controllers
│   ├── AuthController.cs
│   ├── CategoryController.cs
│   ├── SupplierController.cs
│   ├── ProductController.cs
│   ├── InventoryController.cs
│   ├── OrderController.cs
│   ├── DashboardController.cs
│   ├── ReportsController.cs
│
├── Data
│   ├── ApplicationDbContext.cs
│   └── DbSeeder.cs
│
├── Models
│   │
│   ├── Entities
│   │   ├── User.cs
│   │   ├── Role.cs
│   │   ├── Category.cs
│   │   ├── Supplier.cs
│   │   ├── Product.cs
│   │   ├── InventoryTransaction.cs
│   │   ├── Order.cs
│   │   ├── OrderItem.cs
│   │   ├── SalesForecast.cs
│   │   └── AuditLog.cs
│   │
│   ├── DTOs
│   │   ├── LoginDto.cs
│   │   ├── RegisterDto.cs
│   │   ├── UserDto.cs
│   │   ├── CategoryDto.cs
│   │   ├── SupplierDto.cs
│   │   ├── ProductDto.cs
│   │   ├── OrderDto.cs
│   │   ├── InventoryTransactionDto.cs
│   │   └── SalesForecastDto.cs
│   │
│   └── ViewModels
│
├── Repositories
│   │
│   ├── Interfaces
│   │   ├── IUserRepository.cs
│   │   ├── ICategoryRepository.cs
│   │   ├── ISupplierRepository.cs
│   │   ├── IProductRepository.cs
│   │   ├── IInventoryRepository.cs
│   │   ├── IOrderRepository.cs
│   │   └── IAuditRepository.cs
│   │
│   ├── UserRepository.cs
│   ├── CategoryRepository.cs
│   ├── SupplierRepository.cs
│   ├── ProductRepository.cs
│   ├── InventoryRepository.cs
│   ├── OrderRepository.cs
│   └── AuditRepository.cs
│
├── Services
│   │
│   ├── Interfaces
│   │   ├── IAuthService.cs
│   │   ├── ICategoryService.cs
│   │   ├── ISupplierService.cs
│   │   ├── IProductService.cs
│   │   ├── IInventoryService.cs
│   │   ├── IOrderService.cs
│   │   ├── IReportService.cs
│   │   ├── IForecastService.cs
│   │   └── IDashboardService.cs
│   │
│   ├── AuthService.cs
│   ├── CategoryService.cs
│   ├── SupplierService.cs
│   ├── ProductService.cs
│   ├── InventoryService.cs
│   ├── OrderService.cs
│   ├── ReportService.cs
│   ├── ForecastService.cs
│   └── DashboardService.cs
│
├── Helpers
│   ├── JwtHelper.cs
│   ├── PasswordHelper.cs
│
├── Middleware
│   └── ExceptionMiddleware.cs
│
├── Mappings
│   └── MappingProfile.cs
│
├── Reports
│   ├── PdfReportGenerator.cs
│   └── ExcelReportGenerator.cs
│
├── Migrations
│
├── appsettings.json
├── appsettings.Development.json
└── Program.cs

