Prolifics Consulting Enables Web Services and More...
Prolifics now offers technical consulting to enable existing Panther screens
and JPL as Web services for your 3rd party applications. Additionally,
we can create transactional Web services and SOA applications independent
of Panther for integrating services, applications and resources across
your enterprise.
Q&A
What does this mean for you?
- A third party application(s) can extract data from and/or input data to
legacy Panther application(s) via Web services. The Panther development
environment can create new, rapid database transactional Web services for
just about any application.
- You can now extend the value of your Panther tools and application investment
throughout your enterprise.
How does this work?
- Using the Panther tools and skills you may already have, you can utilize
the Panther Web Application Broker as a vehicle to develop and incorporate
Web services. All the Panther facilities such as, database connectivity,
transaction manager, JPL and C-code functions, along with our visual object
repository, is available to speed up the development and deployment process.
- As long as each application implements the Web services standards, applications
can freely interoperate with each other. This bi-directional communication
is independent of the technology that the target application was written
in.
Which components are required for building, creating and deploying Panther
Web Services?
- Panther version 5 or Higher " Panther Web Brokers version 5 or Higher
- IBM WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus*, IBM WebSphere Application Server*,
or Apache Axis
Why Web Services?
- Web services allow different applications from different sources to communicate with each other without time-consuming custom coding. Communication is performed in XML. It has an interface described in a machine-processable format (specifically Web Services Description Language WSDL). Other systems interact with the Web service in a manner prescribed by its description using SOAP messages, typically conveyed using HTTP with an XML serialization in conjunction with other Web-related standards.
- Web services are not tied to any one operating system or programming language.
- Once the Web service is exposed on the network, other applications can
use the functionality of your program (example: Currency Convertor Web
Service, Invoicing Web Service, etc)
Why engage Prolifics?
- Prolifics is an end-to-end systems integrator with IBM technologies and
has serviced over 1300 IBM software engagements and 280 Portal implementations.
We have been recognized for our technical achievements and customer solutions
with a number of awards over the years, including the IBM Overall Technical
Excellence Award.
- Prolifics is large enough to scale and small enough to react quickly, all
with the full backing of IBM. Our customers include a variety of Fortune
500 companies across all industries.
WEB SERVICES DEMO
Instructions to run the Web Services Demo are available by clicking here: https://profapps.prolifics.com/demo.docx
The Demo will invoke a Panther Web service called listOPRs. This Web service
lives on the Spider Apache Web Server.
What was performed to create the Panther Web Service:
i. Tweak the existing JPL and screen so that it is able to be consumed
by a Web service
ii. Create WSDL and XSD files with either IBM WebSphere Enterprise Service
Bus, WebSphere Application Server, or Axis2
iii. Configure the HTTP server to point to one of the 3 systems:
a. For WESB or WAS, configure the standard WebSphere HTTP plugin
b. For Axis2, configure the Apache proxy module to expose the Axis2 service
through the Apache Web Server
To schedule a complimentary Discovery Call, please call our Business Development
Manager at 1-800-458-3313 ext 2 or email crm@prolifics.com.
*Prolifics is an authorized IBM Software Reseller |
Panther Applications in Croatia
Brief History
When the Prolifics application development toolset came to the Croatian
market in 1990, independent software vendor company Pardus (then 4-MATE)
chose it to develop a back office application for a large retailer. The
character-mode JAM 5 application was running on an Intel-based UNIX system,
with 60+ concurrent users - the largest in the region at that time.
Based on the successful experience with the Prolifics toolset, Pardus developed
another large integrated information system for retail banks. The platform
was again character mode JAM 5 on UNIX, with custom mechanisms for distributed
database support. The system has since migrated to the recent version of
Panther and is still in use today.
Pardus continued to use JAM and Panther for its own development, and started
to distribute it to other Independent Software Venders (ISV) and end-user
organizations with their own IT staff. Programs for JAM and Panther training,
consulting, project management, and end-user development team mentoring
were created. This contributed to the rapid success of the tool in the
Croatian market.
