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XAOP Labs

The ActiveDCTM Boost

I am getting questions about ActiveDCTM via email.

Whether you could use it to have models in Documentum (ala ActiveRecord)? How close is it to completion, stablility, etc. and how do we plan on releasing (cost, license, etc).

Existing clients have the privilege to use the framework for free. They help us test the framework in different environments.

By the end of the year, we will release our simple object level backup/ restore solution for Documentum, ActiveDCTM will be shipped as part of this solution.

We have no plans yet to release it as a separate product/framework.

Anyway this post shares some design ideas/concepts of the frame work. The code listing is only an indication, how it currently works.

ActiveDCTM, an ActiveRecord ressemblance for Documentum.

Like ActiveRecord, ActiveDCTM will automatically generate Ruby objects from every type in your docbase.

The framework is fully developed with an object oriented and even aspect oriented spirit..

For instance it respects the inheritance of your custom types.

p types["dm_type"]
p types["dm_document"]
p self::DmDocument
p self::DmServerConfig
dm_doc = self::DmDocument
p [dm_doc, dm_doc.superclass, dm_doc.superclass.superclass, dm_doc.superclass.supe
rclass.superclass]

p doc_base::DmCabinet.attributes.keys
p dm_doc.attributes.keys

So if you customize the save or checkout on dm_document, your custom_d ocument which inherits from dm_document, will also get this behaviour.

There is also a callback mechanism, which is similar to the mechanism i n ActiveRecord.

module Documentum::Types
  define :DmDocument do
    before_save :warn_me
    def warn_me
      puts "WARNING YOU NOW!" 
      puts "You are trying to save #{inspect}" 
      true # Make sure save happens
    end
    after_save :congratulate_me
    def congratulate_me
      puts "CONGRATULATIONS" 
      puts "You've saved #{inspect}" 
      true # Be kind to other callbacks
    end
  end
end

The difference with the Documentum BOF framework is the simplicity, for instance you don’t have to confige a DBOR for type based objects an ymore. CONVENTION over CONFIGURATION

Here is a listing of other goodies :

1. There is a dmcl.yaml file, that is replacing the dmcl.ini file. This file works with profiles like the database.yml in rails does. So you configure development, production the same way as in a standard Rails app. This is the only config file you need to use ActiveDCTM in your environment.

2. Session handling can be managed by the use of Ruby blocks, so no mor e session leaks. This design idea is also used for queries. So no more collection leaks.

3. You can write Documentum methods in Ruby, the standard ruby exit met hods are interpreted by the Documentum workflow.

4. If you do a query in ActiveDCTM, the query result object contains a ‘convenience’ array in order to automatically introspect your query. So Ruby knows the attributes that are queried, even when you do a select * on your custom types.

The query result includes the standard Ruby enumerable module. So you c an do qr.each …

Documentum.connect(CONFIG) do

  # block form
  query("select object_name, r_object_id from dm_document where folder('/Temp
')") do |qr|
    # p qr.attributes.keys
    # p qr.attributes

    # Enumerable
    qr.each do |row|
      p row.values # hash : names => values
      p row.value(:r_object_id) # value of r_object_id
      p row.object_name # value of object_name
      object_name, r_object_id = *row
      p [object_name, r_object_id]
    end
  end

  # non-block form, requires ecpilcit close
  qr = query("select * from dm_document where folder('/Temp')")

  p qr.map { |r| r.r_creation_date }
  # p qr.map(&:r_creation_date)

  qr.close
end

5. All atomic types of Ruby are mapped directly to the types in Documen tum. This makes it very natural to use ActiveDCTM, if you know Ruby.

6. Access to the complete datadictionary and display configs if you wan t to use Rails as a frontend for your Documentum repository.

7. Documentum error handling is implemented :

        
p Documentum::Exception::FatalError::DmExpression::CondIdExprBadVstamp

8. There is multi-docbroker support

        Documentum::DocBroker.new("192.168.65.128")

9. Working with the queues or events ?

        Documentum.connect(CONFIG) do
  p inbox
p inbox.events?
  inbox.registered?(self::DmDocument, "dm_save") or
    inbox.register(self::DmDocument, "dm_save", "Document was saved
")
end

10. Transaction support

        Documentum.connect(CONFIG) do
  transaction do
    obj = self::DmDocument.find_by_dql("FOLDER('/Temp')")
    p obj.object_name
    obj.object_name += ".bak" 
    puts " -> " + obj.object_name
    obj.save
    abort
  end
end

11. Relation support

        Documentum.connect(CONFIG) do
  p self::DmDocument.child_relations
  obj = self::DmDocument.find_by_dql("FOLDER('/Temp')")
  p obj.child_relation("dm_category_assign")
end

12. Several find methods

Documentum.connect(CONFIG) do
  obj = self::DmDocument.find_by_dql("FOLDER('/Temp')")
  p obj.dmr_contents
  p self::DmFormat.all.map { |f| f.name }
end

Documentum.connect(CONFIG) do
  p Documentum::Types::Tata
  p self::DmDocument.find_by_dql("FOLDER('/Temp')").name
  self::DmDocument.find_by_dql("FOLDER('/Temp')").name = "howdy&quo
t; 
  p self::DmDocument.find_by_dql("FOLDER('/Temp')").name
end

# Documentum.connect(CONFIG) do
#   oid = "58001a0a800003ad" 
#   obj = self::DmSysobject.find_by_id(oid)
#   p obj.contents
# end

13. Version and VDM support have been added in September.

Documentum.connect(CONFIG) do
  obj = self::DmSysobject.find_all_by_path("/dmadmin/itest").last
  p obj
  p obj.versions
  p obj.original
  p obj.original.current_version
  p obj.version("1.0")
  p obj.version("1.0").children
end

That’s all for today.

A final note for those interested in performance, ActiveDCTM with dctmruby on the native DMCL C is very fast. For developers and end users ! :-))

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