Edge Documentation

Data Adapters

Data Adapters are the AppBoard server-side connectors that communicate directly with external data sources such as databases, file systems, web services, and system APIs. Each adapter can have its own set of unique settings that are used to connect to the external data source.

Data Sources

AppBoard Data Sources identify the adapter and the configuration settings required to access the external data sources and potentially filters on the data to be accessed by the AppBoard server. Data is brought into the AppBoard Server as Data Sets (Entities) and returned to the AppBoard Client as Data Collections. Data Sources are published inside of an AppBoard's namespace model, which is basically a dot notation used to categorize and segement the varioius data sets into uniquely addressable entities. A Data Source may bring one or more unique data sets into the system. Relationships between Entities are modeled as Associations. They can be established through the Data Source UI or imported from existing associations defined by the external data source.

There are several components that comprise creating an AppBoard Data Source. In the Data Source Wizard, first you create a name for the Data Source. This process is managed by the Namespace manager. Next, you select the type of Data Adapter that will be used for the Data Source. Once you complete the wizard, you have a named Data Source. This Data Source can then be used throughout the AppBoard Builder for designing the presentation to the client (in AppBoard Data Collections, Widgets, and Boards).

Associations

Associations are logical connections between two pieces of data; often referred to as "foreign keys" in databases. For example, a collection of records about the individual states within the United States could be associated with a collection of records about the individual counties in each state. The county would have a "stateId" field, that defined the state in which the county resides. Therefore a one-to-many association can be created between a state and counties.

Data Processing Script

A Data Processing Script is a method of customizing Data Sources in AppBoard to meet specific needs of a customer solution. By inserting a Data Processing Script into the data process, AppBoard can process the data according to a set of coded instructions. This allows data to be manipulated or pre-processed while passing between the raw back-end data source and AppBoard.

AppBoard Data Processing Scripts are written in Groovy.

For more details and an example of implementing Data Processing Scripts, see Data Processing Script.

Adding a Data Source

Naming the Data Source

To add a Data Source, log in to AppBoard as an administrator and click on the "Data Sources" label in the left "Builder Modes" tool palette. At the bottom of the "Data Sources" page, click the "Add" button. This displays the "Create New Data Source" dialog where you will name the new Data Source and choose the adapter type. When naming your Data Source, only alphanumeric characters, underscores, hyphens, and periods are allowed and at least one period is required for namespace categorization purposes.

Choosing an Adapter Type

There are several categories of adapters. The following is a list of the adapter types and a brief description of each type:

Adapter Properties

Category	Name	Description
Database	Database Query	This adapter retrieves specific data from a RDBMS using SQL queries. The adapter supports connectivity to SQL Server, Oracle, SQL Anywhere, PostgreSQL, Hypersonic (HSQLDB), H2, MySQL, and DB2. This is typically used when a JOIN is required to produce a more appropriate view of the data (without unnecessary associations) or for performance reasons.
	Database Table	This adapter retrieves one or more tables from a RDBMS to create Data Collections. It is equivalent to executing "select * from <table_name>" for the selected tables. The adapter supports connectivity to SQL Server, Oracle, SQL Anywhere, Postgres SQL Hypersonic (HSQLDB), H2, MySQL, and DB2.
File	CSV File	This adapter imports a single CSV file residing on the AppBoard sever into a single Data Collection.
	CSV Directory	This adapter imports all of the CSV files residing on the AppBoard sever from a specified directory. Each CSV file is imported as a separate Data Collection.
	XLS File	This adapter imports a single MS Excel file residing on the AppBoard sever into a single Data Collection.
	XLS Directory	This adapter imports all of the MS Excel files residing on the AppBoard sever from a specified directory. Each MS Excel file is imported as a separate Data Collection.
Third Party	HP NNMi	This adapter retrieves information about nodes and incidents from the HP Network Node Manager (NNMi) spplication.
	IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus	This adapter retrieves information from a Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus object server.
Web Service	JSON WebService	This is a web services adapter that uses Javascript, rather than XML, to communicate with an application server.
	XML XSLT	This adapter lets you get data from an XML web service and transform it into records that are in a format applicable to AppBoard.

Data Source Wizard - Connect

After clicking "Add Data Source", the "Data Source Wizard" begins with the "Connect" step. Here you fill in the necessary information for your data source to connect to AppBoard. For more information on how each type of data source is connected, click on the corresponding link in the left-hand column of the "Adapter Properties" table above.

In AppBoard versions 2.4 or higher, an "Enable Failover" option is provided on the "Connect" panel for certain adapters. For detailed instructions on enabling failover, see Data Source Failover.

Data Source Wizard - Explore

After completing the "Connect" step, you will proceed with the "Next" button, which leads you to the "Explore" step. Here, you can view the file(s) selected, manage "Publish" options, configure the data "Type" for individual properties, set a "Default Value" for properties, and select a Primary Key.

Data Source Wizard - Associate

In the "Association" step, you can add an association to your data source by clicking the add button towards the bottom of the screen. This brings up a window where you name the field you are adding, and define the association by relating two entities. Click the "Finish" button and you have successfully created a Data Source. For instructions on creating Associations in AppBoard, see AppBoard Associations.

Editing a Data Source

1. Click "Data Sources" in the left tool palette.
2. Click on the desired Data Source row.
3. Click the "Edit" button.
4. Follow the "Adding a Data Source" instructions.

Renaming a Data Source

AppBoard versions 2.4 and higher support renaming Data Sources.

1. Click "Data Sources" in the left tool palette.
2. Click on the row of the Data Source to rename.
3. Click the "Edit" button.
4. In the "Name" box, change the name displayed for the Data Source.

Users or administrators who are in the AppBoard client concurrent to when a Data Source is renamed can experience unpredictable results. It is recommended that renaming of Data Sources is done on a development server, tested, and then put into effect during a maintenance window.

Copying a Data Source

1. Click "Data Sources" in the left tool palette.
2. Click on the Data Source row to be copied.
3. Click the "Copy" button.
4. In the "Copy Data Source" window, enter a name for the new Data Source.
5. Click the "Copy Data Source" button.
6. Follow the "Adding a Data Source" instructions if you wish to make any changes.

Removing a Data Source

Note that removing a data source will not automatically remove the associated Data Collections, Stacks, Boards or Widgets. You can use this feature to simply replace one data source with another, assuming the namespaces and published record columns match.

1. Click "Data Sources" in the left tool palette.
2. Select the Data Source you would like to remove.
3. Click the "Delete" button at the bottom of the screen.
4. Confirm the removal when the dialog box appears.