Transcript Pocket PowerBuilder

Pocket PowerBuilder
And Database Applications
Ian Thain
Pocket PowerBuilder Evangelist
PTOG Evangelist Team, Sybase Inc.
[email protected]
Agenda
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Introduction
Unwired Enterprise
MobiLink
Developing An Application
Demonstrations
Introduction
• Over the last 11 years we have seen PowerBuilder grow
and develop into the tool it is today. Originally for Client
Server, then incorporating Component Development &
RAD Thin Client Development.
• Also over the last 11 years we have seen increasing
developments in DataWindow technology that has seen it
appear (or not) as a non-visual DataStore, Java
DataWindow and HTML DataWindow
• DataWindows EVERYWHERE? Well nearly!
Introduction
• "Don't think big…Think Small!!"
• Pocket PowerBuilder is now coming to aid corporate
development of Pocket PC applications, brining all the
benefits
• RAD 4 GL and even the DataWindow technology.
• So we really can now say, DataWindows
EVERYWHERE!!!!
Unwired Enterprise
• Liquidity + Mobility = Unwired Enterprise
• Liquidity - Free flowing information with economic value
• Mobility - Freedom to work anytime, anywhere
Enterprise Mobile Applications
• Key areas for a mobile application
• Usability (including intuitiveness, efficiency, ease of use &
reliability)
• Innovation (including New Functionality) – maybe from
using mobile technologies
• BPI (including extending existing systems) – it should fit
well into existing business processes
• ROI – As always a return on investment is a major factor
Enterprise Mobile Applications
• Potential Systems for Mobile Applications
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Data Collection
Inventory Management
Customer Relationship Management
Event Tracking
Sales Force Automation
Healthcare
• Field Force Automation
• Sales Force Automation
• Mobile Healthcare
Mobile Smart Client
• Mobile Smart Client
– Application where client side business logic is executed on
device
– Persistent data storage on the device
– Application can be executed at any time, even without a wireless
connection
– Integration to the enterprise is typically provided via
synchronization
– Client application communicates data to the back end via a
synchronization server
Different Functionality
• Synchronization
• Pocket PowerBuilder also surpasses
PowerBuilder with the introduction of
a MobiLink wizard
• Generates PowerScript code
(NVO’s) & Windows for within your
application, to interact with a
MobiLink Server.
Different Functionality
• Adaptive Server Anywhere mobile database
– Uses full data storage capabilities of Adaptive Server Anywhere
on Windows CE client
– Database access via ODBC
• MobiLink data synchronization
– MobiLink bi-directional data synchronization used to integrate
with other enterprise databases (Sybase ASE and ASA, Oracle,
MS SQL Server, IBM DB2)
– New component to manage
synchronization properties &
maintenance of synchronization
Publication
• A Database Object in the Remote Database data to be
synchronized
• Tables can be synchronized
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Entirely
Subset of Columns
Subset of Rows
Subset of Columns & Rows
• Define a Publication
• Define a Synchronization User
• Define a Synchronization Subscription
Remote Database
• Located on the mobile device
• Can be built with
– Sybase ASA
– UltraLite
• Must contain at least one Publication to define which
tables will be synchronized
• Must contain at least one Synchronization Subscription to
link a Synchronization user with a set of Publications
• Typically a subset of a consolidated database
• Data specific or that mobile user
Consolidated Database
• Central / Master DataStore with which the remote
synchronizes with
• Can be built with
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Sybase ASA
Sybase ASE
Oracle
MS SQL Server
IBM DB2
• Typically an existing Enterprise Database
Consolidated Database
• MobiLink uses system tables in the Consolidated
database to store
– Synchronization scripts
– Synchronization progress & status information
– Synchronization User information
• Automatically created in ASA Database
• MobiLink Setup scripts for other Consolidated Databases
• MobiLink uses ODBC to connect to the Consolidated DB
Synchronization Scripts
• During synchronization MobiLink progresses through a
series of events
• Each event can be associated with once synchronization
script
• Synchronization scripts
