RoAccess is a Web Application Suite add-on to a new or existing WEB Server.  It allows you to access your Rochade  Repositories with an extremely user-friendly interface.   It makes Rochade name groups and name spaces easy, in addition to versioning.

Then anyone can take full advantage of  your Rochade data, including storage of graphics and documents.   RoAccess runs under all common WEB servers, such as IIS , Netscape Enterprise Server, Apache, Domino, Sun One, and more.

What is the difference between RoAccess and Web Access?

RoAccess utilizes a very user friendly WEB approach to application access and development.   It opens access to anyone on your Intranet or the Internet using the most current and friendly interfaces. It fully supports MSIE, Netscape and Firefox.    When you upgrade to a new version.  RoAccess adheres to HTTP, HTML, DHTML, CGI and other open standards.  RoAccess comes complete with a number of embedded applications and DBA utilities that makes your life much easier.

New application development is much easier.

You can use multiple programming languages, especially perl, the most utilized WEB CGI scripting language.  Data navigation is done by hyper links, radio buttons and clickable images.  RoAccess comes with a large number of user selectable options that allow you to tailor RoAccess to your specific needs. Also, RoAccess is provided is source code, so you can extend it to do anything special you need.

What is RoLoader?

RoLoader is the best, most flexible Rochade data loader available, anywhere.  You load and validate the data yourself, without having to pay others to load your data.

There are two forms of RoLoader:

• RoLoader plugin for RoAccess users
• Stand Alone RoLoader for users who do not have RoAccess.  This includes companies that have written their own Web systems for Rochade or companies that have decided to limit themselves to using ASG's Web Access product.

If you have data in spreadsheets, Access databases, or flat files, loading data into Rochade is now a snap.  You load it via your workstation using your browser.  Its' a comprehensive loading system with a very convenient graphical front end.  It can also load any TAB separated data.  It also does data validation, such as for numeric ranges, values in a list of allowable values, link qualifiers are in a list of allowable ones, plus others.  You can also find which Items referenced by a link attribute do not exist, which can identify incorrect names or spelling. 

When loading text or link attributes, you can specify if you want the data to be added to the current value or replace it.  You can enable and disable individual column loading and validations on a column by column basis. 

Basically, the RoLoader system is everything you could ask for in a Rochade data loader.

What is RoQuery?

This optional product allows you do to ad-hoc queries of your repository letting you do successive refinements of the returned data sets in an interactive environment.

What Languages does RoAccess Support?
English and German, currently.  However any site can customize the language file or convert all the executable screen in RoAccess to another language in approximately two days. 

Should the WEB server be on the same machine as the Rochade Repository?
Usually you get your best performance that way.  However, they can be on different machines.  For instance, you can have a browser on a Windows  XP desktop access the WEB server on as Unix machine that then talks to a Rochade Repository on a mainframe.  RoAccess is very flexible that way.

What platforms does RoAccess run on?
WinNT, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2003 Server, Unix (many). 

Is RoAccess just a browser, or does it do full data entry?
It enters ANY kind of data in your Subject Areas.  This includes multi-line text, value attributes, links and binary attributes holding graphics and spreadsheet files.   RoAccess can be used for document management and serving.

Is RoAccess Hard to Learn?
No.  Most people pick it up in about 15 to 20 minutes of using.  Since each page has on-line help and documentation, they usually don't have to read anything to get started. 

If you know how to use MSIE, Netscape Mozilla or Firefox, you know RoAccess.

If My Web Server is on Unix, do I need anything special on my Windows/Unix workstation?
No. You only need a brower. 

How fast is RoAccess?
On many of today's faster machines, it is sub-second.  You can get from 10 to 100 access per second on todays servers.   You can use multiple WEB servers all pointing to the same Rochade Repository server and increase the number of multiple concurrent accesses by distributing the processing. 

Does it enter/display just one attribute at a time?
It is highly intelligent.  For "Display Mode", it only displays those attributes that have data. If your ItemType has 100 attributes, and only have 10 attributes with data, why display 90 attributes that have no information?  This makes your display convey all there is to know in the most concise manner. 

In "Edit Mode" It displays ALL the attributes on the same page for display or entry/editing.  

What Does In-Context Viewing Mean?

