Types of Applications

Four general application types exist:

In practice, applications often are a blend of the different types. For example, in a discussion database, to keep the participants aware of changes and to encourage active participation, you can include a newsletter agent that sends an email containing document links to all the new and changed documents in the database. A reference application for a corporate policy database would almost certainly have an approval process connected with it. A workflow application that handled requisitions might include a discussion component to provide a forum for appeal of a denied requisition . These are merely a few examples illustrating the rich applications that can be created when the different types are blended into a solution.

Notes can also provide integration with a relational database system. Through one of the data-integration tools such as Lotus Enterprise Integrator (LEI), Domino Enterprise Connectivity Services (DECS), Domino Connection Resources (DCRs), or IBM's MQSeries, Notes users not only read data in other databases, but also enter and modify it. Some integrators, such as MQSeries and LEI, can provide a two-way exchange of information; others provide batch updates. DECS and DCRs are covered in Chapter 22, "Accessing Data with DECS and DCRs."

Despite all this impressive power, Notes and Domino simply aren't suited for some types of applications. Applications that have high-transaction volume, such as a telephone call center that takes hundreds of calls an hour , might not be a good candidate for Notes. Likewise, if you need complete accuracy and real-time updates of stock in a warehouse, Notes probably shouldn't be your first choice, although it is conceivable that you could interface with a back-end database such as Oracle to provide accurate up-to-the-minute information. Writing an accounting application in Notes is not something you should try, although you could consider interfacing with one. As a general rule of thumb, if the application's data model more closely matches a relational model, use a relational database and not Notes and Domino. In each of these examples, you could possibly find ways to design around the limitations of Notes; however, it is best to find an appropriate tool to solve the business problem rather than force the tool to fit the problem. Here are some rules of thumb you can use to weed out unlikely candidates. Remember not to take these literally, and use a good dosage of common sense. In general, avoid applications that do the following:

Категории