Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Composite Getting Started

Overview

The Composite Information Server 5.1 (CIS) provides a robust, service oriented design platform and operations server that enables a virtual data integration layer for creation, development, deployment, and management of data solutions that accomplish the goals of information integration for the enterprise.
CIS data services provide structured data for business analysts, application views for executives and management, as well as quantitative, federated data for report developers. Application views may be built upon secured data services that agnostically offer re-usable data views to clients that may change with the needs and requirements of the data consuming end-user.
The Composite Information Server (CIS) is an application suite that includes the Composite Server, Composite Studio™, Composite Designer, numerous command line utilities for specialized administrative tasks, and Composite JDBC/ODBC adapters and drivers that allow client applications to discover and consume Composite data services. Of course custom drivers are not necessary when Composite defined resources are published as web services.
The suite of Composite applications enables definition of a virtual data layer to facilitate discovery, integration, and federation of disparate, distributed information sources. The Composite Server enables creation of a transparent, real-time interface to business information for business users and application developers. Designers using CIS create a securely managed unified view across files, databases, and packaged applications.
Composite supports a wide range of data sources such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, DB2, Sybase, Informix, Netezza, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, LDAP, flat files (including data in XML), Web services, and more. Refer to the Users Guide chapter on Data Sources for a full list of currently supported data sources. Connect CIS to these data sources through JDBC, ODBC, SOAP, and so on.
The Composite Information Server virtual data layer enables client applications to browse, query, update, and manage information gathered from across the enterprise and from any number or type of data sources.

Software Components

The Composite Information Server (CIS), also known as the Composite Server (sometimes known as just “the server” informally) is the data service runtime environment responsible for operation of the virtual federated data layer. Composite Studio, Composite Designer, Composite Manager, Composite JDBC driver, and Composite ODBC driver are application tools that connect with the Composite Server to create data resources, enable configuration of the server, and allow consumption of resources.
  • Composite Server
Composite Server represents the core runtime environment that hosts various components such as the query engine and metadata repository.
  • Composite Studio
Composite Studio provides an interface for data modeling, querying, transformation, and administration. For details on Composite Studio user interface, refer to the chapter Composite Studio in the User’s Guide.
  • Composite Designer
The Composite Designer is a development platform designed to facilitate implementation of REST services, servlets, and contract first design created from abstract WSDL to deployed service. With Designer the Java or XQuery developer may more easily reference back-end data sources and procedures with REST, servlet, and WSDL operations.
For more information on the Composite Designer refer to the Composite Designer manuals.
  • Composite Web Manager
The Composite Web Manager is a browser-based Composite Server thin client that allows for system administration, monitoring, licensing, cluster configuration, and provisioning of users, groups, domains by secured LDAP connection, and more. Refer to the Composite Information Server Administration Guide for more details.
  • Composite JDBC
The Composite JDBC driver lets client programs access the server through JDBC. Refer to Client Interfaces in the User’s Guide for more information.
  • Composite ODBC
The Composite ODBC driver lets client programs access the server through ODBC. For further details, refer to the chapter Client Interfaces in the User’s Guide.
The following diagram illustrates the software context.