MVC Project Structure

RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.MVC
│
├── Controllers
│   ├── AccountController.cs
│   ├── DashboardController.cs
│   ├── CategoryController.cs
│   ├── SupplierController.cs
│   ├── ProductController.cs
│   ├── InventoryController.cs
│   ├── OrderController.cs
│   └── ReportsController.cs
│
├── Models
│   ├── LoginViewModel.cs
│   ├── RegisterViewModel.cs
│   ├── CategoryViewModel.cs
│   ├── SupplierViewModel.cs
│   ├── ProductViewModel.cs
│   ├── OrderViewModel.cs
│   ├── DashboardViewModel.cs
│   └── ForecastViewModel.cs
│
├── Services
│   ├── ApiService.cs
│   ├── AuthApiService.cs
│   ├── ProductApiService.cs
│   ├── CategoryApiService.cs
│   ├── SupplierApiService.cs
│   ├── InventoryApiService.cs
│   ├── OrderApiService.cs
│   └── ReportApiService.cs
│
├── Views
│   │
│   ├── Account
│   │   ├── Login.cshtml
│   │   └── Register.cshtml
│   │
│   ├── Dashboard
│   │   └── Index.cshtml
│   │
│   ├── Category
│   │   ├── Index.cshtml
│   │   ├── Create.cshtml
│   │   ├── Edit.cshtml
│   │   └── Details.cshtml
│   │
│   ├── Supplier
│   │   ├── Index.cshtml
│   │   ├── Create.cshtml
│   │   ├── Edit.cshtml
│   │   └── Details.cshtml
│   │
│   ├── Product
│   │   ├── Index.cshtml
│   │   ├── Create.cshtml
│   │   ├── Edit.cshtml
│   │   └── Details.cshtml
│   │
│   ├── Inventory
│   │   └── Index.cshtml
│   │
│   ├── Order
│   │   ├── Index.cshtml
│   │   ├── Create.cshtml
│   │   └── Details.cshtml
│   │
│   ├── Reports
│   │   └── Index.cshtml
│   │
│   └── Shared
│       ├── _Layout.cshtml
│       ├── _ValidationScriptsPartial.cshtml
│       └── Error.cshtml
│
├── wwwroot
│   ├── css
│   ├── js
│   ├── images
│   └── lib
│
├── appsettings.json
└── Program.cs

Test Project Structure

RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.Tests
│
├── Controllers
│   ├── AuthControllerTests.cs
│   ├── ProductControllerTests.cs
│   ├── CategoryControllerTests.cs
│   └── SupplierControllerTests.cs
│
├── Services
│   ├── AuthServiceTests.cs
│   ├── ProductServiceTests.cs
│   ├── CategoryServiceTests.cs
│   ├── SupplierServiceTests.cs
│   └── InventoryServiceTests.cs
│
├── Repositories
│   ├── ProductRepositoryTests.cs
│   ├── CategoryRepositoryTests.cs
│   └── SupplierRepositoryTests.cs
│
├── TestHelpers
│   ├── MockData.cs
│   └── TestDbContextFactory.cs
│
└── Usings.cs

Database Design

Users

Stores authentication and role information.

Fields:

UserId
Username
Email
PasswordHash
Role

Suppliers

Stores supplier information.

Fields:

SupplierId
SupplierName
ContactNumber
Email

Products

Stores product details.

Fields:

ProductId
ProductName
CategoryId
SupplierId
Price
QuantityInStock

Orders

Stores customer order information.

Fields:

OrderId
OrderDate
TotalAmount

InventoryTransactions

Stores inventory movement history.

Fields:

TransactionId
ProductId
TransactionType
Quantity
TransactionDate

Entity Relationships

Category (1)
      │
      └──────► Product (Many)

Supplier (1)
      │
      └──────► Product (Many)

Product (1)
      │
      └──────► InventoryTransaction (Many)

Authentication & Authorization

Authentication Flow

User Login
    │
    ▼
Credential Validation
    │
    ▼
JWT Token Generation
    │
    ▼
Token Returned
    │
    ▼
Protected API Access

Authorization

Roles Supported:

Admin
Manager
Staff

Role-based access is enforced across the application.

Frontend and Backend Connectivity

User
 │
 ▼
MVC View
 │
 ▼
MVC Controller
 │
 ▼
MVC Service
 │
 ▼
Web API
 │
 ▼
Service Layer
 │
 ▼
Repository Layer
 │
 ▼
Entity Framework Core
 │
 ▼
SQL Server

Business Rules

The following business rules are implemented:

Only authenticated users can access protected modules.
Users are assigned roles.
Categories must exist before products can be created.
Suppliers must exist before products can be created.
Product names are mandatory.
Product prices must be valid.
Inventory quantities cannot become negative.
Inventory transactions update stock levels.
Orders require valid products.
Dashboard analytics are generated from business data.

