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Technical Information - Overview |
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| Providing proven thin-client Web technology built on a real-time scheduling engine, CyberScheduler brings effective Intranet scheduling to any size organization with tools such as shared notes, and group and personal task managers. Efficient scheduling reduces resource requirements, increases productivity, improves results, helps teams meet all milestones, and significantly shortens cycle time on critical projects. By deploying CyberScheduler across corporate Intranets and enterprise networks, you can dramatically enhance the productivity of workgroups throughout your entire organization. Even global organizations with thousands of users can seamlessly schedule meetings, reserve resources, and manage tasks in real-time through familiar Web browsers or native clients. | With CyberScheduler, organizations can deploy a comprehensive calendaring and scheduling solution on corporate Intranets with Internet access for remote employees. Users enjoy full scheduling functionality through their Internet browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. | |
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| CyberScheduler's robust client/server architecture, based on CrossWind's proven calendar server, meets the most demanding requirements for framework independence, scalability, speed, cross-platform support, security control and ease of administration. CyberScheduler offers the best in new Intranet technology, with the reliability of robust, production server technology that has been proven over years in production service. | Best of all, CyberScheduler is quick and easy to install. Electronic software distribution includes the calendar server, with Web agent and a CGI program that runs on most all standard web servers. | |
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| CyberScheduler provides a flexible migration path from legacy systems to network computers and other leading-edge environments. | Based on proven HTML technology, CyberScheduler requires much less memory and disk space than similar products which means you can get the most out of your current desktop devices-without hardware upgrades. | |
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Data Sharing and Integration with Time Management Applications |
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In today’s fast-paced, quickly changing market, there is a fundamental need to combine the strengths of multiple software solutions to enable companies to gain better access to business
information and respond to changes in the market quickly.
Access and integration with time management applications has become increasingly important as organizations explore new ways to gain the most from their enterprise applications investment. Companies are recognizing that data sharing with time-based services is essential to the success of the enterprise because these services optimize the most expensive, non-renewable resource the organization has – employee’s time. Successful cross-application integration between time services and time-relevant data will result in measurable productivity gains. |
There are a number of applications that have a high degree of time relevance that can benefit from cross-application integration with a time services tool. Some of these include workflow
tools, project managers, contact managers, human resources, supply chain and manufacturing applications. Leveraging the existing database information from these applications and
integrating it with calendaring and scheduling data can streamline processes, increase efficiency and enhance competitiveness.
Tight integration with time management applications can also eliminate problems associated with data duplication within the enterprise. With non-integrated solutions, time relevant data must be duplicated in more than one place if it is required in multiple applications. Without integration, there are no methods for guaranteeing that this duplicated data is synchronously updated, which leads to inconsistencies and potential conflicts. The effective transformation and integration of data from disparate systems can help ensure the kind of consistency an enterprise’s decision-support environment requires. |
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Providing Flexible Integration |
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| Due to the customized applications requirements of each enterprise site, it is difficult for vendors to provide pre-packaged COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) solutions that fulfill all unique requests. Increasing numbers of IT professionals are looking for tools that allow them to take the existing enterprise database information and create meaningful cross-application business solutions. Progressive software vendors are supporting cross-application integration by making their applications more flexible, more standards-based and more functionally complete. |
IT professionals must select robust solutions that include a data extraction and transformation process that manage the information flow in such a way as to ensure optimal flexibility,
consistency, and synchronization. The Synchronize Time Services SDK was designed with these criteria in mind. The architecture of the Synchronize engine provides a powerful
information sharing and time management backbone that can be easily integrated with other networked applications. |
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The Synchronize Time Services SDK |
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Recognizing the need for a generalized time services engine, CrossWind has developed the Synchronize Time Services SDK that provides an API for accessing relevant calendaring and
scheduling database information. The API makes it possible for Synchronize to share time-based information easily with other applications. This integration tool enables a programmer to
utilize the API routines for access to the robust Synchronize database engine.
