The post How Mendix can work with your Existing Database appeared first on Indium.
]]>In some cases, the solution needs to work with organizations who want to keep the Database separately from Mendix or want to use the existing database.
First, it is possible to build a Mendix application and to bring your own database. But the question is how your Mendix application can work seamlessly with your existing database tables & data. The solution(s) we are discussing and elaborating here is not applicable in case the existing application is being developed with a Microservices or Service Oriented Architecture, with this architecture mostly the database operations are handled using APIs.
There are ways Mendix can work with existing database tables, but how? Each of our problem statements is different, but it can be broadly classified and sectioned into a few questions that we need to answer and identify the right approach for our problem statement(s)
1. How do we want to provide access to the database?
2. Are we going to share this database with other applications?
3. Are we migrating the application, which uses your current database, to Mendix?
4. Do you want to migrate Mendix database but a different database like MSSQL to Postgres using Mendix?
Below are the tools and techniques to choose from
1. Database Replication
2. Database Connector
3. Mendix Modeller Configuration
4. Database as a Web Service – REST, OData, SOAP
5. Mendix Platform SDK (Programmatic solution)
We at Indium Software put together our knowledge and experience with the simple matrix to choose the right option at given point in time based on the problem the customer faces.
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Database Supported | Type | Category | Company | Support | Link |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
RDMS | Module | Modules | Mendix | Platform | DB Replication |
You can use the Database Replication module to import data from existing databases into your Mendix application. You have the ability to specify the mapping for each table, column, and relationship to your Mendix domain model. Even complex mappings involving multiple table joins can be achieved. The configuration can be done either in the client or using Java.
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The data is updated in both systems thanks to scheduled synchronization between your application and a database used by another application.
Typical use case, during the phases of migration of the application. We do not recommend keeping two copies of the same data. This will cause the data to be inconsistent. So, choose wisely.
Database Supported | Type | Category | Sub Category | Company | Support | Link |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mendix Guide | Module | Addons | Connectors | Mendix | Platform | DB Connectors |
GitHub Link: https://github.com/mendix/database-connector
The Database Connector allows for a quick connection to external DBs (databases), offering you the freedom to choose from a wide range of databases and SQL dialects. This enables you to integrate your external data directly into your Mendix application without any limitations.
The connector supports below functionality to execute queries at your databases:
These are the prerequisites for using this connector:
These settings can be configured as follows:
Web Services provide a solution to the interoperability issue by enabling different applications to connect their data. With Web Services, you can transfer data between diverse applications and platforms. To allow Mendix to use an existing database, you can expose the required functionality as a Service, making it easily accessible by Mendix.
Mendix supports the most widely used web service standards, including SOAP, REST, and OData. However, creating a wrapper for an existing database to connect with Mendix may require additional effort. The recent trend towards Service-Oriented Architecture or Microservices promotes API-based connectivity, which is effortless and efficient in Mendix.
On the other hand, if the database is not being utilized by any other applications, it is recommended to use the Data Connector or Data Replication to fully leverage the capabilities of Mendix.
There are few advantages when using Database as a web service when it is exposed as OData. Mendix provides a premium service called Data Hub.
The Mendix Data Hub Catalog is a comprehensive and open metadata repository that is based on industry standards, allowing developers and business experts to find and explore data resources within their interconnected ecosystem.
Data Hub Connectors enable organizations to integrate their data sources with Data Hub, thereby enhancing the catalog and making the data available to developers. Connecting to data from Mendix applications, Siemens Teamcenter, SAP, and numerous other commonly used enterprise data sources can be done with ease.
Refer: https://www.mendix.com/data-hub/
With Mendix Data Hub you find all data that is available across your Company’s software landscape and use it in your Mendix projects.
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Share Data between Mendix Apps – Use and edit Data Assets from one Mendix app in another.
Connect to Non-Mendix Apps – Build an OData wrapper around your non-Mendix App to connect.
Integrated in Studio (Pro) – Use the Data Hub Panel in Studio Pro to search and use for Data Assets.
Search – Finding Connectable Data Sources
Users can find shared datasets by searching the Data Hub Catalog
Register – Sharing Datasets
To make the data from your apps accessible to others, you can publish the datasets as an OData service and register it in Data Hub. In a Mendix application, the datasets correspond to the Entity sets for a specified Entity
Consume – Using Registered Datasets
Assets that have been registered in the Data Hub Catalog can be utilized in the Mendix Studio Pro for app development. These external data sources are displayed in the domain model as external entities, which can be combined with local entities.
Curate – Maintaining Registered Assets
To make sure the right people find your service, you can edit app owners, add tags and descriptions, and toggle discoverability.
The post How Mendix can work with your Existing Database appeared first on Indium.
]]>The post Custom Widgets and React in Mendix Platform Development appeared first on Indium.
]]>Mendix is a low-code platform that enables users to create and deploy custom applications without extensive programming knowledge. It includes a visual modeler for designing and implementing business logic, as well as several pre-built modules and integrations to help speed up development.
