Utilize ObjectGears: Queries

19.06.2015

ObjectGears offers queries created over underlying classes. Queries are views that can link data from several ObjectGears classes and also data outside these classes. The query is composed in standard SQL. However, in contrast to standard SQL queries that we know from SQL server, ObjectGears offers number of benefits:

  • The user can filter query results in a comfortable way
  • Filter can be applied from URL when the user recieves correctly filtered query results just by clicking on a link in an email
  • Filter can be applied also from script that arranges query results before displaying list of records e.g. according to who accesses the data, from when or which role he/she has
  • Values in columns may work as links to another records
  • Query results may be easily formatted
  • There can be references to more records displayed in a single query field

All these features make users` work more efficient both at the time when creating the query and when actually using it.

However, you may not have the idea to use query in following situations:

  • Master-detail relations
  • Web services
  • Time operations
  • Reporting
  • Integration on database level

Master-detail relation

Master detail relations are a very effective way of displaying depending records. You may not know that you can display not only records from another classes but also from queries containg a column referring to the current class. And you have filtering and possibility to select columns that shall be displayed at the same time.

In this way you can display e.g. transactions relating to a certain account or account balance if you prefer calculating it online.

Account detail

Web services

Web services are a modern way of system integration that enables to realize service oriented architecture (SOA). Web services are also one of possible ObjectGears integrations. If you read data from ObjectGears via web services, you will often need data from more classes. May be you do not know that you can use also query to get data from ObjectGears by means of web services. Unlike when reading directly from particular classes you will read the data from a single source. In this way you will save your time both when creating integration program and when executing it - by records mapping and getting values from particular columns. All this while respecting access rights and providing filtering capabilities for determining records that shall be returned.

Time operations

If you use ObjectGears to looking after validity of certificates, contracts or other records that are associated with necessity to respond to an approaching date, you are probably used to work with time operations on classes. Maybe you do not know that you have same possibility also with queries. You can link records from several classes in a query, aggregate records or calculate additional data and let time operations send email notifications, launch workflow, that assigns tasks or takes care of approvals, or execute script that performs further actions.

Reporting

ObjectGears contains a reporting tool for creation of overviews, pivot tables and various charts. You can let users create their own reports from data, they are authorized to read, or you can create an underlying query summarizing data from all necessary classes. If you grant access to the query to users, you can enable them to display in the report also data they are not usually authorized for, because there is no need for that.

Integration on database level

If you integrate your systems with ObjectGears, you may prefer database level integration in certain cases. ObjectGears Administrator may facilitate this job by creating views for reading the data instead of exploring data structures of ObjectGears classes. Another advantage is the fact that if the model IT owner changes the data model, views can be generated again "on click" by means of ObjectGears component Admin tool and you as the data recipient do not need to solve anything.