Taking PowerBuilder Applications To The Web

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Taking PowerBuilder Applications To The Web
Donald D. Clayton and Bryan RobertsIntertech
Consulting, Inc.dclayton_at_intertech.us (713)
586-6481
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Todays Agenda PB to Web Strategies

• There are a number of different approaches to
  moving PB to the web, including
• Screen Scraping with Appeon
• Application Partitioning (moving business logic
  to middle tier)
• PB NVOs as Web Services providers
• Integrating PB Business Objects with other
  languages
• .Net
• C
• Java/JSP/Struts
• Using the DataWindow for Web Reporting
• Using other PB to Web Frameworks

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Traditional PB-to-the-Web Options

• Complete Rewrite in Java/J2EE, HTML and
  JavaScript
• Complete rewrite of everything taking years and
  costing a lot of money
• Complete Rewrite in .NET, HTML, and JavaScript
• Complete rewrite of everything taking years and
  costing a lot of money
• PowerBuilder and EAServer in Java/J2EE, HTML and
  JavaScript
• Reuse all DataWindows (up to 60 of avg. app) and
  all Business Logic NVOs (0-15 of avg. app)
• Rewrite user interface and navigation with JSPs
  and JavaScript taking months and suggest you get
  help on first project

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Elements to Consider
The PB to Web hurdles

• Datawindows
• Our best (and most important) option for
  reusability.
• Many options, with accurate display our primary
  concern.
• Most solutions provided out of the box from
  Sybase.
• Business Logic
• The (currently Powerscript) functions and
  procedures that make the application robust.
• This is the most difficult portion of the
  application to convert (think PFC).
• With care, this logic can be partitioned so that
  the legacy PB app and the converted web app can
  be utilizing the same logic codebase.
• Graphical Logic
• This layer involves graphics, and
  graphically-driven events (like drag and drop,
  multi/single select, etc).
• Some of these elements simply cannot be recreated
  easily in the web environment.
• Several different browser-side solutions can help
  recreate the desired functionality.

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Solutions
The PB to Web hurdles

• Datawindows
• JSP / EAF / PBDW - These methods all use the
  Sybase-provided dlls to generate the DW as an
  html stream. There are several methods of
  connection, and generation within these
  solutions.
• Appeon - Automatic
• Business Logic
• JSP Business logic can be stored in any type of
  class, that can be called from within a JSP page.
  The advantage here is the level of control from
  within the JSP itself.
• EAF Business logic can be transferred to PB
  NVOs, and stored within Jaguar. This allows
  reuse of the code, as well as leveraging existing
  development talents.
• Appeon - Automatic (even PFC!)
• Graphical Logic
• JSP / EAF Very little support for anything
  short of simple graphical elements (buttons,
  pictures, etc). Other elements will need to be
  created manually.
• Appeon VERY strong support, some features not
  implemented.

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Moving PB to the Web with Appeon

• Appeon for PowerBuilder
• Applications Deploy existing PB applications to
  the Web
• Developers Using only PB skills, build NEW Web
  applications immediately with unparalleled
  productivity
• Users Same rich-client GUI but running in
  standard IE browser

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Appeon Components
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3 Easy Steps to the Web for Existing Apps

• Step 3 Click Deploy
• Click Appeon Wizard
• Choose Deployment Profile and Mode
• Auto-Create HTML, XML, and JavaScript

• Step 2 Modify Test
• Rewrite or remove any unsupported PB features or
  code using standard PB programming
• Test in PB IDE

• Step 1 Analyze
• Appeon scans the entire PowerBuilder application,
  flagging any Web browser or Appeon unsupported
  incompatibilities found

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3 Easy Steps for New Web Development

• Step 3 Click Deploy
• Click Appeon Wizard
• Choose Deployment Profile and Mode
• Auto-Create Auto-Create HTML, XML, and JavaScript

• Step 2 Test
• Test PowerBuilder application in the PowerBuilder
  IDE

• Step 1 Develop
• Quickly create new PowerBuilder Client/Server
  Windows and DataWindows using Appeon supported
  features