One of the technologies that Mendix uses is React, which is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It is often used in conjunction with other JavaScript libraries or frameworks, such as Mendix, to build modern, interactive web applications. With React, developers can create reusable components that represent the UI of a web application and manage the state of those components in a declarative and efficient way. React is well-suited for use in Mendix because it allows developers to build reusable, interactive components that can be easily incorporated into Mendix applications. These components can be used to create dynamic and responsive user interfaces that can be easily customized and updated as needed.
Read this interesting Blog to learn more about Low-Code development: Top 10 Skill Sets for Low-Code Developers
To do this, you can create a custom widget that wraps a React component and integrates it into the Mendix platform. You can then use the custom widget in your Mendix application just like any other Mendix widget.
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The Dojo framework was previously used to create custom widgets. Without going into specifics, I am happy to report that it has now changed. Mendix Studio Pro 8.0.0 includes a new custom widget creation method.
The React library is used to build what are now referred to as pluggable widgets. Mendix claims that these widgets make use of Mendix APIs that are both simpler and more powerful. This includes the powerful ability to use external dependencies and instal them with npm.
Another significant advantage is React which has a lower learning curve than the Dojo guideline. React has a small API to gain knowledge, and everything else is just Java. Writing a personalised widget is comparable to writing any other React aspect. Because Mendix now uses the React under the hood, learning React is a worthwhile choice for any low-code front-end developer. Furthermore, React is well-known for its performance and scalability, making it well-suited for use in enterprise-level applications such as those built on the Mendix platform.
There are several potential use cases for using React in a Mendix application:
In this blog we are going to see the use case of how react date picker helps in filling up the various short comings from the default in built Mendix date picker widget.
Before we begin learning how to make a custom widget, we must first complete the following installation, which includes Mendix widget generator and yeoman:
In addition, you’ll need Visual Studio Code, a JavaScript/TypeScript IDE.
Following the creation of the widget, we must instal the react packages for the date picker. After installing the packages, we must create a date picker with features that are not available in the Mendix default date picker. These characteristics are as follows:
In addition to the above features, we have implemented the on-change activity will trigger the action items in Mendix. So, whenever a date is selected the event will be triggered and based on your requirements you can call either a microflow or nanoflow.
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Overall, the use of React in Mendix allows developers to build rich and interactive UIs that can be easily customized and updated as needed, helping to streamline the development process and make it easier for users to build custom applications that meet their specific needs.
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]]>The post Third Party API’s Mendix Integration appeared first on Indium.
]]>API generally stands for Application Program Interface. It creates a bridge / medium for two different software programs / units.
Let’s say that the business leaders are planning for increasing the efficiency and proficiency of their business in terms of growth.
So they would create the set of processes or software programs (Server) which then it provides the service to their clients (Client) with the help of API.
Producer:- An Entity who produces the API’s to serve their clients.
Consumer:- An Entity who consumes the produced API’s from their Service Provider.
It takes more time and cost while Integrating third-party API’s in Traditional Application.
For Instance, Implementing SSO Single Sign-On Mechanism in traditional app development ( Angular / React as a client-side scripting with NodeJS / Java / Ruby as a server-side scripting ).
In general, to implement SSO, we need to create an application in IdP – Identity Protocol ( Like Okta, Lastpass, OpenIDConnect, Keycloak ).
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To implement SSO in the traditional application, it would hardly take 6 – 8 hours, since we need to configure those IdP credentials in SP’s – Serivice Provider’s with the help of SAML Module.
SAML stands for Security Assertion Markup Language is an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, in particular, between an identity provider and a service provider.
Whereas in mendix, implementing an SSO Mechanism is a low-code platform, so by integrating MxModelReflection, SAML Mendix App Store modules and Mendix defaults actions and java actions.
By making use of SAML Module we would be easily able to configure the IdP details.
Let’s see the sample Mendix – SSO Application creation with the help of OKTA Third party API.
Required Modules:
(Note: Mx model reflection is necessary for SAML to operate)
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FirstName and select user.firstName from drop down.
LastName and select user.lastName from drop down.
Email and select user.email from drop down.
https://dev-804898.oktapreview.com/app/exkh2rs4qvdWFSItr0h7/sso/saml/metadata
That’s it. Here we go, save and run the application.
and check the url : https://localhost:8080/sso/
It just takes hardly 45 minutes to 1 hour, and it saves around 5 – 7 hours approximately when comparing to traditional app development. That’s the beauty and impact of Mendix.
To handle integrations, Mendix offers a wide array of tools:
Message definition – Specify the messages that are being exchanged with external systems.
Mappings – Leverage visual specifications on how to translate external messages from and to entities in Mendix applications.
Web services – Microflows should be published as web service operations, with external web services called from microflows.
REST services – Microflows and entities should be published as REST resources and operations, with external REST APIs called from microflows.
Database integration – Database connector in Mendix enables to configure direct JDBC connections to your chosen database to execute stored procedures and SQL queries.
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This blog post covers implementing 3rd Party API’s Mendix Integration. This offer’s a number of unique advantages over more traditional development.
Furthermore, we have demonstrated that Mendix application deployments could be much simpler than ever expected
The post Third Party API’s Mendix Integration appeared first on Indium.
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