Business Objects

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IA347Moving PowerBuilder To The Web
Larry Cermak lcermak_at_ctpartners.com
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Moving PowerBuilder To The Web

• Larry Cermak
• lcermak_at_ctpartners.com

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Moving PowerBuilder To The Web

• Larry Cermak
• lcermak_at_ctpartners.com

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Moving PB To The Web

• Larry Cermak
• 630 428-2650
• email lcermak_at_ctpartners.com
• www.ctpartners.com
• PowerBuilder Tips Techniques

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About Your Instructor

• Technology Partner - Corporate Technology
  Partners, Inc.
• Member of Team Powersoft
• Writer for PowerTimes Magazine and the Sybase
  Developer Network
• CPD Professional
• CPD Review Board Committee Member
• 1997 Chicago PowerBuilder User Group VP
• Started building systems in 1984
• PowerBuilder development since version 2

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About Your Instructor

• I believe in the KISS methodology
• (K)eep
• (I)t
• (S)imple
• (S)tupid

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Corporate Technology Partners

• Offices in Denver, Chicago, and Connecticut
• Sybase Premier Channel Partner
• eMap Partner
• Consulting and mentoring services
• Training
• EAStudio
• EAServer
• Web DataWindow
• 3 Members of Team Sybase on staff

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Introduction

• How technical will this session be?
• Detailed code and techniques
• Intended for beginners and experienced developers
• Sample code will be explained
• Lots of examples
• Real world techniques, not necessarily what the
  textbooks say!

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Introduction

• Audience participation encouraged!
• Feel free to ask questions.
• Interaction makes the session more exciting.
• No question is stupid!!!
• I will make it as lively as possible!

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Who Is In Attendance

• Managers vs developers
• PowerBuilder experience
• Less than 6 months
• Less than 1 year
• 1-2 years
• More than 2 years
• More than 5 years
• Feel free to ask questions!

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Summary Of Course

• Review of Sybase
• Industry Development Trends
• Internet Terms
• Web Enabling PowerBuilder
• Enterprise Application Studio
• Enterprise Application Server
• Web-PB
• Web DataWindow
• PowerBuilder Integration With Jaguar

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Review of Sybase Industry Development Trends
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Sybase Today
SYBASE
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Sybase Today

• Lean-Mean Machine
• Reorganizing
• Reducing costs
• Stock is UP! (relatively speaking)

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Current State of Affairs
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Sybase Today - Companies

• Business Intelligence
• Complete Data Warehouse Solutions
• Data Movement, Transformation, Storage,
  Presentation
• Enterprise Solutions
• Data Replication, Connectivity and OLTP DBMS
• Internet Applications
• Open Development Solutions and Ecommerce
• EAServer, EAStudio, Financial Server
• Mobil Embedded Computing

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Industry Development Trends
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Industry Development Trends
Traditional 2-Tier Client/Server Model
Database Server
Client
Database Communication
Business Logic
Business Logic
User Interface
Data Management
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Industry Development Trends

• Issues with 2-Tier Model
• Deployment
• Change Management
• Business Logic Maintenance
• Bandwidth Requirements
• Database Bottlenecks
• Client Machine Requirements

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Industry Development Trends
N-Tier Computing Model
Application Server
Database Server
Client
User Interface Only
Data Management
Business Logic Caching Transaction
Management Data Abstraction Load Balancing
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Industry Development Trends

• N-Tier Fundamentals
• Centralized Business Logic
• Business Logic Components
• Data Access Abstraction
• Clients Communicate with Application Server
• User Interface Clients

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Industry Development Trends

• N-Tier Benefits
• Business Logic Reusability
• Increased Performance
• Increased Scalability
• Security
• Deployment Simplification
• Ease of Maintenance
• Much Smaller Bandwidth Requirements To The Client
• Simplified Deployment

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Who Has Implemented a TRUE N-Tier Application?
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Industry Development Trends
Internet Brings everyone together Brings data
sources together Lowers cost of
ownership Centralizes administration
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Industry Development Trends
Reality
Partners Clients Suppliers
HR Sales Customer Service
Applications
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Industry Development Trends
Theoretical
Applications
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Industry Development Trends

• Enterprise Solutions
• Internet/Web is integral part
• Strategic advantage
• Bridge gaps between existing infrastructure and
  new technology
• Dynamic content
• Improve end-to-end business processes
• Reduce costs and increase efficiencies

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Internet Terms
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Internet Terms

• Feedback from conference attendees and emails
  about Jumpstart asked for an explanation of some
  internet related terms
• This is useful since many people are PowerBuilder
  developers and are learning about distributed and
  web applications
• So, without further adieu

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Internet Terms

• ActiveX
• Third generation of OLE controls
• Uses COM to provide interoperability with other
  types of COM components
• Provides integration of controls into web browsers

