Applications Integration

Integration of applications plays more and more important role in modern world.

It is possible to specify the areas demanding integration especially:

• Information interchanges between various divisions of the company, for example the office, the removed warehouse, shop
• Information interchanges between vendor and customer, for example price-lists, trading documents 
• Information interchange between various software products used in the company, for example - MS Excel, MS Project, the Internet and intranet sites, accounting and trading applications

Today the most perspective and effective technique for data interchange is XML.

PBiz XML-Data Exchange Manager (XML-DEM)

Tool PBiz XML-Data Exchange Manager (XML-DEM) created for Microsoft Navision allows easily and conveniently data exchange adjusting, in automatic and interactive mode loading and unloading information, providing thus integration between various applications. The tool is easy to use and does not require profound knowledge of XML.

Screen shots of XML-DEM

XML-DEM main capabilities

Tuning for any structure of an XML file

Data Exchange Adjustment with minimum coding

XML-DEM in most of cases can be used without programming

Adjustment of a data exchange at a Business Objects level

Under Business Objects we imply linked business information, for example, a Purchase Order, a Sales Order, Item Transfer Order, etc. Navision business objects, for example the Purchase Order consist of set of the interconnected tables: header, lines, vendors, items, units of measure and so forth at the unloading the data only the linked data with the given object are unloaded. At loading the data included in the Business Object are loaded. Besides, if for example, the data on the vendor specified in the order is not exists in the system it is automatically created.

Use of functions and constants during exchange

For a data exchange between any applications an exchange adjustment should possess a good flexibility. In XML-DEM for these purposes default values and user functions are used. For fields participating in an exchange it is possible to specify a value which will be unloaded or loaded during an exchange. This value can be as a constant, or be calculated by the function. There are set of predefined functions in XML-DEM provided that is useful for data exchange purpose.

Instant viewing of a result during the exchange adjustment

While exchange adjusting it is possible to see result directly in the form of adjustment. To do this a user just press a button and can see values that will be imported or exported for the current record. The values of the user defined functions are calculated as well.

Visual mapping of the data

It is possible to map the Navision fields and XML data visually using Field Mapping Tool.

Data Synchronization

Synchronization serves for identification of objects during an exchange to avoid duplication of the data. For example, at a repeated loading of a vendor the new vendor should not be created, and the information should be updated in existing. For each record it is possible to create any algorithm of synchronization, the combination of fields included in a primary index (Primary Key) is used by default.

Use OnInsert, OnModify, Validate triggers

At data loading it is possible to invoke OnInsert, OnModify, Validate triggers. Thus it is possible to use Navision business logic and automatically fill necessary fields. For example, if for Sell-to Customer No. field in a Sales Quota invoke Validate trigger it can relieve of laborious job on filling other dependent fields.

Log file detailing

To check the results of an exchange and for search for mistakes it is possible to set a various detailing level of a log file separately for each Exchange Object. It is possible to analyze exchange process at the next levels: table records, link conditions, user functions and variables calculations, and at each field of a record.

Packages of Exchange Objects

Exchange Objects can be included in Exchange Packages. When the package will run there will be a consecutive start of all the objects which are included in it. For each object a direction of an exchange - unloading or loading is provided.

Data exchange in manual and automatic mode

Exchange sessions can be started in an automatic mode through a time interval, or at a certain event. As well it is possible to start an exchange manually.

Data delivery confirmation

XML-DEM maintains data delivery confirmations. Thus a confidence in data delivery is provided during exchange.

Pre-defined Patterns for exchange

For convenience of the use and as an example of tuning XML-DEM there are a number of the pre-defined Exchange Objects (patterns) for integration with various applications and business processes. Patterns can be used as a base and further are changed and modified for certain conditions.

Screen shots of XML-DEM