Welcome to the AquaLogic Data Services Platform Samples Tutorial. In this document, you are provided with step-by-step instructions that show how you can solve many of the types of data integration problems frequently faced by Information Technology (IT) managers and staff. These issues include:
What is the best way to normalize data drawn from widely divergent sources?
Having normalized the data, can you access it, ideally through a single point of access?
After you define a single point of access, can you develop reusable queries that are easily tested, stored, and retrieved?
After you develop your query set, can you easily incorporate results into widely available applications?
Other questions may occur. Is the data-rich solution scalable? Is it reusable throughout the enterprise? Are the original data sources largely transparent to the application — or do they become an issue each time you want to make a minor adjustments to queries or underlying data sources?
Document Organization
This guide is organized into 35 tutorials that illustrate many aspects of Data Services Platform functionality:
Data service development. In which you specify the query functions that you will use to access, aggregate, and transform distributed, disparate data into a unified view. In this stage, you also specify the XML type that defines the data view that will be available to client-side applications.
Data modeling. In which you define a graphical representation of data resource relationships and functions.
Client-side development. In which you define an environment for retrieving data results.
Each tutorial consists of an overview plus lessons that demonstrate AquaLogic Data Services Platform capabilities on a topic-by-topic basis. Each tutorial is structured as a series of procedural steps that details the specific actions needed to complete that part of the demonstration.
Note:
The tutorials build on each other and must be completed in sequential order. Unless a step or lesson is labeled as optional it should be completed. Otherwise you may not be able to successfully complete a subsequent, dependent lesson.
Technical Prerequisites
The lessons within this guide require a familiarity with the following topics: data integration and aggregation concepts, the BEA WebLogicŪ Platform™ (particularly WebLogic Server and WebLogic Workshop), Java, query concepts, and the environment in which you will install and use AquaLogic Data Services Platform.
For some lessons, a background in XQuery is helpful.
System Requirements
To complete the lessons, your computer requires:
Server
BEA WebLogic Server 8.1 Service Pack 5
Domain
dplatform
Application
BEA AquaLogic Data Services Platform 2.5
Operating System
Windows 2000 or Windows XP
Memory
512 MB RAM minimum; 1 GB RAM recommende
Browser
Internet Explorer 6 or higher or equivilent
Data Sources Used Within These Tutorials
The Samples Tutorial builds data services that draw on a variety of underlying data sources. These data sources, which are provided with the product, are described in the following table:
Customer service data, organized in a single Service Case table
Web service
CreditRatingWS
Credit rating data
Stored procedure
GETCREDITRATING_SP
Customer credit rating information
Java function
Functions.DSML
Java function enabling LDAP access
Java function
Functions.excel_jcom
Excel spreadsheet data, via JCOM
Java function
Functions.CreditCardClient
Customer credit card information, via an XMLBean
XML files
ProductUNSPSC.xsd
Third-party product information
Flat file
Valuation.csv
Data received from an internal department that deals with customer scoring and valuation model
Related Information
In addition to the material covered in this guide, you may want to review the wealth of resources available at the BEA Web site, WebLogic developer site, and third-party sites. Information at these sites includes datasheets, product brochures, customer testimonials, product documentation, code samples, white papers, and more.
For more information about Java and XQuery, refer to the following sources:
The Sun Microsystems, Inc. Java site at:
http://java.sun.com/
The World Wide Web Consortium XML Query section at:
http://www.w3.org/XML/Query
For more information about BEA products, refer to the following sources:
BEA AquaLogic Data Services Platform approaches the problem of creating integration architectures by providing tools that let you build physical data services around individual physical data sources, and then develop logical data services and business logic that integrate and return data from multiple physical and logical data services. Logical data services use easily-maintained, graphically-designed XML queries (XQueries) to access, aggregate, transform, and deliver its data results.
Developing ALDSP services involves three basic steps:
Create a unified view of information from all relevant sources. This step, which involves development of physical data services and (optionally) data models, is typically performed by a data services architect who understands the information available in underlying sources and can define the unified view that different projects will use. ALDSP is capable of modeling relational and non-relational sources; it includes tools for introspection and mapping of the underlying sources to the unified data view.
Develop application-specific queries. This step, which involves development of logical data services, is typically performed by application developers who write simple queries against the unified view to get the required data. ALDSP provides tools to visually create robust XQueries and also publish them as services.
Tie query results to client applications. This step, which involves accessing data through a variety of consuming applications, is typically performed by application developers who execute the queries and receive results as XML or Java objects. In addition, ALDSP provides an out-of- the-box Workshop control to easily develop portal or Web applications from which to access data retrieved by a data service.
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Data Services Platform Development Process
As part of the development process, ALDSP provides flexible options for updating both relational and non-relational data sources. ALDSP lets you write update logic via an EJB in BEA WebLogic Server™; via a database, JMS, or Data Services Platform Control in Workshop; or via a business process in BEA WebLogic Integration™.
In addition, ALDSP provides visual tools for managing various administrative tasks, including controlling data service metadata, caching, and security.
The initial 17 tutorials illustrate ALDSP's most commonly used capabilities: developing and testing physical and logical data services, accessing data services through various consuming applications, updating underlying data sources, and managing various administrative tasks.
Note:
The lessons build upon one another and should be completed in sequential order.
Advanced (Tutorials 18-35)
In advanced totorials you will build upon that knowledge to:
Build queries in both XQuery Editor View and Source View.
Create models for logical data services.
Run ad hoc queries.
Use update overrides to perform custom data manipulations, update Web services, and overwrite SQL updates.
Use the automatically generated Query Plan.
Re-use XQuery code.
Configure alternative sources for unavailable data sources.
Use SQL Exits to enable retrieving data from an SQL statement.
Enable fine-grained caching.
Enable element-level security.
Create data services from stored procedures, Java functions, XML files, and flat files.
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