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Internet Terms

• Applet
• Java program that runs in the client browser
• It is downloaded with the web page
• Has security restrictions
• Cannot perform actions like deleting files
• CGI
• Common Gateway Interface
• Method to let web pages communicate with programs
  on an HTTP server
• Starts a new process for every request

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Internet Terms

• Client-Side Scripting
• Scripting that executes within the web browser
• Since it runs on the client machine, there is no
  round-trip to the server

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Internet Terms

• COM Components
• Microsoft Component Object Model
• Provides a standard way for software components
  to supply services to each other, or to
  communicate
• COM specifies
• How objects are created and destroyed
• How the interfaces are exposed
• How their methods are invoked

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Internet Terms

• Cookies
• Small amount of text information about a page
  that is stored by the browser on the client
  machine.
• Standard structure and syntax

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Internet Terms

• CORBA
• Common Object Request Broker Architecture
• Open architecture
• Defines how objects communicate with each other
• Defines how components and applications can be
  built in a distributed fashion
• Encourages the use of business objects
• Encourages separating the business rules from the
  presentation layer

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Internet Terms

• Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB)
• Component architecture for Java
• Javas answer for ActiveX
• Defines a standard vendor independent way of
  writing middle tier objects and provides standard
  interfaces for the bean-writer to access services
  such as transactions, naming, and security

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Internet Terms

• HTML
• HyperText Markup Language
• Mixes text with tags for formatting and layout
  of information
• For a basic tutorial check out
• http//junior.apk.net/jbarta/tutor/makepage/index
  .html

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Internet Terms

• HTTP
• HyperText Transfer Protocol
• Set of rules for exchanging files on the internet
• HTTPS
• Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol
• Internet protocol developed by Netscape that
  encrypts and decrypts page requests

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Internet Terms

• IIOP
• Internet Inter-ORB Protocol
• An Object Oriented protocol that makes it
  possible for distributed programs to communicate
  over the internet
• ISAPI
• Information Server API
• This is an alternative to CGI
• Allows DLLs to be associated with the server and
  accessed at predefined entry points
• Does not create a new process for each request

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Internet Terms

• JavaBean
• Component model that defined by JavaSoft
• Defined package of related class files that are
  packaged into a single file
• Wrapped to expose properties of the JavaBean

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Internet Terms

• JavaScript
• Scripting language that is embedded in web pages
  (i.e. in the html) and is interpreted as the page
  is loaded. It can access HTML information and
  manipulate some attributes of the HTML.
• There is client and server side JavaScript
• PowerDynamo uses a superset of JavaScript called
  DynaScript

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Internet Terms

• NSAPI
• Netscape Server customization API
• Allows shared libraries (Unix) or DLLs to be
  integrated with the server

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Internet Terms

• PERL
• Practical Extraction and Reporting Language
• Interpreted programming language
• Similar to C with some unix functionality such as
  awk, sed, tr
• Considered to be a good choice for developing CGI
  programs because it has good text manipulation
  facilities

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Internet Terms

• Server-Side Scripting
• Scripting that executes on the web or component
  server
• Typically JavaScript or VBScript

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Internet Terms

• Servlet
• Java object that emits/renders html
• SSL
• Secure Sockets Layer
• Protocol designed by Netscape to work at the
  sockets layer and protects any higher level
  protocols built on sockets (i.e. ftp, telnet,
  HTTP)

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Internet Terms

• URL
• Uniform Resource Locator
• This is the address of a file or resource on the
  internet

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Web Enabling PB
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Web Enabling PowerBuilder
The Million Dollar Question Is?
How do I move PB to the Web?
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Web Enabling PowerBuilder

• How reusable are my components?
• Is your application well designed regarding OO
  practices?
• Where is my business logic stored?
• NVOs (hopefully)
• Windows (hopefully not)
• DataWindows (probably not)
• What databases do I need to access?
• Other?

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Web Enabling PowerBuilder
PB Web Deployment Kit (quick dirty)
Enterprise Application Studio (reuse)
PowerJ (rewrite)
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(No Transcript)
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Enterprise Application Studio
enabling the development and deployment of
enterprise applications to employees,
partners, and customers anywhere
Enterprise application development and deployment
platform Integrated Web and non-Web access to
back office systems Exploit new technology while
leveraging existing skills, code, applications,
data
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Enterprise Application Studio
Enterprise Application Server 3.0

• Complete environment for developing and
  deploying distributed, component-based
  applications that distribute and integrate
  information anywhere

