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API Clarification

4 replies [Last post]
Thu, 2006-11-16 09:47
Bishop OConnell
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I am running into HUGE time issues using SDK, and I am looking into API. My question is this, as I have little/no experience with Java, as I understand it you would need write an application which would link to the data directly in the primavera database. Is this correct?
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Replies

Fri, 2006-11-17 21:46
#1
DANG CORP
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hi Malcolm,

Please confirm on your side, as not to confuse users etc.

When i use SDK, it does have all of the business rules.

and it is not connecting directly to a database - it has its own application business logic layer on the SDK, or else why would you need the SDK, why not just use ODBC etc.

- i have been using the SDK for awhile now, it is very good actually. just that there are some functions missing from it.

- but P3e seems to has stop innovating on it, they are focusing all of there resources i believe on API. (fair enuff)

- API is no doubt a bigger engine (more featuers) than the SDK.
- but the API require larger overhead to run the thing.



i do recommend ppl to use the API if they know Java,
but if you are doing simple things- then the SDK can do all of the things for you.
but what i want to see from P3e is a .NET version of the same API engine (which i think is a very long away or even never).




Kind regards,

Vu Dang
www.dangcorp.com
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Thu, 2006-11-16 13:49
#2
Bishop OConnell
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Thanks for the reply. Basically we bring data down from P3 to generate text reports and performance indicators on activity performance. We do some writing back into P3e, but mostly to do with ties from SAP. It kind of makes me long for the days of P3 3.0

The good old days when life was simplier. haha
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Thu, 2006-11-16 13:38
#3
Malcolm Graham
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Speed is not the only issue in using the SDK for development. The SDK uses a direct database connection which does not use Primavera’s ’business logic’. This means that if your integration application was for example to make a change to the percent complete of an activity if you were using the SDK the change made would not effect other calculations being made in Primaver such as for example the remaining duration of a project. This means that if you use the SDK you still have to reschedule in batch mode every time a change is made through the API. This is the biggest disadvantage. For a transactional two-way conection to Primavera you need to be using the API. If you simply want to display some data in Word then SDK would probably be OK.

I hope this helps.

Malcolm Graham
sensorynet.co.uk
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Thu, 2006-11-16 11:02
#4
DANG CORP
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Hi Bishop it appears that Primavera has jumped on the Java wagon. - You can not write application that interacts directly to the db, or else data corruptions can occur. - with API, you MUST write your app in Java, so you will need to gear ur skills up on Java or get a developer who knows java. ---------------- On another note: - When you talk to a java developer, he will recommends it is very good and easy to use and all those marketting gimmicks that comes with Java. - but you will notice that he will uses Windows XP to develop his Java codes. - and i dont know if any java developer out there notice, but the User interface is like my windows 3.1 (or even worst actually). in Summary ----------------- - At the moment, you have no choice really, but have to learn java to make your application fasters, as P3e has invested alot of efforts on this API. - SDK is slow on large scale, i dont like it myself. but it works with MS world. Vu Dang www.dangcorp.com
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