Preface

This manual describes how a Java programmer can use Oracle9iAS Personalization (OP) Recommendation Engine API (REAPI) to collect data and obtain recommendations in real time.

Intended Audience

This manual is intended for Java programmers who create and maintain Web sites that use Oracle9iAS Personalization.

Structure

This manual contains the following chapters and appendixes:

Chapter 1	Introduces REAPI.
Chapter 2	Describes the REAPI supporting classes.
Chapter 3	Describes the methods used to manage sessions, manage data, and request recommendations.
Appendix A	Contains examples of how to perform common tasks with the REAPI.
Appendix B	Contains a complete example of REAPI use.

Where to Find More Information

The documentation set for Oracle9iAS Personalization at the current release consists of the following documents:

• README.htm, on the Oracle9iAS Personalization CD; this file contains platform-specific installation instructions.

• Oracle9iAS Personalization Release Notes, Release 9.0.1.

• Oracle9iAS Personalization Administrator's Guide, Release 9.0.1 (includes installation instructions that are the same across all platforms).

• Getting Started with Oracle9iAS Personalization, Release 9.0.1.

• Oracle9iAS Personalization Recommendation Engine API Programmer's Guide, Release 9.0.1. A programmer's manual for programming the recommendation engines in real time (this document).

• Oracle9iAS Personalization Recommendation Engine Batch API Programmer's Guide, Release 9.0.1. A programmer's manual for obtaining bulk recommendations.

Related Manuals

For more information about the database underlying OP, see:

• Oracle9i Administrator's Guide

• Oracle9i Application Server Installation Guide (the appropriate version for your operating system).

Requirements

OP documentation is distributed on the same CD that OP is distributed on. Documentation is provided in PDF and HTML formats.

After OP is installed, the OP documentation can be read by opening the following URL using either Netscape or Internet Explorer:

http://<server-name>/opDoc/

where <server-name> is name of the system where OP is installed.

You can read or print the documentation directly from the CD or from your browser.

To view the PDF files, you will need

• Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later, which you can download from www.adobe.com.

To view the HTML files, you will need

• Netscape 4.x or later, or

• Internet Explorer 4.x or later

Documentation Accessibility

Oracle's goal is to make our products, services, and supporting documentation accessible to the disabled community with good usability. To that end, our documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to facilitate access by the disabled community. Standards will continue to evolve over time, and Oracle is actively engaged with other market-leading technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to all of our customers. For additional information, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program web site at http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/.

Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

JAWS, a Windows screen reader, may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, JAWS may not always read a line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Conventions

In this manual, Windows refers to the Windows95, Windows98, and the Windows NT operating systems.

The SQL interface to Oracle 9i is referred to as SQL. This interface is the Oracle 9i implementation of the SQL standard ANSI X3.135-1992, ISO 9075:1992, commonly referred to as the ANSI/ISO SQL standard or SQL92.

In examples, an implied carriage return occurs at the end of each line, unless otherwise noted. You must press the Return key at the end of a line of input.

The table below shows the conventions used in this manual and their meanings.

Convention	Meaning
. . .	Vertical ellipsis points in an example mean that information not directly related to the example has been omitted.
. . .	Horizontal ellipsis points in statements or commands mean that parts of the statement or command not directly related to the example have been omitted.
boldface text	Boldface type in text indicates a term defined in the text, the glossary, or in both locations.
syntax text	Text in syntax font is used to describe the syntax of Java code.
italic text or syntax	Text or syntax in italics specify user-supplied names or data.
< >	Angle brackets enclose user-supplied names.
[ ]	Brackets enclose optional clauses from which you can choose one or none.