MES903: Mobile Application Development Best Practices

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MES903 Mobile Application Development Best
Practices
Alex Reif Product Manager areif_at_ianywhere.com Augu
st 16, 2004
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Goals

• Make you aware of the differences between desktop
  and mobile application development
• Identify some of the interesting challenges
  present when developing mobile applications
• Focus will be on Pocket PC and Palm OS devices
• Demo will focus on Pocket PC devices (.NET
  Compact Framework)

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The Enterprise. Unwired.
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The Enterprise. Unwired.
Industry and Cross Platform Solutions
Unwire People
Unwire Information
Manage Information

• Adaptive Server Enterprise
• Adaptive Server Anywhere
• Sybase IQ
• Dynamic Archive
• Dynamic ODS
• Replication Server
• OpenSwitch
• Mirror Activator
• PowerDesigner
• Connectivity Options
• EAServer
• Industry Warehouse Studio

• Unwired Accelerator
• Unwired Orchestrator
• Unwired Toolkit
• Enterprise Portal
• Real Time Data Services

• SQL Anywhere Studio
• M-Business Anywhere
• Pylon Family (Mobile Email)
• Mobile Sales
• XcelleNet Frontline Solutions
• PocketBuilder
• PowerBuilder Family
• AvantGo

Sybase Workspace
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Considerations
• Demo Building an Application
• Best Practices Summary

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Demo CustDB
Enterprise
Pocket PC Device
Consolidated Database (ASA)
Local Database (UltraLite)
Sync Server (MobiLink)
CustDB Application
Sybase Central
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The Wireless Golf Scoring Application

• Platforms
• Palm OS, Windows CE
• Features
• Team scoring for a scramble format tournament
• Record score, players drive used, special holes
• Local data store (UltraLite) and wireless
  synchronization (MobiLink)
• Poor mans device management
• Simple messaging
• Leaderboard
• Database features
• Common UltraLite database code
• Common MobiLink synchronization scripts

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Golf App - Palm OS Version
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Golf App - Pocket PC Version
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Considerations
• Demo Building an Application
• Best Practices Summary

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Considerations
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Considerations

• Device Selection
• Network Issues
• Application Design and Development
• Data Storage
• Data and Communications Security
• Application Deployment and Management

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Considerations

• Device Selection
• Network Issues
• Application Design and Development
• Data Storage
• Data and Communications Security
• Application Deployment and Management

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Device Selection

• Think about your users
• Where will the application be used?
• How will this application be used?
• How often will the device be used?
• Single-purpose or multi-purpose device?
• What are your constraints?
• Cost
• Edicts from above
• Current expertise
• Special requirements?
• Connectivity (wired or wireless)
• Peripherals (printers, scanners, )

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Hardware Considerations

• Power (batteries)
• Processor speed
• Memory
• Screen
• Ruggedness

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Varied Screen Sizes

• Desktop vs. handheld
• Across handheld platforms
• Move an application from Pocket PC to Palm OS
• Within a platform
• Pocket PC vs. CE .NET
• Palm OS 4 vs. Palm OS 5

Device Screen Resolution
IBM ThinkPad T30 1400 x 1050
Tablet PC 1024 x 768
CE .NET (NEXiO S160) 800 x 480
Pocket PC 240 x 320
Palm OS 160 x 160
Palm OS (Hi-Res) 320 x 320
Nokia 9290 640 x 200
Sony Ericsson P800 208 x (320 144 )
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UI Differences - Input

• Most devices have no keyboard
• Other input methods
• Touch screen with stylus
• Handwriting recognition, Graffiti, Gestures
• Virtual keyboards
• Navigation pad
• Jog dials
• Future?
• Voice recognition
• Bluetooth pens

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Considerations

• Device Selection
• Network Issues
• Application Design and Development
• Data Storage
• Data and Communications Security
• Application Deployment and Management

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Network Issues

• Need to learn about a new networking technology?
  Use it!

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The Eight Fallacies of Distributed Computing
Peter Deutsch

• The network is reliable
• Latency is zero
• Bandwidth is infinite
• The network is secure
• Topology doesn't change
• There is one administrator
• Transport cost is zero
• The network is homogeneous
• http//today.java.net/jag/Fallacies.html

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Network Considerations - General

• Bandwidth
• What does 19.2 Kbps really mean?
• How much do I need now? Later?
• Are there multiple pipes available to my
  application?
• Availability
• Does no network mean no application?
• Applications should be architected in such a way
  that lack of network doesnt stop application
  from working
• Security (or lack thereof)
• Public networks can be dangerous for sensitive
  data
• Even private networks can be sniffed

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Considerations

• Device Selection
• Network Issues
• Application Design and Development
• Data Storage
• Data and Communications Security
• Application Deployment and Management