Design Patterns Used

Repository Pattern

Repositories:

UserRepository
CategoryRepository
SupplierRepository
ProductRepository
OrderRepository
InventoryRepository

Purpose:

Data Access Abstraction
Loose Coupling
Maintainability

Service Layer Pattern

Services:

AuthService
CategoryService
SupplierService
ProductService
OrderService
InventoryService

Purpose:

Business Logic Separation
Reusability
Clean Architecture

OOP Principles Applied

Encapsulation

Implemented through entity classes.

Abstraction

Implemented using interfaces.

Inheritance

Implemented through MVC and API controller inheritance.

Polymorphism

Implemented through interface implementations.

SOLID Principles Applied

Single Responsibility Principle

Controllers, Services, and Repositories have separate responsibilities.

Open Closed Principle

Implemented using interfaces and abstractions.

Liskov Substitution Principle

Interface implementations are interchangeable.

Interface Segregation Principle

Small focused interfaces are used.

Dependency Inversion Principle

Implemented using Dependency Injection.

Dashboard Features

The Dashboard includes:

Total Products KPI
Total Categories KPI
Total Suppliers KPI
Total Orders KPI
Total Revenue KPI
Low Stock Alerts
Category Distribution Chart
Sales Trend Chart
Inventory Analytics
Recent Inventory Transactions

API Documentation

Authentication APIs

POST /api/auth/login
POST /api/auth/register

Category APIs

GET    /api/category
GET    /api/category/{id}
POST   /api/category
PUT    /api/category/{id}
DELETE /api/category/{id}

Supplier APIs

GET    /api/supplier
POST   /api/supplier
PUT    /api/supplier/{id}
DELETE /api/supplier/{id}

Product APIs

GET    /api/product
POST   /api/product
PUT    /api/product/{id}
DELETE /api/product/{id}

Inventory APIs

GET    /api/inventory
POST   /api/inventory

Order APIs

GET    /api/order
POST   /api/order
DELETE /api/order/{id}

Unit Testing

Testing Framework:

MSTest

Mocking Framework:

Moq

Test Cases:

Login with Valid Credentials
Login with Invalid Credentials
GetAllCategoriesAsync
AddCategoryAsync
DeleteCategoryAsync
AddSupplierAsync
GetAllSuppliersAsync
AddProductAsync
GetProductByIdAsync
AddInventoryTransactionAsync
CreateOrderAsync
DeleteOrderAsync
Validation Test Cases

Result:

Passed : 13
Failed : 0

DevOps Assets

GitHub Actions

File:

.github/workflows/dotnet.yml

Pipeline Tasks:

Restore Packages
Build Solution
Execute Unit Tests

Docker Support

File:

Dockerfile

Purpose:

Containerized Deployment
Environment Consistency
Portability

Installation Guide

Clone Repository

git clone <repository-url>

Restore Packages

dotnet restore

Apply Migrations

Update-Database

Run API Project

dotnet run --project RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.API

Run MVC Project

dotnet run --project RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.MVC

Screenshots

System Architecture Diagram

The application follows a layered architecture consisting of MVC Frontend, Web API, Service Layer, Repository Layer, Entity Framework Core, and SQL Server.

Entity Relationship Diagram (ER Diagram)

The database design illustrates the relationships between Users, Categories, Suppliers, Products, Orders, and Inventory Transactions.

Login Page

The Login module provides secure access to the application using JWT Authentication.

Register Page

The Registration module allows new users to create accounts and access the platform.

Dashboard

The Dashboard provides real-time business analytics and inventory insights.

Features:

Total Products
Total Categories
Total Suppliers
Total Orders
Total Revenue
Low Stock Alerts
Sales Analytics
Inventory Analytics

Category Management

The Category Management module allows administrators to manage product categories.

Features:

Add Category
Edit Category
Delete Category
Search Categories

Supplier Management

The Supplier Management module manages supplier information and contact details.

