Building Smart Client Applications

1
Building Smart Client Applications

• Module 2

2
Architectural Map
Smart Client
Mobile Data Store
Device Identification
Data Synchronization
Content Transformation
Messaging
Security
Enterprise Integration
3
Topics

• Smart Client Characteristics
• Development Overview
• Mobile Data Store
• Synchronization
• Messaging

4
Characteristics of Smart Client

• Persistent data
• Mobile data store
• High-performance data access
• Data Synchronization
• Integration with the Enterprise

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Characteristics of Smart Client

• Messaging
• Push important data to mobile devices
• Rich user experience
• Contains business logic
• Sophisticated User Interface
• Palm, PocketPC, EPOC, RIM, Java clients

6
Development Overview

• Mobile Data Store
• C/C or Java
• SQL or data access APIs
• Data Synchronization
• SQL
• Messaging
• C/C or Java
• Rich User Interface
• C/C or Java

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Other Mobile Data Storage Options

• Proprietary APIs
• Palm DB, Flat File
• Custom-coded solutions
• Customer built data structures, searching,
  sorting, and synchronization
• Shrunk-down enterprise database
• Vendor reduces capabilities of enterprise
  database to make it fit on small devices

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Other Mobile Data Storage Limitations

• Proprietary APIs
• One table per database
• Poor performance
• Limited capabilities
• Custom-coded solutions
• Very resource intensive
• Increased risk
• Increased maintenance costs
• Shrunk-down enterprise database
• Pre-chosen limited functionality
• Architecture not geared for mobile and wireless
  devices

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Mobile Data StoreThe iAnywhere Solution

• Advantages of SQL
• Synchronization to industry standard enterprise
  databases (robust and secure)
• Extremely small footprint
• Hand-coded speed
• Reduced requirements for platform specific
  knowledge

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Mobile Data StoreDevelopment Process

• Step 1 Develop application code
• Step 2 Invoke Analyzer
• Step 3 Compile
• Step 4 Deploy
• Step 5 Setup Synchronization

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Mobile Data Store How it Works
SQL / Data Access Code
Reference Database
Runtime Libraries (Data Store)
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Mobile Data StoreFeatures

• SQL compliant
• Referential integrity
• Transaction processing
• Multi-table joins
• Bi-directional cursors
• Customized for your application
• Footprint as low as 50K
• Data structures and algorithms designed for
  in-memory database

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Mobile Data StoreFeatures

• Performance
• Support for indexes
• Pre-optimized queries
• Large storage capacity
• Integrated synchronization

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Building the Smart Client Application

• Step 1 Modify GUI
• Add alert, menu item
• Step 2 Add data store code
• Step 3 Add glue code
• Attach data store code to GUI
• Step 4 Run Analyzer
• Step 5 Compile/deploy

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Data SynchronizationArchitecture

Database Server
Synchronization Server





Remote Computers
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Data SynchronizationHow it Works
ConsolidatedData Store
ODBC
SynchronizationServer
SmartClient
smart
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Data SynchronizationIntegration Features

• Synchronize to industry standard databases
• Oracle8, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2 UDB,
  Sybase ASE, Sybase ASA
• Synchronization scripts are in native language of
  the enterprise database
• Synchronize to other enterprise data sources
• SAP, Siebel, PeopleSoft etc
• Accommodated using adapters in server
• All synchronization is bi-directional

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Data SynchronizationSimple Example

• The upload_cursor script is used to insert,
  update, or delete rows in the consolidated
  database

SELECT emp_id, emp_fname, emp_lname FROM
employee WHERE emp_id ?

• The download_cursor script is used to insert or
  update rows in the mobile data store

SELECT emp_id, emp_fname, emp_lname FROM
employee
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Data Synchronization Key Features

• Security
• Built-in authentication
• 128-bit encryption of communication between
  client and synchronization server
• Support for subsetting of data
• Support for horizontal and vertical partitioning
  of data
• Scalable
• Support for thousands of remote users

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Data SynchronizationConflict Detection Features

• Conflicts arise when sending data to enterprise
  database
• Data Store maintains old value and current value
• Synchronization server compares old values with
  consolidated database
• If old values match there is no conflict
• If old values do not match there IS a conflict
• Conflict Resolution
• Fully customizable by developer
• Scripts written in native language of enterprise
  database
• Can execute stored procedures or user-defined
  resolutions steps

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Building Smart Client ApplicationData
Synchronization
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Messaging Message Delivery

• Store and forward message queuing
• Guaranteed message delivery
• Push capabilities
• Delivery and non-delivery acknowledgements
• Intelligent (program to program)

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Messaging JMS Interface

• JMS provider for Messaging Server
• Asynchronous communication from enterprise
  applications to wireless devices
• Or between enterprise applications
• Properties are exposed for communication
• IP address
• Server port
• Provider name

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Messaging Services Network and Device Support

• Networks
• ARDIS, Mobitex, CDPD, DataTAC, NORCOM, Analog
  cellular, GSM, CDMA, Wireless LAN
• Paging networks
• HDML alerts, email, SMS
• Devices
• Palm, PocketPC, DOS, Windows, EPOC, RIM, phone

25
Summary

• Smart Client applications provide always
  available access to your data
• Mobile data store
• Enterprise synchronization
• Advanced messaging
• Overcome the challenges of wireless computing
• Low bandwidth
• Unreliable coverage
• Battery consumption

26
Building Smart Client Applications

• Module 2