Information Systems:Iptor Integrator

Overview

Iptor Integrator is software known as middleware, which is a software package (suite of tools) that faciliate building integrations bridging disparate business sytems. It is Java-based, meaning that it itself runs on Java (Tomcat, class runner etc.), and also that integrations must be developed using Java.

History

Integrator was acquired in October 2019 for the DC1 project. However, it is system-agnostic and still provides good value used with other systems, and can be used without ASW/DC1.

Usage

Integrator includes Integrator Studio, which is an IDE for developing Integrator programs and scripts. It has two modes - a visual mode for dragging and dropping program components, and raw Java mode. It is buggy and limiting in these ways:

• The raw Java mode does not show you everything. Upon inspecting the java source generated from a Integrator Studio compile, it was discovered that a lot of code is masked, even though it's supposed to be the raw Java mode. This includes the import statements.
• Apart from the inability to see code altogether, code that deals with proprietary features is also marked up. For example, doing something in the visual editor will translate to what looks like Java code, but in the actual source file the code indicates a more complicated syntax.
• Often, compiler errors point to a line containing an error but don't suggest further information about what the error could be.
• Sometimes, the code inspector will get hung up on an error that is no longer present, and the IDE has to be restarted.
• Cannot code main() directly.
• Running a program crashes the IDE a lot.
• Their data mapping wizard also crashes a lot, especially when it comes to loading a list of tables from a remote database.
• The lack of a dark theme (lol).

Personally, I find the IDE unusable for developing programs beyond the complexity of a simple sript. Therefore, I use the IDE to learn Integrator-specific capabilities by testing them out using the visual editor and then studying the generated java source. Actually, the real value in Integrator from a development aspect comes from the Integrator libraries e.g. net.ibs.*, not their crappy IDE -norwizzle (talk). However, these are not documented (because you're supposed to use their IDE), so their functionality has to be studied by inference. -norwizzle (talk)

Technical Administration

Integrator is installed on the xtgui.unipharm.local virtual server. There are two components, the service component that runs the tasks and an IDE called Design Studio for creating Integrator programs.

Integrator Server Web Admin

Integrator comes with an admin control panel to control the jobs and to configure settings:

https://xtgui.unipharm.local:16999/admin/servlet/admin.AdminStart
User: admin
Password: visionit

Note: A similar-looking web portal runs on this site on port 17999. This is the web admin control panel for the XT server (DC1 front-end). They are unrelated.

License

Integrator is licensed by network adapter (MAC address). uniPHARM's license entitles us to one production server instance and one development workstation - essentially two licenses. The licenses are as follows:

UniPharm server:
Serial Key:         2019-1101-2021-0131
MAC Address:  00-50-56-92-5e-c5 (virtual NIC on xtgui.unipharm.local)
Expiry Date:      January 31, 2021
----------------------------------------------------------------------
UniPharm Workstation:
Serial Key:         2019-1101-2021-0131
MAC Address:  00-ff-dd-3e-fc-f9 (Norwin's USB ethernet adapter)
Expiry Date:      January 31, 2021

Note: The license utility has a bug. It lists the wrong MAC addressses for the network card in the dropdown. So I licensed the wrong one on my machine initially. I've also switched machines multiple times now and don't really feel like requesting access each time, especially since I don't actually run Integrator on my machine (see Usage section).  -norwizzle (talk)

Potential migrations

The following extensions/integrations (currently in legacy RPG/CL) may be moved to Integrator.

• System checks / process monitors: Email alerts for periodic checks on system function and business continuity.
• Carrier integration: send shipping manifest to carriers, receive acknowledgements/shipping updates/invoice files from carriers.
• EDI: Build EDI/csv documents from purchase order data; receive EDI/csv documents from EDI provider and update ERP.
• Bank EDI: generate EFT payment file from statement information, process inbound credit card transaction summary files and post to A/R, process inbound cheque-clearing file.
• Periodically-generated reports: Gilead daily transactions report, Health Canada MAR, lost sales.
• SQL data-warehousing, including offload/ETL into open-source database.
• Update lost sales codes.
• Update P/O delivery ETA, send emails.
• File rebuilds: consolidated item master, web orders item master, stats file i.e. run SQL in Java, write to Db2 on i.
• Inbound order processing: receive EDI/txt files from pharmacies (either polled via FTP, polled via email inbox, or by watching folders for new files). Send electronic invoices via FTP.
• ECU: generate catalog for customer/pharmacy POS systems (e.g. Kroll, WinRx etc.)
• Generate remittance advices, distribute via email or write back to OUTQ for Catapult/TLAshford processing.
• System cleanup functions in the overnight schedule and in purge jobs: clear outqueues, prune tables.