The Synchronize database engine is a powerful, robust and scalable real-time client/server calendaring and scheduling solution designed to support enterprise wide collaboration. It’s design directly addresses key issues of scalability, speed, and ease of administration, which provides the fastest access to group scheduling information. |
Examples of Time-based Integration Solutions
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A Real Life Example of Cross-Application Integration with the Synchronize Time Services API |
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| A big six accounting firm recognized a competitive advantage to automating their entire process of project forecasting, planning and schedule tracking while implementing their work as it relates to customer tax consulting. Major ERP components of this process were already in place within the enterprise but lacked the necessary integration. Other components were missing and the entire workflow process was not collaborative.. To complete this implementation and leverage existing applications investment, it was determined that adding three additional COTS solutions was necessary to automate the entire process. | Upon completion, the final custom solution allows contracts to be planned automatically by first searching PeopleSoft®, a HR database, for consultants with available skill sets, planning their use, determining costs and scheduling project times. Historical tracking databases are then searched for comparative planning and the final project details are loaded onto the individual employee’s calendars as meetings, events and tasks for daily reference. The calendars have automatic links via the API interface to display pertinent information regarding the scheduled activities. | |
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Simple Model of Cross-Application Integration on the Same Server Simple Model of This Cross-Application Integration in Mixed Server and Legacy Environment  |
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The accounting firm searched for best-of-breed applications to fulfill their integration requirements. For their time services component, they selected Crosswind’s Web-based
CyberScheduler for the client interface and used the Synchronize Time Services SDK for integration. Integrating the Time Services functionality with the other applications was
straightforward and easily accomplished within the allotted development time.
Tax consultants in the field can now bring up their calendar over the secure Intranet and review their current and future work in daily, weekly or monthly detail. They also have calendar-based access to the details regarding each assignment by selecting the job assignment on their calendar. The completion of their tasks is automatically processed for billing and project planning simply by clicking their tasks as complete within their calendars. |
This is a typical and real example of how using COTS solutions with Synchronize Time Services enhancements can create a competitive advantage to a workflow solution. Best-of-breed
software solutions can easily be interrelated and the resulting automation of data interchanged can create a complete workflow solution that is tailored to enterprise’s specific needs. |
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API Technical Overview |
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The Synchronize Time Services API consists of a manageable set of C/C++ callable functions that turn any application linking in those functions into a networked client capable of
communicating with a Synchronize server. This library of Synchronize database access routines allows a programmer or integrator to create a custom client application that links
Synchronize with other third-party data. Programmers can access calendar data in the Synchronize database in order to perform customized processing of that data. The deceptively
simple methods in the API hide the details of network connections, state construction and network communication to provide powerful mechanisms for data access and modification in a
calendar database. Most "verbs" in the Synchronize network protocol are provided in the API so the programmer has quick access to all the capabilities necessary to insert, modify and remove calendaring data through the Synchronize network protocol. In addition, all the System Administration functionality required to administer a Synchronize database is available through the API methods. |
Additionally, "hooks" in the Synchronize server are provided through a DLL on Windows NT or a shared library on UNIX systems to inform external agents of changes to the
Synchronize database from any client. In this fashion, tools wishing to act on particular changes in the database can monitor those changes (additions, modifications and deletions of
calendar items) and filter reports of those changes to take whatever actions they might choose.
Due to the simple nature of the API interface, and because all implementation details are hidden from the programmer, use of the API is a relatively straightforward effort. |
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Integration with the Synchronize Database
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Implementation of the API The Synchronize API is implemented as a single DLL for Windows NT and a library for UNIX that is statically linked with the application, and a set of header (.h) files. The header files are provided as a definition of the library’s interface and data structures available to the programmer. |
These header files describe all of the available functionality in the API, including the database access routines. Data returned by the various access routines are stored in data structures defined in the header files. |
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Requirements |
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| In order to use the API, you must have already installed the Synchronize server software on a supported server platform. The application utilizing the API does not necessarily need to run on the same host as that of the Synchronize database. | The API transparently connects and transacts over a TCP/IP network with the host on which the Synchronize server is running. . | |
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