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Application Design

• If you are extending a desktop application
• What subset of the desktop app is feasible on a
  handheld device?
• What subset of data does the device need?
• If you are creating a new application
• Determine the applications scope what makes
  sense on the device?
• Take a lesson from ergonomics
• Understand how people will use these devices
• Use the device yourself
• Once you know how the device will be used, you
  can design a better application/UI

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Application Development

• Development tools
• Migrating an application from desktop to mobile
• Memory constraints
• Building a user interface for a small screen

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Development Tools

• Many options, depending on platform
• Pocket PC
• PocketBuilder
• eMbedded Visual C, eMbedded Visual Basic
• Visual Studio.NET (Compact Framework/Smart Device
  Extensions)
• Java (Jeode VM)
• Palm OS
• Metrowerks CodeWarrior
• Few cross-platform options
• M-Business Anywhere
• AppForge MobileVB/Crossfire

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Migrating Applications From Desktop to Mobile

• Dont forget your current development practices
  they still apply to mobile!
• Source control
• Build and test environments
• Etc.
• What can feasibly be ported or re-used?
• Development tool/language used
• Development tools/language available
• Where does your business logic reside?
• Databases?
• Application servers?
• Does all of that logic need to be on the device?

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Memory Constraints

• Amount of memory available varies according to
  platform
• New Pocket PC devices typically have gt 32 MB
  available
• New Palm OS (non-entry level) devices typically
  have 8-16 MB available
• Memory is shared between storage and applications
• Older devices may have different constraints
• Palm OS device with 2 MB of memory has lt 36 KB of
  heap space available!

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User Interface Design

• Good UI is very important
• More important than on the desktop?
• Handheld ! desktop
• No keyboard
• Small screen
• Platform differences
• How do you squeeze lots of information onto a
  small screen?
• Tab controls, menus, etc.
• Iterative development
• Keep application logic separate from GUI!
• This helps when porting to other platforms

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Considerations

• Device Selection
• Network Issues
• Application Design and Development
• Data Storage
• Data and Communications Security
• Application Deployment and Management

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Data Storage

• Any mobile enterprise application will need to
  store at least some data on the device
• How will you store this data?
• How much on-device data does your application
  require?
• How much now?
• How much later?
• How much on-device data manipulation will occur?
• Do you need to synchronize on-device data with an
  enterprise data source?

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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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UltraLite

• Small-fingerprint database in SQL Anywhere
  Studio
• High-performance mobile data store
• Data synchronization with the enterprise
  (MobiLink)
• Aimed at small, mobile, embedded and wireless
  devices
• Personal organizers, smart phones, etc.
• Point-of-sale devices
• Typical constraints
• No hard disk
• Limited memory
• Slow processors
• Limited power
• Wireless connection

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Considerations

• Device Selection
• Network Issues
• Application Design and Development
• Data Storage
• Data and Communications Security
• Application Deployment and Management

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Data and Communications Security

• General observations
• Costs must be compared to cost and risk of
  security breech
• No solution is perfect
• Security is reducing risk, not eliminating risk
• If security is cumbersome, it will likely be
  circumvented
• User education is important
• What security problem are you trying to solve?
• Interception of data transmission
• Loss of device
• User authentication

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Considerations

• Device Selection
• Network Issues
• Application Design and Development
• Data Storage
• Data and Communications Security
• Application Deployment and Management

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Application Deployment and Management

• Cost of mobile and remote computing
• Expensive application update rollouts
• Significant assets (software/hardware) not
  tracked
• Cost of support
• Direct support center costs and lost productivity
• Employees cant function without devices
  mission critical
• Security risks
• Mobile / remote / embedded operation outside the
  firewall
• Risk when devices are corrupted or lost
• Update/enforce virus protection, OS, software
  configuration
• Desktop management solutions dont fit
• Not suited to the mobile environment
• Complexity, footprint, connection flexibility,
  device diversity

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XcelleNet Frontline Solutions

• XcelleNet Afaria and RemoteWare
• MES913 Managing and Securing Frontline Devices
  An XcelleNet Overview
• http//www.xcellenet.com

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Agenda

• Introduction
• Considerations
• Demo Building an Application
• Best Practices Summary

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UltraLite and the .NET Compact Framework

• Were going to create and deploy an application
  from scratch
• Developed using Visual Studio.NET
• UltraLite for data storage
• MobiLink for data synchronization
• Application Survey application
• Data-driven questions and response choices all
  in database
• Signature capture
• Runs on Pocket PC devices
• First, lets see the completed application

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Demo Survey Application
Device
Enterprise
Consolidated Database (Sybase/Oracle/ Microsoft/IB
M)
.NET Compact Framework
Survey Application (.NET)
TCP/IP HTTP HTTPS HotSync (wired or wireless)
MobiLink
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UltraLite

• Small-fingerprint database in SQL Anywhere
  Studio
• High-performance mobile data store
• Data synchronization with the enterprise
  (MobiLink)
• Aimed at small, mobile, embedded and wireless
  devices
• Personal organizers, smart phones, etc.
• Point-of-sale devices
• Typical constraints
• No hard disk
• Limited memory
• Slow processors
• Limited power
• Wireless connection

