TEIID tutorial 8.1 - Part 4

In the previous steps we created a relational model from a MySQL DB, we imported an XSD and created an XML model document based on that XSD and mapped the relational tables to the XML document.

Now we need to create the VDB so that all this work can be used in applications.

The Virtual DB will be treated as a normal DB and we'll connect to it with SquirrelSQL and issue a query to get back the XML document.

The process require to create in our project a new element that is the VDB database, give a name in the form and do not choose the models in the form, we'll to it later.

Now we find in the VDB view and we need to choose which are the models we want to publish: we need to remember that in a VDB we need to include all the models an which the model we'll query depend on.

If we choose the model we want to use TEIID Designer will automatically import all dependent models.

Also have to remember that if we make modifications in the models after we included them in the VDB we have to come back in this view and mark the checkbox that will be unmarked by default (this is a reason of many troubles).

After having included the models we have to save the VDB and we are ready to deploy it in a TEIID server.

Since TEIID is a module of JBoss AS weìll need to install TEIID into a clean JBoss installation.

We'll explain how to prepare TEIID to be able to deploy our VDB.

TEIID 8.1 tutorial - Part 3

In this part the target is to create the view model from the XSD to generate an XML document based on one of the XSD elements.

I choose bookListing.

You create a new Model and choose "XML" instead of "Relational"; obviously it asks you the XSD to use and you choose the correct one from the project.

Now you got a new "orange" model (a view model) with an object of type XML document.

The problem is how to fill the XML with relationa data.

The mapping tool comes to help, but you have to know well your DB and the XML you want to generate.

In this easy example you have to fill the book element and the author one: this means two mapping and the second depends on the first since the author depends on the book (in this XML).

So there goes the mapping, not too complicated (you could also write down the query by hand, but the tool is usefull).

I'm just not able to force it to choose "object" conversion instead of "string", but in any case is possible to fix it by hand.

Remember to save before invoking the tools otherwise an annoying popup will remind you that you have not saved.

In the end you have mapped a relational DB to an XML document with ease ... and now what?

Well you can query it with SquirrelSQL or publish it as a web service ... but before you have to do the most important thing create the Virtual DB.

But this is stuff for the next part of this TEIID tutorial.

TEIID 8.1 tutorial - Part 2

Here the second part: very fast, just importing the XSD that we'll be using to create the view model.

Just remember to place the XSD in the schema folder; sometimes it gets quirky and do conflicts with the preview files it generate in the root during the import.




Go to the third part of the TEIID tutorial.

TEIID 8.1 tutorial - Part 1

This is the first of a series of tutorial on the use of TEIID.

TEIID is a piece of software from JBoss that allows you to do very sophisticated EII creating a new virtual DB getting data from many different sources, transforming them and publishing in different ways.

In these tutorials I'll explain how to get a relational DB (from MySQL), and exposing its content as an XML document conforming to a given schema through either a JDBC connection or a SOAP service.

The video is without audio since I do not like to talk too much during registration and I'm too lazy to record it later.

Also the installation is in italian, but hope that is clear enough for all to understand in any case leave a message is something is not clear.

This new tutorial uses TEIID version 8.1 on application server JBoss 7.1.1 and TEIID designer 7.8

I'm starting from a mostly clean and fresh installation of Designer (did not record the creation fo the MySQL driver, but should not be a problem).

This first part explain how to get the physical model from the DB, very quick and easy.

For sake of easyness I'm using the book DB you find around in the examples from JBoss so you'll find youself at home.



Go to the next part of the TEIID tutorial.

Yii framework and CloudStack and Flex and ...

For the Open-DAI project I need to create a quick and dirty consolle (I hope it will become something more sophisticated, but for now I need something functional).

The target is to manage to pilot CloudStack to create VMs. I cannot use the CloudStack interface since it does not allow for adding "user data" so I need to use API calls to di the job

The problem is that I need to do this job cross CloudStack domains.

So have to get the list of API key and secret key and other CloudStack related data and write down a small program to issue the calls.

Obviously since you need to manage creation you need to be able to see what is going on in time so a small DB will be needed and also since the architecture of Open-DAI require to create management VMs in a precise order There will be the need to manage a simple workflow.

I also like to present the user with a view of the architectural deploy model describing the state of the deployed VMs.

Since I want to do things in a fast way without having to install too many things I decided to use PHP, a SQLite DB, Flex for the "toppings".

Since I believe that reinventing the wheel is not advisable I looked over to some of the PHP frameworks around ... at firts looked at Zend 2.0 ... really nice but ... damn complicated, you surely manage to do a lot but have to overcome a steep learning curve, so after few hours of hacking I looked somewhere else and ... landed on Yii.

Well I can say I'm surprised. It took more or less three hours (following the tutorial) to have a first scratch of application, integrated with the CloudStack library and ready to receive some of the code I already prepared in the last days (tomorrow will be a day of cut and paste and fix).

I can advice to look at it.

Puppet and modules

I've been working with puppet and the good impression of the product balances with the few really good modules around.
There are lots of modules, some are good, but most are build to statisfy the specific needs of the author and not a generic management of the software also there is little integration or common approach: one uses wget another curl, one manage different ps, one require dependecy to a module from the same author and not to more official ones ( comprehensible but can be problematic when the dependancy is with things like apache or Java ).
Obviously this is the normal characteristic of oss project but I think that this calls for more control from project' developers.
The project is a good one and with version 3 has lots of good features: we need a bunch of basic modules designed with the state of the art so that there can be a common solution over which people can develop new more complex or dedicated mods.
This could help the grown of the contributing community.

Puppet and exported resources

I've recently started using puppet for the european project Open-DAI I'm working on and I can say that after a steep learning period the tool is really nice.

I expecially like the exported resources that allow for "piloting" the creation of resources on a remote node from a first node.

The use case is installing stuff like a DB on a remote DB host for the application we are installing.
My example case is Zabbix.
I want to install zabbix in a distributed configuration using an existing MySQL server I have on the cloud and placing the application on a new cloud host.

Usually all the example and modules I find around imply to have all the stuff on the same host.

The idea id to declare on the application node the fact that you need a DB and to transform this declaration to a command execution on the Db to provision the required DB.

I'm using puppet 3.0.rc4 and opting to use puppet-mysql from puppetlabs (I must say that there is a bit of jungle on the puppet modules around and prefer to stick and possibly contribute to the puppetlabs collection)

The solution I found is to use exported resources on the application node and collecting them on the DB node in this way


In the zabbix host

...
@@mysql::db { zabbix1:
user => 'zabbix1',
password => 'mypass',
host => $::fqdn,
grant => ['all'],
tag => 'new_db_nodeDBname'
}
...

On the MySQL node

...
class { 'mysql::server':
config_hash => {root_password => 'changeme',}
}
Mysql::Db <<| tag == 'new_db_nodeDBname' |>>
...

Now I'll have to solve the orchestration and piloting of the whole process that is after created the DB I'll have to issue a sql creation and to do so I'll need to be sure to have the DB installed so this will require to:
force a puppet agent execution on the MySQL node (possibly using mcollective)
a second run of the puppect agent on the zabbix node to check the availability of the DB and proceed with the installation.

In any case a nice start.

Mobile app with phonegap

I've managed to implement my first application using phonegap.
I'm very happy with the results.
Operative in no time with no problems.
Made a simple dumb application in half an hour.
Next step is to add a bit of business logic behind to test all the steps that will be needed for the EU project I'm following.