Everything is hyperlink to linked Items for fast, in-context data scanning. 

When viewing an Item, you see not only "forward links" but also "reverse links".  Forward links are links from the Item to other Items.  Reverse links are links from other Items to the Item being viewed. So you can see "up and down" the data tree.  That is, you see 3 levels at once.

By clicking the forward and reverse hyperlinks, you can navigate up and down the data trees, doing data mining as fast as you can click.  Seeing Items "in context" makes understanding how an Item fits into the overall scheme of thing very intuitive.

Will I still want to use Autopilot?
Yes. Autopilot is a general purpose, repository administration tool.  You can create RIM's, path reports, add users, do backups and such.   But you would not want to do data manipulation with it.

RoAccess, on the other hand, was designed for one purpose only: user-friendly data access and manipulation applications.  It uses industry standard components like any WEB server, perl scripting, using all standard graphics formats.  It is also easy to customize, in many cases with requiring any programming.

Is RoAccess in use internationally?
Yes. 

How many Rochade Licenses will it use?
You will effectively multiply the number of Rochade licenses you own by 20 to 100.  Click here to see why.  This saves you money, because you can purchase fewer license from Rochade and still support your people.

We have multiple Rochade servers running on different platform types in multiple locations.  How many copies of RoAccess do I need to purchase?
Only one, as a rule.  The same code runs from the smallest Windows system to the largest, multiprocessor Unix enterprise servers.  The RoAccess usage license is corporate wide, with unlimited usage on a cluster basis.  Does each separate site need a separate support contract? No.  As a rule, if you required only one Rochade Repository server license, you will only require one RoAccess license.

If you have dev, test and production servers, you only need one RoAccess license, even these servers are in different states or countries.

How long does it take to learn RoAccess?
Most users need no training at all.  If they know a browser, that is 95% of the system. 

Is everything hyper-linked?
Yes! You can quickly chain forwards and backwards through the Repository with simple mouse clicks.  This includes the Path Reports. 

Does it do pre-stored Path Reports?

  Yes, and the output is all hyper-linked.  The referenced Items are  just a click away.  There are other report types too, such as stored reports, spreadsheets and interactive graphics, RoQuery plus others.

Can I specify attributes to be C20 or F5.2 with numeric validations?
Yes.  RoAccess, unlike Web Access, allows extended metadata to define the TYPE, width and display format for each attribute when entering or displaying it.  For instance, with RoAccess you can define AGE to be INTEGER, with a display PIC of I3 and a validation range of 0-130.  You can't do that with Web Access.  Then when entering that field, it will be only 3 characters wide and will enforce the RANGE validation right on your form even before you Save your form. 

Does RoAccess do any other types of reports? 

  Yes.  It does Spreadsheet reports which can display a HTML/WEB  version of a Spreadsheet or produce a format which can be loaded into   Excel or Lotus.  Spreadsheets can be displayed in multiple ways: there is an attractive HTML display, a text display or you can send the date directly into Excel.

  RoAccess also supports Stored Procedure Reports.  You can have stored  procedures than produce reports and documentation/information given  an Item Type and Item Name to start with.  RoAccess will accept and automatically display 3 different output formats of data produced by these Stored  Procedure Reports:  ASCII, HTML and ItemType/ItemName.  HTML is  true WEB ready and can have powerful formatting capability utilized. 

Of course, it also does path reports with both text and several levels of interactive graphics reports.

If you have purchased RoQuery, you get an ad-hoc report writer.

Does RoAccess support Long Identifiers (>32 characters)?
Yes.  Your Item Names can be the maximum Rochade supports (which is over 500 characters).

Does RoAccess support Name Spaces:

Yet. All the screens show the entire fully parented name of each Item (showing the Item and the names of every parent Item so you see the entire namespace at a glance).

Is there on-line documentation and help? 

  Yes and with screen captures and with great detail.  Most systems have very brief on-line help, that really doesn't help much. RoAccess on-line help is extremely detailed and long.

Are RoAccess' features useful?

  Most of the latest features were requested by the companies   using RoAccess.  They handle real-world situations where standard  solutions fall short.  We really listen to our user community.  That is why RoAccess meet the changing needs of the Rochade community.