As a result, Panther is now used by the two largest banks in the country.
One of them still uses the originally Pardus-developed software for its
core data processing, supported by 70+ in-house Panther developers and
a team of Pardus consultants. Other users, apart from ISV houses, include
departments like the Croatian postal services, customs, health insurance,
several ministries and Zagreb municipal administrations.
An Example: Forensic DNA Database
Pardus uses and encourages other fellow developers to use Panther for a
wide variety of applications. One interesting example is the Pardus-developed
eQMS::DNA application, a DNA "fingerprint" database, now in use
in Central Forensic Laboratories in two countries.
When the opportunity to develop such an application arrived, Pardus again
chose Panther because of its excellent rapid prototyping abilities, flexibility
of its scripting language and the versatility of its database transaction
generator. Native XML import and export capabilities were also an advantage.
The resulting eQMS::DNA application is a system primarily used for maintenance
and efficient searching of database of human genotypes for forensic purposes
(such as identification of biological traces like blood, hair, skin etc),
but also has the capability to be used in fields such as livestock lineage
tracking.
DNA fingerprinting relies on the fact that certain points in human (or
other) genome (loci) change relatively quickly (display polymorphism) from
generation to generation - fast enough to form a combination unique for
an individual, but slowly enough to be stable within single individual's
cells. The type of polymorphisms and number of loci used for constructing
genotypes in eQMS::DNA is configurable, but typical installation will employ
a standard set of 13 to 18 STR (short tandem repeat) loci.
The system maintains data on individual donors with optional end-user configurable personal and demographic data, multiple samples containing genetic material taken from the donor, and genotypes obtained from the samples, possibly using multiple techniques and identification kits. Both processed genotypes and optional additional data such as peak quality, confidence parameters and raw electroferograms can be kept. The system also keeps profiles of unidentified traces.
Manual entry of data to Panther screens, from plate gel electrophoresis
is possible, but the typical data source results from automated capillary
electrophoresis sequencers. Communication with systems such as Interpol
DNA Gateway is also supported.
The searches can be performed interactively or in full automatic mode.
All searches, including those using partial profiles and relaxed criteria
are typically done in less than a second. The system also supports mixed-stain
searches with provisions for common contaminant identification (such as
genotypes of laboratory or other forensic personnel).
Interpol maintains a list of available DNA profiling systems (probably
the most well known being FBI CODIS). eQMS::DNA is the only application
from a commercial software developer.
For a screenshot of the eQMS::DNA profiling application, click here.
New Developments
Pardus has assisted many clients in modernizing their legacy character-mode JAM and Panther applications.
For example, a Complex Card Management application for a leading Croatian
bank was recently ported from JAM 5 character-mode to Panther 5 Graphical
User Interface (GUI). Initial functionality was complete within a month,
with an additional month spent adding capabilities made possible by the
new version of the Panther tool.
Pardus mentored several of their customers as they transitioned from character-mode
to GUI to the Web environment, and from 2-tier to multi-tier architecture.
One example includes developing a Java wrapper to call mainframe-based
Web services from within a 2-tier GUI and Web Panther application. Another
customer, a public health institution, uses the similar Pardus-provided
tool to provide their clients with controlled access to their LIMS software
(also developed by Pardus) that contains data on analysis of food and water
samples.
Despite the market focus shifting away from dedicated application development toolsets, Panther stays a viable product in the Croatian market, thanks to the high penetration and the level of experience and expertise available to its customers.
For more info see http://dna.pardus.hr/ and http://lims.pardus.hr/.
Dragi Raos is the co-founder of Pardus d.o.o a software development and IT consulting company from Zagreb, Croatia. Pardus is a distributor of Panther and JAM in Croatia. Dragi has three decades of experience in technical and scientific computing, design and development of complex financial applications, training and coaching of development teams. He has served as team leader and technical consultant with clients ranging from International Atomic Energy Agency to large regional banks to public health institutions. Dragi's technical expertise includes database management systems, middleware, CASE tools and a wide range of development environments, including 20 years of experience with Panther and all versions of JAM. |