Designed especially for developers, the Application Builder module of IMS Workflow uses a forms-based interface which enables you to easily and quickly connect database tables, develop custom user interface screens and link pre-programmed commands. A wide range of tools gives you the flexibility to design your application and make future enhancements without the need for programming code.

Benefits

Flexibility: Access and update any database or combination of databases. Design your own screens to meet your unique content management system needs. Utilize existing applications from third party products such as Visual Basic or PowerBuilder. Thanks to IMS Workflow's easy-to-use, open design, it can all be done without complex programming.

Ease-of-use: The Application Builder’s point-and-click, Windows-based design makes previously complex tasks simple. IMS Workflow comes with a library of common functions that perform complex routines ¾ all you do is select the command appropriate for the task at hand.

Rapid Application Development (RAD): Its ease of use helps speed the development process, enabling you to rapidly create and deploy applications throughout your organization. Internal testing conducted by IBM showed that developing applications with IMS Workflow was 80% faster than with other popular 4GLs.

Security: Features, such as the ability to hide portions of database tables from unauthorized users, ensures confidential information remains confidential. You can define simple to sophisticated authorization schemes, depending on your unique requirements.

Components
The Application Builder consists of three components, that together provide a comprehensive environment that guides you, step by step, through the application development process:

Database Connector: The Database Connector component of the Application Builder enables you to access and update any database or any combination of databases within a single workflow system. IMS Workflow automatically generates the SQL code transparent to the developer. This promotes rapid development of complex applications without requiring knowledge of the underlying database. Upon connection to the database, pointing and clicking is all it takes to select the tables you wish to use.

Once an application has been developed and tested, it can quickly and easily be modified to take advantage of other database engines ¾ all without modification to the existing screens and scripts.

Screen Builder: According to Delphi Consulting Group., IMS Workflow's complete screen creation capability is an especially critical component of workflow and a key strength of the product. The Screen Builder component of the Application Builder provides powerful point-and-click capabilities to take you step by step through the screen layout and construction process. This enables you to rapidly create a variety of customized screens to meet any document management need, including those unique to your business process.

The Screen Builder gives you everything you need for screen selection, sizing, color, field selection, screen placement, attribute assignment (alpha, etc.) and all other aspects of handling screen controls. Interface controls, such as radio buttons, check boxes, scrolling lists and drop-down list boxes make screen creation quick and efficient. In addition, you have access to advanced controls such as dynamic data exchange (DDE) and component object model (COM). The Screen Builder also gives you the ability to manage unlimited document types with the option of applying varied levels of security to limit screen viewing and/or editing by users.

Once screens have been developed for the appropriate applications, IMS Workflow enables you to link objects from document to document. If one document is changed, you can retrieve and review all documents relating to it through the system’s linking structure. This allows you to easily establish required document dependencies and make revisions when necessary.

Script Builder: The Script Builder component of the Application Builder is a high-level, English-like macro language providing enhanced capabilities for the development of custom applications. IMS Workflow provides you with approximately 200 pre-programmed commands, allowing for complete flexibility in the application development process. A simple point-and-click allows you to select "plain English" commands to perform needed functions. This significantly reduces time spent in the development process, the possibility of syntax errors, and delivers a self-documented application.

This user-friendly Windows-based development environment gives you quick access to a vast library of functions and parameters such as:

• Content management
• User interface controls
• File manipulation
• Workflow events
• Lotus Notes agents
• Document image controls
• Third party COM / DDE controls

Native Databases Supported

• Oracle
• Sybase
• SQLServer
• Lotus Notes
• IBM VisualInfo

...and any other via ODBC