PowerBuilder 7.0
PowerJ 3.0
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Enterprise Application Studio
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Enterprise Application Studio
Client Application
HTTPS
IIOP
Web Server
CGI, ISAPI, NSAPI
Enterprise Application Server
Script
JDBC, ODBC, native RDBMS
JDBC, ODBC, native RDBMS
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Enterprise Application Studio
Client Application
HTTPS
IIOP
Web Server
CGI, ISAPI, NSAPI
Enterprise Application Server
Script
JDBC, ODBC, native RDBMS
JDBC, ODBC, native RDBMS
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Enterprise Application Server
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Enterprise Application Server
Any Client

• Both Pages Components!
• Component Engine
• Jaguar CTS
• Page Engine
• PowerDynamo
• Embedded Database
• Adaptive Server Anywhere

Enterprise Application Server
Page Engine
Component Transaction Engine
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Enterprise Application Server
Web Server
HTTPS
IIOP
CGI, ISAPI, NSAPI
Enterprise Application Server
NT UNIX
Jaguar CTS
PowerDynamo
ActiveX
HTMLtemplate
JavaScript
IIOP
COM
JDBC, ODBC, native RDBMS
ODBC
Repository
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Enterprise Application Server

• Component Server
• Host business logic components
• Support for a variety of component types
• CORBA, EJB, COM, ActiveX
• In a variety of languages
• PowerBuilder NVOs, Java, C, C, VB
• Transaction Server
• Manage database connections and transactions
• Universal data access
• JDBC, Open Client, ODBC and Native Oracle

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Enterprise Application Server

• Page Server
• Dynamic web page generator
• Dynamic content publishing and update
  capabilities
• Web Server Extension
• Not a standalone server
• Extension of Web servers
• ISAPI, NSAPI CGI Supported

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Web-PB
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Web-PB

• This allows you to have a PowerBuilder NVO
  listening on a port
• It returns HTML to the calling client
• You must write the HTML
• Powersoft provided some templates for standard
  objects like buttons
• This was an interim solution provided as an
  add-on to version 5
• Does not scale up
• Has anyone used this for any robust application?

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Web DataWindow
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Web DataWindow

• This is one of the, if not the most important
  feature of PowerBuilder 7!
• This is what PowerBuilder developers have been
  waiting for!

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Web DataWindow

• Provides the ability to run a DataWindow in a web
  browser without the PowerBuilder runtime DLLs
• Total thin client solution
• Provides most DataWindow functionality
• Presentation
• Manipulation
• Updates to the database
• Client and server side scripting

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Web DataWindow
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Web DataWindow
Web Browser
Jaguar
Web Server
Page Server
PowerDynamo
HTML
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Web DataWindow

• How do we make this work?
• Create or take an existing DataWindow
• Decide where you want the processing to occur
  (client/server/combination)
• Set the various HTML options
• Web DataWindow
• HTML Table options tell the DataWindow how to
  display in an HTML table

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Web DataWindow
Indicates the DataWindow will interface with a
server component
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Web DataWindow
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Web DataWindow

• HTML Generation options
• Generate JavaScript
• Generates JavaScript even if the browser is not
  recognized
• Portable, does not use browser specific features
• You must use this to update data!
• Client Events
• JavaScript code is to generate events is
  generated in the HTML
• Client Validation
• Generated JavaScript code for the DataWindow
  validation expressions

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Web DataWindow

• HTML Generation options
• Client Computed Fields
• Generates JavaScript for computed fields and
  computed in the client browser
• Client Formatting
• Generated JavaScript for display formats of
  fields that do not have focus
• Client Scriptable
• Allows client side JavaScript to interface with
  the DataWindow
• Access to many DataWindow functions and events

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Web DataWindow
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Web DataWindow

• Thats all we need to do for the DataWindow
• Is it that simple?
• What else needs to be done?
• For this example, Jaguar and Dynamo will be used.

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Web DataWindow

• Configuring Jaguar
• The assumption is made that Jaguar is up and
  running on your machine. I just want to show the
  Web DataWindow specifics.
• In the Jaguar Manager, install the existing
  package DataWindow under the server.
• Check the TreeView if you are not sure if it is
  installed
• If you are using the standard Web DataWindow
  option, thats all you need to do
• You can customize this package to determine what
  pieces are included

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Web DataWindow
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Web DataWindow

• Configuring Dynamo
• The assumption is made that PowerDynamo is up and
  running on your machine. I just want to show the
  Web DataWindow specifics.
• Make sure the default general settings section
  has the Sun Java VM chosen
• Create the JavaScript in dynamo
• This creates the Web DataWindow component from
  Jaguar
• Specifies the PBL and DataWindow
• Specifies the database connection info
• Issues a retrieve