How long between a new feature request or bug report and the  corresponding new release? 

 Many have been as soon as the next business day.  Some requested  features have been released a few weeks after they were 
 requested.  Because of the highly modularized structure of RoAccess,  many complex new features are easily implemented.  Your needs  change fast.  Your tools should be able to keep up with you. 

How do I know when new features or fixes are available? 

The RoAccess WEB pages show the latest Release Notes.  You can  browse looking at the new features added and what corrections 
have been implemented.  You can decide when you want to upgrade.    E-mail notification is automatic. 

How do I get the latest releases?

It's pretty much your choice. You can easily download the files at your leisure with your browser.  One overseas client had great difficulty downloading, so we use regular e-mail  to send them each new version automatically.  One client requested us to  install new versions over the Internet through their firewall.  One company requested us to install via a personal visit.  We can also send physical media, such as tapes or CD-ROMS. 

Absolutely! 

At what level?
Many. From Subject Area, Item Type to User Class profiles.  So read/write/exists information goes down to the attribute level,  and EVERY user can have DIFFERENT access permissions.  It also uses  standard Rochade passwording. 

But RoAccess goes beyond the standard Rochade security model. There are weaknesses in Rochade secutiry, and RoAccess plugs those holes.  You can also extend the security model when you need it.

Can I have a form with some attributes editable and others not?
Yes. 

How much programming would I have to do for that?
NONE! Just enter that into a Rochade profile, and RoAccess immediately honors that. 

If I am denied access to an Item Type, an Item or an attribute,  will I be told why?
Yes.  RoAccess explains the reason.  For example, if you are not the owner of an Item but try to edit it anyway for a so declared Item Type, it will tell you  are not the owner, and tells you who the owner is, so they can make the update.  Web Access merely denies the access with no or very little explanation.  RoAccess tell you exactly why, so you can understand what level of security is denying your request, and why.

If I follow a hyper-link to an Item Type that is not viewable by me,  what happens?
You are advised that you are not allowed to view items of that type, and no data is displayed. 
 

Can RoAccess Log and report on all Repository changes it makes?
Yes.  There is a form where you qualify on a range of dates, and other things you are interested in. 

Can users change their own password?
Yes, and very conveniently. 

Can I OEM RoAccess?
Yes.  You can specify alternate graphics and logos so it looks like YOUR product. 

Does it handle VERSIONING? 
Yes. A single click when viewing an Item will show complete version information.  This includes the current configuration path, the work configuration, and what configurations the current Item  is in or hidden from. 

Can I specify a Rochade attribute to be an integer with a range of 1-20?
Yes.  On the entry forms, it will be validated at entry time by JavaScript. 

Does RoAccess handle versions of Subject Areas, like INITIAL, SECOND?
Yes. 

Does RoAccess support Hierarchical Subject Areas?

Yes. It goes even farther by supporting "Virtual Hierarchical Areas" which Web Access does not.  Only RoAccess had Virtual Hierarchical Subject Areas, which really make versioning a snap, unlink Web Access.

How can I tell my current configuration path? 
Click the Version Info ICON. 

How can I tell what configurations an Item is in? 
Click the VersInfo ICON. 

Will it also show what configurations in which it is hidden?
Yes. 

Can it accommodate Internet Explorer quirks?
Yes. 

Does it support extended attributes and mixed case Item Names?
Yes. 

Does it support multiple Rochade Repository servers? 
Yes.  You pick from the list of available servers. 

Does it support multiple Repositories for each Rochade server? 
Yes.  Again, you merely pick from a pop-up list. 

Is it easy to switch between servers and repositories?
Very easy. 
 

Do I get complete source code?
Yes.  You don't with ASG's products.

Have current RoAccess users done customizations?
Yes. 

Why would I want to extend RoAccess?
Your site may have special requirements to support mandated business rules. If you cannot tailor your tool, what do you do? So RoAccess provides its Application Development Kit to aid you. We can make suggestions as to the best way to approach your changes. 

An Actual Email asking "how to":

> How can I add a initialization screen that would call RoAccess with a 
>      default user/password and preset Database and Subject Area, 
>      additionally we have a prefix on our instances of items to further 
>      differentiate (we would like to also predefine that). 