Features:

Add Supplier
Edit Supplier
Delete Supplier
View Suppliers

Product Management

The Product Management module manages inventory products.

Features:

Add Product
Edit Product
Delete Product
Assign Categories
Assign Suppliers
Manage Stock

Inventory Management

The Inventory module tracks stock movement and inventory transactions.

Features:

Stock In
Stock Out
Inventory History
Transaction Tracking

Order Management

The Order module manages customer orders and revenue tracking.

Features:

Create Orders
View Orders
Delete Orders
Revenue Monitoring

Reports Module

The Reports module provides business insights and inventory analytics.

Features:

Sales Reports
Inventory Reports
Revenue Analytics
Dashboard Reports

Swagger API Documentation

Swagger provides interactive API documentation and endpoint testing.

Project Workflow

User
 │
 ▼
ASP.NET Core MVC Frontend
 │
 ▼
ASP.NET Core Web API
 │
 ▼
Service Layer
 │
 ▼
Repository Layer
 │
 ▼
Entity Framework Core
 │
 ▼
SQL Server Database

Application Flow

User logs into RetailPulse.
JWT token is generated after successful authentication.
Dashboard loads business analytics.
Categories, Suppliers, and Products are managed.
Inventory transactions update stock levels.
Orders are processed and recorded.
Reports and analytics are generated.
Dashboard reflects real-time business metrics.

Future Enhancements

Email Notifications
Excel Export
PDF Export
SignalR Notifications
AI-Based Sales Forecasting
Cloud Deployment (Azure)
Mobile Application
Multi-Store Inventory Management
Barcode Integration
QR Code Integration

Live Application Comparison

RetailPulse follows concepts used in:

Zoho Inventory
Odoo Inventory
Oracle NetSuite
SAP Inventory Management

Implemented Features:

✅ Product Management

✅ Supplier Management

✅ Inventory Tracking

✅ Order Management

✅ Dashboard Analytics

✅ Authentication

✅ Authorization

Future Enterprise Features:

ERP Integration
Multi-Warehouse Support
AI Forecasting
Real-Time Notifications

Author

RetailPulse

Retail Order & Inventory Analytics Platform

Built using ASP.NET Core MVC, ASP.NET Core Web API, Entity Framework Core, SQL Server, JWT Authentication, Repository Pattern, SOLID Principles, MSTest, GitHub Actions, and Docker.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Documentation/Screenshots		Documentation/Screenshots
RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.API		RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.API
RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.MVC		RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.MVC
RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.Tests		RetailOrderInventoryAnalytics.Tests
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
README.md		README.md
SQLQuery1.sql		SQLQuery1.sql

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RetailPulse

Table of Contents

Overview

Business Problem

Project Objectives

Key Features

Authentication & Security

Dashboard Analytics

Category Management

Supplier Management

Product Management

Inventory Management

Order Management

Reporting Module

Technology Stack

Frontend

Backend

Database

Security

Testing

Version Control

DevOps

System Architecture

Architecture Benefits

Project Structure

API Project Structure

MVC Project Structure

Test Project Structure

Database Design

Users

Categories

Suppliers

Products

Orders

InventoryTransactions

Entity Relationships

Authentication & Authorization

Authentication Flow

Authorization

Frontend and Backend Connectivity

Business Rules

Design Patterns Used

Repository Pattern

Service Layer Pattern

OOP Principles Applied

Encapsulation

Abstraction

Inheritance

Polymorphism

SOLID Principles Applied

Single Responsibility Principle

Open Closed Principle

Liskov Substitution Principle

Interface Segregation Principle

Dependency Inversion Principle

Dashboard Features

API Documentation

Authentication APIs

Category APIs

Supplier APIs

Product APIs

Inventory APIs

Order APIs

Unit Testing

DevOps Assets

GitHub Actions

Docker Support

Installation Guide

Clone Repository

Restore Packages

Apply Migrations

Run API Project

Run MVC Project

Screenshots

System Architecture Diagram

Entity Relationship Diagram (ER Diagram)