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Web DataWindow

• Heres the main parts of the JavaScript
• dwLocal java.CreateComponent("DataWindow/HTMLGen
  erator", "iiop//localhost9000", "jagadmin", "",
  "DataWindow/HTMLGenerator")
• retVal dwLocal.SetDWObject ("html_dw.pbl",
  "d_products")
• dwLocal.SetBrowser(document.GetServerVariable("HTT
  P_USER_AGENT"))
• dwLocal.SetHTMLObjectName ("dwMine")
• dwLocal.SetTrans("ODBC","ConnectString'DSNEAS
  Demo DB V3UIDdbaPWDsql'", "", "", "", "", "")
• retVal dwLocal.Retrieve()
• document.Write(dwLocal.Generate())

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Web DataWindow

• Here is some client side scripts for events
• Each issues an alert JavaScript function (similar
  to MessageBox in PB)
• function dwMine_ButtonClicking(row,objName)
• alert("ButtonClicking(" row "," objName
  ")\n")
• function dwMine_ItemChanged(row, colName,
  newValue)
• alert("ItemChanged(" row "," colName
  "," newValue ")\n")

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Web DataWindow

• How do the pieces fit together and what options
  are there?
• The server can run
• Directly in an application server like IIS
• In a component transaction server such as Jaguar
  or MTS
• Microsoft servers, EAStudio provides a COM server
  component that can be accessed with ActiveX
• Jaguar, the server component is PB custom class
  user object that is deployed as a Java component

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Web DataWindow

• What are the options for creating the Web
  DataWindow control?
• These are listed in the order of least to most
  complex.
• PowerSite DTC no coding. Uses PowerSite object
  model.
• Writing the code yourself to use the PowerSite
  object model
• Writing the code yourself in a Page Server
  directly against the server component
• Writing the code in PowerScript against a
  DataStore

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Web DataWindow

• How do you host the DataWindow in a browser?
• There are 4 ways, each having a specific purpose
• DataWindow plugin
• DataWindow Web ActiveX
• Web DataWindow control
• PowerSite DataWindow DTC

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Web DataWindow

• DataWindow plugin
• Basically this is a PSR viewer
• Typically used for predefined reports
• No database access or updates
• Browser must install the plugin

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Web DataWindow

• DataWindow plugin
• Positive
• No client side configuration required (other than
  putting the plugin in the plugin directory)
• PSRs are the most compact representation of the
  definition and full data
• Allows for viewing of batch produced reports
• Can be used in both Netscape and Internet Explorer

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Web DataWindow

• DataWindow plugin
• Negative
• No auto install of plugin
• SaveAs() and print are not really secure on the
  client side
• Read only

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Web DataWindow

• DataWindow Web ActiveX
• ActiveX control hosted in Internet Explorer
• Fully functional dataWindow control that can be
  scripted on the client using JavaScript or
  VBScript
• Supports the following
• Full event model
• Many DataWindow functions
• DataWindow sync for 3 tier computing
• JDBC for database access
• Packages as a CAB file so can be downloaded from
  the server

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Web DataWindow

• DataWindow Web ActiveX
• Positive
• Fully functional DataWindow control (including
  events, functions and dynamic modification)
• Can update the database
• Negative
• The one time download of the CAB file (a little
  more than a Meg).
• Only works in Microsoft Internet Explorer

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Web DataWindow

• Web DataWindow control
• Server component and page server work together to
  translate a DataWindow into HTML
• The server can run directly in the server or in a
  transaction server (Jaguar/MTS)
• Provides most of the functionality and look of
  the DataWindow on the client
• The majority of the processing occurs on the
  server

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Web DataWindow

• Web DataWindow control
• Positive
• Pure thin-client solution
• Works a page at a time
• Supports modification and update
• All database connectivity runs on server (no
  client side configuration required)
• Some client side scripting and events

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Web DataWindow

• Web DataWindow control
• Negative
• Causes an added load on the component server
• Full DataWindow API not available
• Full DataWindow event model not available
• All page navigation, insert and delete involves
  round trips to the server

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Web DataWindow

• PowerSite DataWindow DTC
• Reads a DataWindow definition out of a PBL and
  generates server side JavaScript that
• Does a database retrieve
• Generates the HTML that resembles the DataWindow
  definition
• Does some server side scripting for updates

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Web DataWindow

• PowerSite DataWindow DTC
• Positive
• Same as Web DataWindow control except no
  scripting or DW events
• No PowerBuilder DLLs required on web server

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Web DataWindow

• PowerSite DataWindow DTC
• Negative
• Same as Web DataWindow control plus the following
• HTML generation is not complete and is separate
  from DataWindow generation (two separate code
  lines)
• Complexity of HTML generation is limited by its
  implementation in JavaScript.
• No client side scripting or DataWindow events
  (form controls can trigger events)
• Can only update using Freeform presentation style

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Questions Answers
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Thank You

• lcermak_at_ctpartners.com
• www.ctpartners.com
• 630 428-2650