Technical

My Workplace has been developed using the Ingres Open Road development tools. The OpenRoad toolset supports an n-tier architecture where the client may use a compliant SQL database of choice.  The tools also supports the replacement of the user interface with WEB based technology or Visual Basic.

Developing the system to the n-tier structure enables the system to be deployed across a company’s Wide Area Network (WAN) while requiring a single centralised database.  The presentation layer is a thin client that handles the instructions regarding the interface eg: to select an employee, to check if all mandatory details have been entered, or to display a message if an incorrect value has been entered.  The processing of the business logic that retrieves, updates, inserts and deletes data, applies business rules and calculations that require interaction with the database, or may be used from more than one screen is performed on an application server.  This is typically centralised and located near the database server or on the physical database server.  The database optionally contains processing and referential integrity rules, however always contains the data for the application.  The SQL queries that manipulate the data are executed on the database server.  This architecture ensures minimal network traffic and that the application logic is executed on servers that ensure high performance levels are achieved.

 The Ingres OpenRoad programming language can connect to any ‘open’ database using ANSI standard SQL.  The language supports writing to and reading from ‘external’ files.  This ensures the application can interface to or integrate with other databases.

The significant advantage of the Ingres OpenRoad toolset and the development approach taken is that the user interfaces can be re-developed as WEB pages using a number of contemporary tools without affecting the existing software code in the business logic layer, in fact re-using the business logic software code.

The technology enables the application to be converted to a WEB based interface in a managed approach in response to market demand.  The functions can be selectively added to the WEB environment as required with minimal development effort.

 The OpenRoad technology has a high level of platform independence. The application will operate under many versions of UNIX and Windows NT without having to alter the code.

The database can be any standard RDBMS database, such as SQL Server, Ingres and Oracle.  The application can run on the various versions of UNIX, Windows NT and Windows clients.

 Security is provided to limit both the functions that can be performed and the data that can be accessed by both personalised controls and the creation of profiles that users can be allocated to.  These controls have been written into the application and are independent of the operating system/network security.