– Direct the data flow during the process
– Allow tasks to be performed at various points
• Written in the native SQL of the Consolidated Database
• Can use versioning
– Remote must specify the version of the scripts to use
MobiLink Server
• Connects to the Consolidated Database
• Waits for Synchronization requests from Remote DB
• Processes data uploaded from the Remote DB
• Selects data from the Consolidated Database for
download to the remote
dbmlsync
• Synchronization is initiated by a client application via the
dbmlsync utility from ASA Remote databases
– TCP/IP, SSL
– HTTP/HTTPS
– ActiveSync
• Read Database engine transaction log
• Builds an upstream with the a summary of the changes to
the specific publication since the last synchronization
• Applies the downstream from the MobiLink server to the
Remote Database
MobiLink – ASA Synchronization
1. Upload
MobiLink
2. Download
ODBC
1. Upload
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3. Ack Download
ASA or UltraLite keep track of all changes since
previous synchronization
All changes are sent in a single upload stream
MobiLink applies changes in a single transaction
2. Download
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Consolidated
DB
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Scripts in the consolidated database determine
changes that need to be downloaded
All changes are sent in a single download stream
3. Acknowledge download
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dbmlsync
Optional
Remote ASA
Database
MobiLink – ASA Synchronization
• Flexible and robust bi-directional synchronization
– Support Sybase, Oracle, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server
– Synchronization scripts can be written in SQL, Java or any .NET
language
• Secure
– Built-in authentication
– 128-bit encryption of communication stream
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Support for sub-setting and partitioning of data
Built-in conflict detection and resolution
Scalable to thousands of remote users
Robust error handling
MobiLink - Quick Start
• Files located in \Samples\MobiLink\Autoscripting
• Create and setup consolidated and remote databases
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Use Sybase database creation wizard
Create ODBC datasources
Populate databases with ISQL
Run setup script appropriate for consolidated DB
• Identify tables and columns for synchronization
– Add publications, ML Users & subscriptions on Remote DB
– Add tables & users for synchronizationn on Consolidated
• Write scripts to upload and download data
– Use –za switch on the MobilLink Server
– and ‘SendColumnNames=on’ on the MobiLink client
– to automatically generate scripts for you
• You are now synchronizing!
Developing an Application
• When developing a Mobile Application always work
against the Remote Database
• Best to deploy an empty Remote Database & fill with data
on the first Sync.
• Use PPB to generate Synchronization logic in NVO’s
Developing an Application
• DSN on mobile device specifies which ASA Database the
app uses
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[ODBC]
uid=dba
pwd=sql
enginename=Picture_remote
databasename=Picture_remote
databasefile=\Picture_remote.db
start=\Program Files\Sybase\ASA\dbsrv8.exe –q
driver=dbodbc8.dll
PPB Application Architecture
SOAP
Device
(Web Services)
Enterprise
App Server
Sample
Application)
Pocket
PowerBuilder
Virtual
Machine
ASA
ML
TCP/IP
HTTP
HTTPS
ActiveSync
(wired or wireless)
MobiLink
Consolidated
Database
(Sybase/Oracle/
Microsoft/IBM)
Demonstrations
• Basic Pocket PowerBuilder App
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Create a Consolidated DB
Create the Remote DB
Create publications, subsrciptions & users on the remote
Create users & tables for sync on the consolidated
Deploy remote database & dsn
Start Mobilink
Use the wizard to generate an application
Build a DataWindow Object
Place objects on the window
Code PowerScript
Deploy
Run
Conclusions
• Pocket PowerBuilder used along with
ASA for CE and MobiLink can create very
powerful Smart Client Applications
• Data can be synchronized back to the
Enterprise Database
Pocket PowerBuilder Code Examples
• Pocket PowerBuilder code examples can be found on the
CodeXchange, http://pocketpb.codexchange.sybase.com
Questions and
Ian Thain
Answers
Pocket PowerBuilder Evangelist
PTOG Evangelist Team, Sybase Inc.
[email protected]
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