ObjectSpark Overview
ObjectSpark® is our patented software which allows one to develop a customized Data Services layer. There are three main elements:
ObjectSpark® Universal Adapter
ObjectSpark® Designer
ObjectSpark® Component Manager
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ObjectSpark® Universal Adapter
Data Services Engine
ObjectSpark delivers a production-quality Data Services runtime engine that manages delivery and persistence of data between your application and the multiple data sources it uses, whether in your enterprise or in a cross-enterprise environment. Leveraging your application's object model (XMI compliant), it provides a set of Data Service Objects (DSO) that efficiently and automatically handle all of the details of providing data to the objects in your application's process logic layer. The runtime engine supports transaction management and security, provides for a range of app-to-data source optimization, and efficient connection pooling. ObjectSpark provides Data Services engines for COM, COM+, Java, EJB and (soon) .NET.
Rich APIs
ObjectSpark provides a rich set of APIs to handle all of the data access and persistence needs of your application. Based on your application's object model, ObjectSpark creates Data Service Objects for both single instances and lists that handle all standard access operations such as create, read, search, and delete operations. Data Service Objects also can get or set data in XML format or in traditional record sets. ObjectSpark also provides a generic interface, an Array Access interface, and special query and navigation objects.
Map
ObjectSpark maintains the relationships between your applications object model and external data sources in a Map that is stored as an XML document. A unique and powerful feature of ObjectSpark is that it explicitly maps all object relationships, such as association, aggregation and composition. ObjectSpark also provides an API to dynamically create or edit Map files at runtime. This significantly enhances the automation possibilities for applications.
ObjectSpark® Designer
The ObjectSpark Designer provides a familiar, easy-to-use GUI that enables you to easily define the relationships between application logic objects and external data sources.
Accessing your object model
Your application business logic objects can be entered or edited directly using the Designer. They can also be imported from Rational Rose or from any modeling or reverse engineering tool that produces XMI.
Accessing external data sources
ObjectSpark reads schemas from any compliant ADO or JDBC data source. If the goal is to produce a new database to persist your application object model, then ObjectSpark will create an appropriate schema. If the goal is to produce an application based on an existing database, then ObjectSpark will create an appropriate model for that schema.
Linking your object model to external data sources
ObjectSpark Designer has powerful linking capabilities. It allows an object's attributes to be mapped to different tables, even in different data sources. It can link attributers to different data sources separately for read and write. It maps not only attributes but also all types of object relationships - association, aggregation and composition. Most importantly, it can associate a set of operations with any mapped link, providing for necessary subsidiary actions like logging an event or entering values in a secondary table.
Generating Data Service Objects
Once your object model is mapped to external data sources, the Designer provides a full validation facility that makes sure the mappings will work at run-time. (This is simply not possible when hand-coding, as standard compilers do not parse or understand the included SQL calls.) In addition to generating a XML Map, the ObjectSpark Designer creates the Data Service class definitions required from the mapping. ObjectSpark is a multi-platform product so class definitions can be generated for COM or Java. Another option is to just generate a map. This is useful for system maintenance. If an external data source schema has changed, then only a new map needs to be created. The application and the ObjectSpark Data Service Objects do not have to be modified. This can greatly reduce an application's maintenance cost.
ObjectSpark® Component Manager
The ObjectSpark Component Manager is used to package and deploy the data services layer into your production environment. It associates the right set of Data Service Objects and the map that is associated with your application. Most often, the resulting Data Service layer is deployed in-process with your application. By deploying in-process, the ObjectSpark Data Services layer scales right along with your application. Its performance can be individually tuned for each application.
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