Technical features
 

Here is a list of the most salient technical features associated with DataKraft Studio.
If you want any more detailed technical information, contact us: info@datakraft.net.

Database integration
Database maintenance and evolution
Internal system features
Documentation and security

DATABASE INTEGRATION

Multiple database support
DataKraft Studio works with all the major leading databases, so you can easily utilize any existing database content. Database systems supported include: Jet (MS Access), MSDE, SQLServer, SQLServer Express, MYSQL, & Oracle. Specific databases can be supported on demand.

 

Migrate between database engines
Change your database from one format to another seamlessly, e.g. switch from Microsoft Access to Oracle. The Save As command enables you to change the type of the underlying database by selecting the alternate database type from a dropdown list. DataKraft Support can also fully assist you in any migration project. Moving from one database to another has never been easier!

 

Integrate multiple databases
Use data from multiple databases within the same application. For example, you can generate a quote by including data from two separate databases - a Products database and a Customer database.

DATABASE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION
 

Synchronise data models
If a developer makes changes directly to database that underlies a DataKraft application, it’s easy to synchronise and update the application with the new modifications.

 

Open and extensible framework
The framework for DataKraft Studio is very flexible, which facilitates adapting to meet complex project requirements should they arise. DataKraft Support can fully assist you in any such development undertaking.

 

File mapping
An integrated file mapping system is used to define the data type of each column when importing files or when using SQL scripts to update records.

 

Low deployment cost
DataKraft is extremely cost effective to deploy and does not need lengthy testing and training updates. Application updates are installed automatically and can be used immediately.
There is also a low cost of ownership, as users can maintain applications built using DataKraft Studio on their own or with few days of consultation per year - typically between 1 and 4 days.

 

Reverse engineering
The Reverse Engineering tool enables designers to generate applications based on existing data models. (Note: these data models can be located in the same database as the application or on a different database.) The Reverse Engineering tool generates the meta data necessary for DataKraft to operate on the reversed tables as if DataKraft had been used to create them. The user can then modify and configure these tables as usual within the DataKraft platform.
Once this has been done, existing tables can be protected from alteration by other designers, if necessary.

Data model synchronisation
You can use DataKraft to alter the data model of the underlying database or you can – of course – do it by working directly on the underlying database. In the case of the latter, the designer will have to synchronise the DataKraft meta model with the new physical data model, using the Model Synchronisation tool. When they are doing this, the designer is able to define how they want to synchronise the two models – they can opt to change the underlying database or else the DataKraft meta model.

INTERNAL SYSTEM FEATURES

Tables
DataKraft makes creating and working with tables a cinch, including defining the attributes of the tables, creating the columns and their attributes and defining relationships between tables.

Business rules
Business rules are made of conditions, behaviours and action steps:
1. The condition lets DataKraft check if the rule applies in the current context.
2. The behaviour defines what the rule does. Some of the options available are: auto-number, copy a parent value, force value, default value, control value (condition validation & SQL validation), check uniqueness, check uniqueness on multiple columns, enable fields, check mandatory, create only, prevent row deletion, row read only, DropDownList filtering, etc.
3. The action steps are a set of SQL actions that run when the business rule is activated. The result of an SQL script can be used to insert, update or delete records in the application.

Triggers
Triggers are ‘jobs’ or a set of SQL actions that run in three different circumstances – when records are inserted, updated or deleted.
Note: These are software triggers as opposed to database triggers.

Actions
Designers can add actions to tables and queries so the user can act on the current or selected records. Actions are the same as jobs - they are defined by steps and parameters. The steps’ scripts can reuse current values and, when it’s an update, previous values.

List of values (LOV)
The designer can define a List Of Values and then create columns that utilize these LOVs. Each value in the list can be associated with a colour and, when this is the case, each table and query can use a LOV column to colour the rows.

Menu groups
Designers can use menu groups to organise and group tables, queries and report menu items into groupings that are intuitive to the end user, so they can easily find the menu item that they’re looking for.

Jobs
Jobs are like batch jobs, they are a set of steps. Steps can be different types, such as importing a file into a temporary table and process SQL scripts. Jobs are not contextual (unlike Actions), but the user can be prompted to enter parameters.

Notifications
Notifications are a great complement to complete a workflow system, where users can be notified of specific events based on certain criteria being met. Notifications are comprised of two different aspects – Notification Rules and Notification Groups.Notification rules are based on queries, where each record of the defined queries will generate an email using a text merge template that reuses the data from the query. Notifications can be sent a number of times depending on their configuration.Notification Groups group the results of different notification rules into a single email that will be sent at specific times or intervals. Note: The notification engine is a windows service that runs on a server (the database server or any other server or any PC that is always on).

Queries
With DataKraft, queries are fully integrated with the rest of the application. In addition to using queries to combine data from different tables and as the basis for reports, you can also use them to provide alternative application views. There are six different types of queries available in DataKraft.
Wizard queries
A wizard that enables designers to create complex queries without having to know SQL.
SQL queries
With this query type, DBAs and developers can use SQL to create very complex queries.
Calendar queries
This query type enables the designer to create a calendar view of one or more queries result sets that contains dates. The end user can then drill down into the displayed dates to get to the information behind them.
Dashboard queries
Dashboards enable the designer to combine multiple graph, list and dashboard queries and present them to the end user on a single screen.
Graph/chart queries
With this query type the designer can present the result of a query as a graph. A wide range of chart types is available, including 3D charts.
URL queries
URL queries enable designers to create a configurable link to a URL. The resultant web page can be viewed outside the database (i.e. in a browser window) or inside DataKraft (i.e. as a normal page).
Wizard and SQL queries can be configured to underpin other database elements such as, actions, business rules and reports.

Reports
Reports let the designer to gather multiple data sources together to form a formatted textual report (RTF, Html, PDF and Word formats available) or to form an Excel spreadsheet.
A report can be based on a template that defines its format and style.Excel report templates can use spreadsheet features such as, pre-defined formulas, graphs, pivot tables, KPIs, etc…
These features utilize the zones where the data sources are output.
Reports can be configured to prompt the user with parameters in order to define the scope of the report. These parameters will then feed the parameters of each query that participate in the report.
Reports can also be published in tables and queries, by reusing the contextual data to feed the report parameters.

Web designer
The web designer tool enables designers to build extra- and intranet websites with login management. The same database can have multiple websites defined. It uses the same principle as DataKraft, utilizing tables and queries.

DOCUMENTATION AND SECURITY

Technical documentation
Every configuration element in DataKraft (including tables, columns, LOVs, queries, reports, actions, rules, etc.) has a Description field, where designers can give a technically oriented description of the element, such as the purpose of the element, interdependencies with other elements, rules applied to it, etc.
These descriptions are then automatically pulled together to create the technical documentation for the application.

Automatic contextual help
Every configuration in DataKraft has a Help field, where designers can describe (from an end user perspective) the purpose of the element and anything salient that the end user needs to know about it.
These Help texts are then automatically pulled together to create the User Guide and the Contextual Help for the application.

Security
The Security module can be accessed by authorised end users and by admin users and this is where end user rights are defined.
Most of DataKraft configuration elements and features (tables, queries, reports, jobs, email, audit and actions) have a corresponding user right that can be applied to them.