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Traditional PB to Web Options
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Two-Tier Architectures
Database Server
Client
Vendor / Platform-Specific API

• User interface
• Some business logic

• Data management
• Some business logic

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Multitier (Distributed) Architectures
Database Server
Client

• User interface

• Data management

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Distributed Application Development
Client
Middle Tier
Data
Web Server
Browser
Very Thin
PageServer
Browser
Thin
TransactionServer
Enterprise JavaBeans, COM, CORBA, PB NVOs
Client/ServerApplication
Rich
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Managing Complexity

• Creating an enterprise system that will support
  diverse client types with shared business
  components requires
• Increased emphasis on analysis and design
• Increased usage of OO techniques to manage
  complexity
• Common Techniques include
• System Partitioning
• System Layering
• Service-based architectures

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System Partitions
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System Architecture Layers
Layering is accomplished with generalization
(inheritance)
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System Architecture
A Combined Perspective
Note When designing distributed systems, always
know the layer and partition you are designing
for!
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Service-Oriented Architectures

• Service-based architectures are popular in
  distributed computing and in n-tier environments
• Two main components
• Requester class
• Service class
• The key concept here is the delegation of
  behavior
• Rather than the encapsulation of behavior
• Results in highly specialized, task-based classes
• Proxy objects are used to facilitate
  service-based architectures in an n-tier
  environment

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Requester and Service Class Example

• Requesters delegate work to services
• Contain predefined operations to and call
  services
• Contain attributes that refer to the service
  classes
• Service classes respond to requesters, and return
  results
• Requestor/service model follows the client/server
  metaphor

Requester Class
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Web Services
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Web Services Technologies 101

• What are Web services ?
• Made up of standards that describe business
  processes
• Self describing
• Searchable in a registry of services
• Sync or Async
• Loosely coupled and cross platform
• Reusable

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Web Services Technologies 101

• Web services benefits
• RAD
• Neutral
• Architecture language
• Leverage current investment
• Accessed through many different client types

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Technologies 101
High Level Architecture
Client

• Provider creates and publishes service
• A client searches a registry for that service
• The client is able to connect and call the service

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Technologies 101

• Protocols involved Web Services Stack
• WSFL
• UDDI
• WSDL
• SOAP
• XML
• TCP/IP, HTTP etc

Emerging Layers
Core Layers
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Web Services Technologies 101

• TCP/IP, HTTP
• Common Internet Transport Protocols
• Web services not tied to any one protocol

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Web Services Technologies 101

• XML
• Extensible Markup Language
• Widely accepted format to exchange data
  semantics
• Core building block for every layer in the Web
  services stack

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Sample XML Schema
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XML Element to DW Column Mapping
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Technologies 101

• SOAP
• Simple Object Access Protocol,
• Represents a
• light-weight,
• wire-level protocol
• for messaging RPC communications
• Based on XML

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Web Services Technologies 101

• SOAP Message
• Envelope comprised of
• Header
• Body
• Body comprised of
• Requests
• Responses
• Status
• Attachments

Envelope
Header
Body
Requests
Response
Status
Attachments
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Web Services Technologies 101

• WSDL Document
• Comprised of
• Data types
• Message/method
• Port
• Binding
• Service

Document
Data Types
Message
Interface
Port
Binding
Implementation
Service
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Web Services Technologies 101

• UDDI
• Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
• SOAP-based Web service
• Allows
• Providers to register services
• Clients to lookup services
• Uses WSDL to describe services

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Web Services Technologies 101
Client
UDDI
Provider
Lookup
Register
Service
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Creating Web Services with PowerBuilder
Jaguar Manager
PowerBuilder
Generate Stubs and Skeletons
EA Server
Component Development
Component / User Object
Deploy Component
Expose Component as Web Service
Component Proxy
Create Component Proxy
WSDL
Eclipse
Web Service Client
Create Web Service Proxy from WSDL
Internet
Web Service Development
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EAServer 5.1
IIOP
CICS
Stored Procs
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Topics

