Ebase Xi

Ebase Xi

Developer(s)	Ebase Technology
Initial release	2002
Stable release	V5.0 / November 18, 2015
Operating system	Windows, Linux, Unix, MacOS
Available in	English
Type	Rapid Application Development
License	Proprietary and Free/Community
Website	Ebase Technology

In computing, Ebase Xi is a rapid application development platform developed and distributed by Ebase Technology. Ebase Xi provides a software development framework that combines web browser-based user interface development, business process management and data integration into a single-technology IDE.

Overview

The Ebase Xi platform comprises three integrated modules:

• ADP: Agile Development Platform: WYSIWYG development of interactive and data driven web applications
• BPM: Business Process Manager: development of workflow-enabled business processes
• IS: Integration Server: enabling the development and deployment of SOAP web services

Ebase Xi applications are operated at run time by the J2EE compliant Ebase Xi application server.

Concepts

Ebase Xi is designed to speed up the delivery of all types of web browser-based software applications. In general this is achieved by 1) abstracting the technical complexity inherent in globally adopted standards for data integration, UI development and business logic processing, and 2) by simplifying application deployment and subsequent scaling in a production environment. Key concepts include:

• Control-based WYSIWYG screen design, supported by property sheets and layout types, allowing sophisticated presentation control without detailed knowledge of CSS, client-side scripting or HTML.
• Support for jQuery events and JavaScript rich-client plug-ins.
• AJAX-based browser DOM page refresh, i.e. no full page reloads.
• Support for server-side JavaScript (Mozilla Rhino implementation) business logic processing against an internal API. Includes native access to JAVA.
• An optional built-in event driven processing language called FPL that enables data integration, navigation, validation and data processing via simple and English-like command verbs, obviating the need for low-level software programming.
• A client-side (browser) API that supports, from JavaScript, read and write access to server-side state and the synchronous or asynchronous execution of server-side processing logic. Changes made to the server state are automatically reflected in application web pages by writing changes directly to the browser DOM.
• Abstraction of data communication with external systems via data Resources. Resources represent a connection to an external data source (or target) and contain fields that may be mapped (bound) to fields within an Xi application. Data is moved between the application and an external data source via FPL or JavaScript commands issued against a Resource. Xi supports a range of Resource types, including databases (including views, and stored procedures and functions, where supported by the vendor), various XML-based data transport mechanisms, such as web services, flat files, PDF documents, Email, JMS messaging, and MQ Series. Xi also ships a SDK that allows developers to create Java-based Custom Resources to implement non-standard data integration.
• Component-based design methodology enabling a design once, reuse many times development approach.
• Automatic WAI AAA accessibility compliance.
• Automatic multiple language and internationalisation support.
• Deployment Manager for deployment of applications to remote operating environments.
• Support for clustered server deployment and high volume user concurrency.

Usage

Ebase Xi is used to speed up and simplify the development of transactional web applications. Usage includes:

• Bespoke Intranet and Internet browser application development
• Custom and bespoke software developments
• Mobile browser apps
• Highly interactive single-page web apps
• Commercial software product development
• Offline mobile applications
• Electronic Forms
• Workflow processing and Business Process automation
• SOA and data integration solutions

Platform Features

Agile Development Platform

• WYSIWYG UI development
• Simplified connectivity to databases, Web Services, Email, PDF documents, Java libraries and messaging systems
• Component-based development
• Event driven high level business logic processor
• Extensible integration
• Rich client UI development with API access to server state and automatic high speed DOM-based page refresh
• Externalised security model, single sign-on support

Business Process Manager

• Graphical workflow process designer and test harness
• Human interactive task types with automatic mapping to Xi UI-based applications
• System tasks for automatic data processing and integration
• Server-side JavaScript extended with internal API support for run-time control over the UI, integration and user interactivity
• Optional high level business logic scripting language
• Dynamic process routing
• Customisable interactive task lists
• Customisable process administration dashboards
• Timed escalation events
• Wait for Event process steps
• Parallel work stream processing (splits/joins)
• Multi-version run-time support for long running processes
• External determination of run-time task assignments
• External determination of user security profiles (authorisation)
• Simple process connectivity to databases, Web Services, Email, PDF documents, and messaging systems

Integration Server

• Publication and deployment of Web Services with connectivity to databases, Web Services, Email, PDF documents, and messaging systems

Deployment Manager

• One-click deployment of Xi applications to remote operating environments, e.g. Cloud servers. Includes support for upgrade processing (such as data loading or database structure changes) and deployment rollback.

External links

• Ebase Technology