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Goals of UltraLite

• Provide advantages of an enterprise database
• Transaction processing, data types (including
  numeric and date/time), referential integrity,
  indexing, strong encryption
• Provide synchronization to industry standard
  enterprise databases (robust and secure)
• Maintain extremely small footprint
• Maintain hand-coded speed
• Reduce the requirement for platform specific
  knowledge

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UltraLite Programming Interfaces

• UltraLite Components
• Set of components to enable UltraLite development
  with various development tools
• UltraLite.NET
• AppForge MobileVB/Crossfire
• Microsoft eMbedded Visual Basic
• Native UltraLite for Java
• UltraLite for M-Business Anywhere
• UltraLite C Component
• UltraLite ODBC
• Sybase PocketBuilder
• Classic UltraLite
• Embedded SQL
• C API
• JDBC

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UltraLite.NET

• .NET wrapper for UltraLite Component API
• All .NET languages supported
• Platform support
• Pocket PC (.NET Compact Framework)
• Windows XP (Tablet PC - desktop .NET Framework)
• Namespace is iAnywhere.UltraLite
• SQL928 Building Hand-held Database Applications
  Using UltraLite
• Wednesday, 330 PM, Captiva 2

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UltraLite Schema Files

• Schema file (.usm file)
• Provides schema information for a new database
• Can be used to upgrade an existing database
• Schema files can be created with
• Existing ASA database (ulinit)
• XML file (ulxml)
• UltraLite Schema Painter GUI tool (ulview)

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Demo Create an UltraLite Schema
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Demo Create an UltraLite Schema
Device
Enterprise
Consolidated Database (Sybase/Oracle/ Microsoft/IB
M)
.NET Compact Framework
Survey Application (.NET)
TCP/IP HTTP HTTPS HotSync (wired or wireless)
MobiLink
UltraLite
USM
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UltraLite Components - Class Hierarchy
DatabaseManager
ConnectionParms
Connection
DatabaseSchema
PublicationSchema
Table
Column
ColumnSchema
TableSchema
IndexSchema
PreparedStatement
ResultSet
ResultSetSchema
SyncResult
SyncParms
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Demo UltraLite.NET in the Compact Framework
Device
Enterprise
Consolidated Database (Sybase/Oracle/ Microsoft/IB
M)
.NET Compact Framework
Survey Application (.NET)
TCP/IP HTTP HTTPS HotSync (wired or wireless)
MobiLink
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What is MobiLink?

• A two-way synchronization technology for large
  scale mobile database deployment
• Remote database (mobile, embedded, or workgroup
  database server)
• Consolidated database (enterprise, workgroup, or
  desktop database)
• A server that processes synchronization requests
  from remote databases
• Synchronization Streams
• Pocket PC TCP/IP, HTTP
• Palm OS TCP/IP, HTTP, HotSync
• 128-bit strong encryption of synchronization
  stream supported using Certicom TLS

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What is MobiLink?
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MobiLink Design Goals

• Heterogeneous consolidated database
• Scalable and robust (tens of thousands)
• Manageable in large deployments
• Support handheld and wireless devices
• Flexible

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MobiLink Consolidated Databases

• Oracle 8, 8i, 9i
• Microsoft SQL Server
• IBM DB2 UDB
• Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE)
• Adaptive Server Anywhere (ASA)
• List of Recommended ODBC Drivers
• http//www.ianywhere.com/developer/technotes/odbc_
  mobilink.html

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Adding Synchronization

• Set properties of Connection.SyncParms
• myConn.SyncParms.UserName sync_user
• myConn.SyncParms.Stream StreamType.TCPIP
• myConn.SyncParms.Version sync_version
• To synchronize
• myConn.Synchronize
• Status will be in Connection.SyncResult
• Template sync forms need two extra lines of code
• Dim pd As SyncProgressDialog
• New SyncProgressDialog(dbMgr, myConn)
• pd.ShowDialog()

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Demo Add Synchronization
Device
Enterprise
Consolidated Database (Sybase/Oracle/ Microsoft/IB
M)
.NET Compact Framework
Survey Application (.NET)
TCP/IP HTTP HTTPS HotSync (wired or wireless)
MobiLink
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Demo Summary
Device
Enterprise
Consolidated Database (Sybase/Oracle/ Microsoft/IB
M)
.NET Compact Framework
Survey Application (.NET)
TCP/IP HTTP HTTPS HotSync (wired or wireless)
MobiLink
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Considerations
• Demo Building an Application
• Best Practices Summary

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Best Practices

• Always think ahead
• Don't forget about your current development
  practices
• Use the devices and the networks to learn them
• Don't forget about security
• Figure out which part(s) of your application make
  sense for the device
• A good UI is very, very important
• Use a local data store
• Test!

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Questions?
Alex Reif Product Manager areif_at_ianywhere.com