Implementing Web Applications with CM Information Integrator for Content and OnDemand Web Enablement Kit

52 Implementing Web Applications with CM Information Integrator for Content and ODWEK

When a user submits a query, the client program sends a search request to the

OnDemand Library Server. The Library Server returns the list of documents that

match the query to the user. When the user selects a document for viewing, the

client program retrieves a copy of the document from the Object Server where

the document is stored, opens a viewing window, and displays the document.

3.2 Basic concepts

To store, manage, retrieve, view, and print reports and index data in OnDemand,

you must design and implement applications, application groups, and folders. In

this section, we introduce some of the basic concepts:

򐂰 Application

򐂰 Application group

򐂰 Folder

򐂰 Indexing method and documents

3.2.1 Applications

An application describes the physical characteristics of a report to OnDemand.

Typically, you define an application for each program that produces output to be

stored in OnDemand. The application includes information about the format of

the data, the orientation of data on the page, the paper size, the record length,

and the code page of the data. The application also includes parameters that the

indexing program uses to locate and extract index data and processing

instructions that OnDemand uses to load index data in the database and

documents on storage volumes.

3.2.2 Application groups

An application group is a collection of one or more applications which contains

common indexing and storage management requirements. The application group

group contains the database information which is used to load, search for, and

retrieve reports. The application group defines the data which to be loaded into

the database.

You can group several different reports in an application group so that users can

access the information contained in the reports with a single query. All of the

applications in the application group must be indexed on at least one of the same

fields, for example, customer name, account number, and date.

Chapter 3. OnDemand overview 53

3.2.3 Folder

A folder provides users with a convenient way to find related information stored

in OnDemand, regardless of the source of the information or how the data was

prepared. A folder allows an administrator to set up a common query screen for

several application groups that may use different indexing schemes, so that a

user can retrieve the data with a single query. For example, a folder called

Student Information might contain transcripts, bills, and grades, which represents

information stored in different application groups, defined in different

applications, and created by different programs.

Figure 3-2 illustrates the concepts described in this section.

Figure 3-2 Folders, application groups and applications

Each report has indexed fields and data type.

3.2.4 Indexing methods and documents

In this section, we discuss indexing methods and OnDemand documents.

Indexing methods

OnDemand provides two basic ways to index data:

A folder is the object with which users

query and retrieve reports. A folder can

query more than one application group,

provided the application groups have the

same database fields.

Each application represents a report that

you want to define to the system. You must

assign an application to an application Group.

Folder

Application

Group(s)

Application(s)

The application group is where you define

the database, cache storage, and archive

storage requirements for reports. An

application group can contain more than

one application, provided the applications

have the same database and storage

management attributes.