• Distributed Architecture Issues
• Role of a Jaguar Component Transaction Server
  (CTS)
• Jaguar CTS Environment
• Server
• Components
• Packages
• Repository
• Architectures for Building Web Applications

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Role of the Server Application

• Component instantiation and lifecycle

• To efficiently manage

• Database connections

• Transactions

• Threads

• Security

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Jaguar CTS Environment
Jaguar Server
IIOP requests
Class Libraries

9000

TDS requests
7878
HTTP requests
8080
Components
Package
Jaguar Manager
Repository
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Required Expertise
Business Developers
Lifecycle
Threads
Transactions
Security
GUI Developers
Connections
System Developers
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HTML DataWindow
Web Browser
Web Server
Page Server
HTML
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PowerBuilder as a Data Provider (Shell)

• Integrating PB Business Objects with other
  languages real world example
• 3-Tier client/server application Unix, PB,
  C/C, Oracle
• Entera Early Application Server Operated
  within Distributed Computing Environment (DCE)
  using Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) to manage C/S
  communication, Security, DB access, memory
  management, etc.
• Client PowerBuilder 5, 285 windows, 600 DWs
  (1300 Objects/360K lines of code), etc.
• Server C C (business logic), 80 server
  components (750 files)

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PowerBuilder as a Data Provider (Shell)

• Entera

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PowerBuilder as a Data Provider (Shell)

• EAServer

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PowerBuilder as a Data Provider (Shell)

• Moving from Entera to EAServer because
• Entera Server Components often hang up and block
  client access
• Memory leaks server components must be recycled
  each night
• Clients sometimes endure long waiting times
• Obsolete product No support since 2001
• Obsolete technology Comparable to Windows 3.1
  DOS today
• No support for new UNIX libraries
• Development tools utility libraries on UNIX are
  1996 versions, no longer supported by OS
• Unable to upgrade server OS (UNIX).
• Random load balancing

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PowerBuilder as a Data Provider (Shell)

• Power Simplicity with Custom PB Data
  Abstraction Layer (DAL)
• PowerBuilder data access
• 10 years in database access experience
• EAServer Connection management
• Its the DataWindow!!!
• SQL statements decoupled from C components
• PowerBuilder dynamically created DataWindows from
  cached SQL
• Native PowerBuilder DataWindow data
  manipulation/access
• Data by rows (tab delimited array strings)
• Data by columns (column arrays)
• Stream (stringtab delimited for columns,
  carriage return/line feed for rows)
• HTML output
• Opportunity for web service functionality

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The EAF 4.0

• Features
• Web Based Administration
• Seamless Data Update and Retrieve
• PDF and Excel Reports
• XML Argument Service
• XML Messaging Service
• Enhanced Error Messaging
• Web DataWindow Wizard
• Global Debugging
• Database Logging and Log Filtering
• Email Queuing Services
• Multi-Web DataWindow Transactions
• Extensive Documentation

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The EAF 4.0

• Strengths
• EAF 4.0 bundled with PowerBuilder 10.0
• Only PowerBuilder Web development framework to be
  endorsed by Sybase
• Sybase has developed many case studies on EAF
  users
• Open Source
• Utilizes existing PowerBuilder Skills
• Reuses PowerBuilder code and DataWindows
• DataWindows become updateable Web pages in
  minutes
• Robust server side event model
• Powerful yet flexible retrieve and update model
• Total control over the process

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The EAF 4.0

• Strengths (continued)
• 6 Years in action on large small production
  systems
• Over 1,000 companies and organizations using EAF
  Worldwide
• Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission
• Apache Corporation
• Halliburton ESG HR
• Fidelity
• KeyLink Solutions
• QuoteCommand.com
• State of Montana
• United States Department of Energy
• United States Library of Congress
• University of Houston Louis Stokes Alliance for
  Minority Participation
• University of Sydney

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EAF Administration Demo
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EAF Administration Demo
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Next Steps?
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Title Arial 28 pt.
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