See ROA_login_startup.html.gz and ROA_login_startup.pl.  These do exactly that. ROA_login_startup.html is a  HTML screen that has several links that when clicked bring up an Item List, a Type List and Item Display screen completely bypassing the normal RoAccess login process.  The companion program ROA_login_startup.pl is the intermediate program to actually start those screens/applications. 
 

Does RoAccess support group/collaborative work?

Yes.  You can send a "bookmark" of any screen you are looking at to a colleague, and by clicking that bookmark, they can collaborate and see the exact page you were looking at. This is true for Item detail as well as reports.  RoAccess utilizes a drag-and-drop approach to send the the URL to any screen via email or hyperlinks.

For instance, you edit an Item, but you want a group to validate your change.  Merely drag that Item's mailbox icon to an email, send it to the group, each click the Icon which display the Item (after asking for their password).  Web Access does not have this.

Can RoAccess incorporate your customizations as standard?
Yes, and we have. We have configuration flags that enable client-specific code. 

How do I debug my custom code?
RoAccess comes with a built-in debugger that is activated from a screen.  This really make custom development fast.
 

You can store any types of documents, so you can do document storage and dissemination via RoAccess and Rochade.

What other things can I store in an attribute? 
AVI movies, graphics, Excel spreadsheets, sound files, fingerprints, and just about any application files, like PowerPoint. 

 
What do I have to do to display the movie or listen to the sound?
Just click on the Icon. Everything from there is automatic. Word documents automatically start Word, etc. 
 

Can I make a person's picture or any other graphic appear on its Item display rather than just as a clickable icon?
Yes.  When loading the graphic into the attribute, merely put the word "AutoDisplay" as part of the file's description. When that Item is displayed, the graphic will become a part of the page. 
 

How do I store a file into an attribute? 
In the Edit mode, each binary (BLOB) attribute has a Upload button. Click on it, fill in the file name, file descriptions, whether it is to automatically be displayed on Item displays, and the location of the file on your workstation. That's it! 

Does RoAccess do split screens?
Yes. An example is the list of Items is in the left frame and the Item Display/Edit form is in the right. Use of split screens and buttons vs. links are preference items. 

For Items, can I see usages and references? 
Yes. When viewing ANY Item, usages and references are ALWAYS displayed automatically. This means all data is displayed IN CONTEXT. 

Can I create, delete and rename items? 
Yes. Also, if the Item Type will allow mixed case names, you will be so advised. No guessing. 

Can I embed Internet links in attributes to pop-up pre-addressed e-mail or branch off to another URL from the contents of any text attribute?
Yes.  You don't need to know HTML, like you do with Web Access.

How do I do that? 
Merely enter the URL, such as http://www.august.com. RoAccess will recognize the syntax, and create the live hyper-link. 

Can I switch back and forth between Edit and Display mode? 
Yes, providing your security profile will allow that.

How do I find out what an attribute on a form means? 
You click the "blue information ball" to the left of the attribute name, and multiple sources of information are displayed to completely explain that attribute.  This will also show any validations, such as numeric range or list of allowable values.  This data comes from the Rochade internal meta-meta data.

Can I enter data as well as view data?
Yes. 

Can I enter/delete links?
Yes, from pop-up lists.   You can also specify if the order of the links is to be sorted or if the  order is to be maintained. 

How about link qualifiers? 
Yes. As usual, they are optional.  You can also specify a list of the only allowable link qualifiers.  Web access will allow you to enter link qualifiers, even if they are wrong.

Can I select from a list of allowable values for value attributes? 
Yes. 

Do you store last update information? 
Yes. &STAMP and &CLIENT are updated. Some companies have multiple applications, such as RoAccess, Autopilot, batch loading scripts, and hard-coded applications, all updating the repository and it is important to record what tool did the update.  RoAccess and RoLoader update &CLIENT to indicate what application updated or loaded the record.

Is Java and/or JavaScript utilized? 
Yes. 

 

How can you support a "problem" if it occurs only on OUR system? 
Easily. RoAccess has a built-in environment capture facility. It produces a document that can be e-mailed which defines and displays your specific environment plus data and application traces in great detail. This can lead to same-day complex problem resolution.