Essential Integration Automation

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ToniVerbeiren
Posts: 5
Joined: 13 Aug 2010, 05:55

Hi,

I've used the two integration scenarios: 'integration server' and 'integration tab'.

What I would like is a combination of the two, or better: when using the integration server, the fact that hitting the link automatically imports the data into my Protégé database. Currently, I have to do a manual step of running the script.

It shouldn't be too hard to do, considering that one can use the existing Protégé API, or is it?

Kind regards,
Toni
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jonathan.carter
Posts: 1087
Joined: 04 Feb 2009, 15:44

Hi Toni,

The Integration Tab has now replaced the Integration Server and for scenarios where you are importing from an XML source, the Tab will do everything for you with one click, with no manual script run. This does require that you define a transform XSL file (as does the Integration Server) but if your source is in the Essential XML report format, you can use the 'importEssentialInstances.xsl' transform that is provided with the Integration Tab.

In summary, the Tab takes your source XML, transforms it using the transform XSL that you supply, builds the integration code and executes it. There is no need to manually run the script that it generated.
Having this in the tab makes it easy to use in both stand-alone and multi-user configurations.

The Tab is built on a component that we call the Essential Integration Engine. The idea here is that we can develop additional front-end components to drive the engine. An example of this would be a new tab that I'm putting together to import from Excel sources.
In addition to user front-ends, the intention with this approach is to enable system front-ends which would allow the integration to be scheduled, invoked in response to changes in the external sources and so on. This would (having defined the relevant transforms) provide a truly automated integration but requires some "server" components to be installed and managed. These components would obviously add to the complexity of stand-alone installations in particular but this capability is on our 'roadmap' as part of the integration capability.
However, out priority on the integration side is the Excel import capability.

From what you describe, the integration tab should provide the level of automation that you require. That is, no manual running of the script but it does require some user interaction to start the integration process.
Are you actually looking for something close to the "system front-end" concept that I described above?

For any of these, obviously some form of transform must be used. We've just published a first version of the how-to guide for integration transforms.

Let me know if the Tab meets your needs - or what it might be missing!

Jonathan
Essential Project Team
nmerricks
Posts: 4
Joined: 08 Sep 2010, 19:23

Jon, I can't seem to get the Integration tab to appear within Protege. I've followed the installation guide (running the jar file from a command prompt and following the prompts, using all of the default selections) but nothing appears on the Tabs. OS is Win 7, so I've tried this with and without Administrator privilege. Any clues that I can look for?
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jonathan.carter
Posts: 1087
Joined: 04 Feb 2009, 15:44

Hi,

Just so that I understand where you are with your install, have you separately installed the Essential Integration Tab, after installing Essential Architecture Manager?

The Integration tab installer adds the new Tab to the Protege plugins but is NOT included in the standard Essential Architecture Manager install.

Just in case you haven't already, you can download the Integration Tab from our Share area.

Apologies if you've already done this - let me know.

Jonathan
Essential Project Team
nmerricks
Posts: 4
Joined: 08 Sep 2010, 19:23

Sorry, should have been clearer in my description. Yes, that is exactly what I have done, downloaded and installed the latest version of the Essential Manager, then the Integration Tab. There's no obvious error or failure, just no sign of the tab.
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jonathan.carter
Posts: 1087
Joined: 04 Feb 2009, 15:44

Thanks,

The next step is to enable the tab for your repository (and again, apologies if you've already done this). To do this:
  • Start Protege and open your repository project.
  • Go to the Project menu and select the Configure... option
  • You'll see a bunch of options in list now, scroll down and find the one called 'EssentialIntegrationTab'.
  • Check the check-box for the Integration Tab and click OK
The Essential Integration Tab should now appear as the last tab in Protege.

If there's still no tab showing (or you've already tried this) you can check that the tab has installed correctly in Protege by going to the Help menu and selecting About Plugins. You should be shown a list that will include 'Essential Integration Tab'. If you can see that and when you click on it, can read the About information for the tab, then it's installed correctly.

If you cannot see the Tab plugin in the About, then we need to have a look in your Protege installation folder.
In there, there's a folder called 'plugins' - that is: <Protege Install>/plugins.

Have a look in there and make sure that there is a folder called:
com.enterprise_architecture.essential.integration.widgets
If so, open that folder and make sure that there are 16 items in there.
If not, or the folder is empty, then the installation has failed.
In that case, try the installation again and note any error or failure messages.
On that, can I ask whether you are using Windows 7? If so, then you might need to re-download the Integration tab installer which was updated last week to enable it with the correct rights to complete the installation.

If you do have the integration widgets folder with all the items in it in your Protege plugins folder, we're going to have to look at the startup messages from Protege to see if there are any errors being raised there.

Hope this helps - and let me know how you get on

Jonathan
Essential Project Team
nmerricks
Posts: 4
Joined: 08 Sep 2010, 19:23

Ha, now I feel stupid! I'd missed the instruction to enable the tab in the Configure menu item. Would it be possible to add that to the end of the installation instructions, instead of the beginning of the use instructions?

Thanks for your prompt help
Neil.
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jonathan.carter
Posts: 1087
Joined: 04 Feb 2009, 15:44

Not to worry. It's great to get feedback on the documentation.

I'll get a reminder to enable the tab added to the end of that article.

Thanks

Jonathan
Essential Project Team
wktsugue
Posts: 7
Joined: 30 May 2011, 21:19

Hi Jonathan,
That mentioned future new Essential's Tab for importing data from Excel files is the same as you mentioned in another forum's thread ("Import Data with Data Load")? (url]http://www.enterprise-architecture.org/ ... ?f=6&t=160[/url])

Do you had some progress on that new Tab?

Very thanx.
Wilson.
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jonathan.carter
Posts: 1087
Joined: 04 Feb 2009, 15:44

Hi Wilson,

We're definitely making progress on this but to improve usability, we're taking a slightly different approach for packaging the Excel 'adapter'. I'll post back when we have more news.

Hope this helps

Jonathan
Essential Project Team
[email protected]
Posts: 1
Joined: 20 Dec 2011, 07:48

Hi Jonathan,
In one of your earlier posts, you mentioned the feature to allow integration to be scheduled, invoked in response to changes in the external sources was part of your roadmap.
Is this feature available now? If yes, is it through Integration tab, or some other component?

Thanks and regards,
Sudarshan
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jonathan.carter
Posts: 1087
Joined: 04 Feb 2009, 15:44

Hi

This is a feature that is still in the planning phase of our recently updated roadmap.

The approach to integration is changing and improving. We have a new and far more comprehensive import utility in development at the moment but versions of this are already being used in the field. This web application, which would typically be deployed along side Essential Viewer provides a much more graphical and user-friendly mechanism for defining the imports within an environment that we plan to further develop to include scheduled and automated imports.

While the Integration Tab continues to provide good (if rather technical) capabilities for importing from XML sources, future development (with the exception of bug-fixes) for the XML adapter will most likely take place in the new web-based import utility.

As ever, our priorities are lead by the demands of our clients and the Essential Community and if you have some specific requirements we'd be happy to work with you to understand what options might be available.

Jonathan
Essential Project Team
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