Accessing a Progress database (RDBMS)

[davidsParticipant]

Is it possible to have Perfect Forms access a Progress database? It looks like Progress may have an API that Perfect Forms can talk to:

//products.databasejournal.com/dbtools/ss/Progress-Software-Progress-RDBMS.html

If it is possible, where can I start? I think these are the beginning steps:

1. Create a new Database Connection.

2. In the “Agent URL” field, type in the URL to access the API installed on our local server.

3. Enter a user name and password Perfect Forms can use to gain access to the database.

I’m not quite sure where to go from there.

[ijoblingParticipant]

you use Database Connection to access the Pefectforms Connection Agent (if you have that available and installed. if not, contact your account representative).

This database you mentioned isn’t supported though in the Connection Agent, but there are API functions available to Perfectforms and depending on what you are looking to do, you may be able to use this to achieve what you require:

/Documentation/manual/html/api.htm

Alternatively, is there a function in this other database to ‘synchronise’ tables into another database ? SQL Server, MySQL server for instance that are supported in the Connection Agent

[davidsParticipant]

Thanks for the prompt reply. We purchased the Connection Agent when we signed up for Perfect Forms, and have installed it successfully.

We’re trying have forms pass data into our Progress database. If I’m reading the User Guide correctly, that means we need to establish a Database Connection. The Perfect Forms API seems to be something used for reading data from, and writing data to, a form. Since that’s not what we’re trying to do, I don’t think the Perfect Forms API is the right place to start. Is that correct?

We’re trying to keep cost and system complexity down with this integration, so purchasing a license for SQL or MySQL and maintaining a database mirror is something we’re trying to avoid. Thanks for the suggestion, however.

[ijoblingParticipant]

A database connection generally is to read data from and write data into a database, just as you are seeing the API can do. but where your database I don’t think is supported you probably won’t be able to use that here and so the API (or perhaps if you have a developer level understanding of Webservices you can use that instead?) is probably what you need

[davidsParticipant]

I was originally envisioning a system where Perfect Forms writes to our Progress database upon Form submission, but I think what you’re suggesting is that because of compatibility issues, we’ll need to use the Perfect Forms API to read Form data, then manually write it to the database ourselves? Like instead of pushing data to the database, we’ll have to pull it in? Basically changing the starting point of the information exchange… database retrieves PF data and writes it to itself, instead of PF going into the database and writing the data in.

I’m sorry if all this sounds like it’s coming out of left field, as I might not understand what you’re saying. It’s just that I think the User Guide says something different than what you described. Here’s what I’m reading in the User Guide: The “…API allows you to pass data into PerfectForms™ and extract it from third party applications”. To me, this doesn’t sound like it has the ability to write data to a database, and none of the “common uses” listed there for the API are of this nature.

[ijoblingParticipant]

No .. I can see where you are coming from, but the reason I’ve been talking about the API (and also perhaps the ability to use WebServices) is that this ‘Progress’ database I don’t see is supported by the Connection Agent
/Documentation/manual/html/general_approach_to_integratio.html

If your database was supported then you could use the connection agent, but as it seems not to be, then using the API in perfectforms to access your database, or the API available in your database to access perfectforms, or even perhaps a combination of both
may be required.
It may also be that you could look at a webservice that can handle this interaction ?

[davidsParticipant]

Alright, sorry for the misunderstanding, and thanks again for your help with this. Do you know if the Perfect Forms API can access timer data from a form? I want to send the date and time the form was opened and the amount of time spent on the form to our database.

[ijoblingParticipant]

Seeing your later post on the timer,look to the interactive form where you can do this. as long as you have that ‘data’ stored in a field on the form then it can be written out like any other field

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