Overview

CentriQS prebuilt and customizable solutions offer advanced features to fit your business needs. However, there may be some specific requirements that are not supported by existing functionality. In this case, you can use CentriQS application program interface to implement necessary capabilities, provided you have a basic knowledge in software development and Web services.

We recommend you to get started by following the steps below:

1. Learn more about CentriQS Application Server, Databases Components and Simple Web Server
2. Use Sample Application and API Reference
3. Request Support

Application server includes:

• System Database (stores information about Server Administrators, License Keys and Mail Settings)
• Databases
• Web API (uses port 6496 to connect to server)

Authentication

Authentication can be done in either of two ways:

• Using PUT request http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/databases/<databaseID>/auth with body (JSON text):

  { 
  	"User": '<user name>', 
  	"PasswordHash": '<password>' 
  }

• Using your login/password via HTTP Basic authentication (HTTP Header "WWW-Authenticate")

Session

Any request can be made within a session which contains information about user authentication and connected database.

A new session can be started in two different ways:

• Using POST request: http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/session (5 minute timeout)
• Using any request without ID of already started but not yet closed session (in this case a new session will be started automatically with 5 second timeout and its ID will be encrypted in the cookie)

There are three ways to specify within what opened session the given request should be made:

• Using request URL: http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/session?sid=<session ID>
• Using HTTP Header SID: <session ID>
• Using cookie

An opened session can be closed by:

• Using DELETE request http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/session
• Otherwise the session will be closed automatically after 5 minutes from the last request

Database

Each database includes:

• Metadata
• Database Tables
• Entities
• Analytics

Metadata

Metadata contains information of all data types in the database. It has a tree structure and allows users to request contents of particular nod as well as contents of its sub nodes.

Database tables

Each database includes the following database tables (i.e. tables which structure is almost similar to relational database tables):

• Notifications table contains records of all notifications created up to the given moment
• TmSchedulerRecord table contains records of task schedule items and appointments for displaying on Scheduler view.

Entities

Entity is a fundamental unit of the database. It has Properties and can aggregate Entity Tables which also have their Properties, ex.:

Entities can be edited in two ways (only if no other user is editing it at that very moment):

• Within a single request (entity gets opened for editing, is being edited and then saved in one step)

  Request that changes property 'Name' of the given task:

  PUT: http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/databases/<databaseID>/entities/task/<entityID>
  Content:

  {
  	"Properties": 
  	{
  		"Name": "My Task New Name"
  	}
  }

  Request that assigns the given task to the given user (adds User to entity table 'TaskAssignment'):

  POST: http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/databases/<databaseID>/entities/task/<entityID>/TaskAssignment
  Content:

  {
  	"Properties": 
  	{
  		"User": "<user ID>"
  	}
  }

• Within multiple requests (the first request opens a copy of the entity for editing, next requests edit the copy of the entity and the last request saves the changes from the copy into the original entity)

  Request that opens a copy of the original task for editing:

  POST: http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/databases/<databaseID>/entities/task/<entityID>/edit

  Request that returns all the fields of the copy of the original task:

  GET: http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/databases/<databaseID>/entities/task/<entityID>/edit

  Request that assigns the copy of the original task to the given user (adds User to entity table TaskAssignment):

  POST: http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/databases/<databaseID>/entities/task/<entityID>/edit/TaskAssignment

  Content:

  {
  	"Properties": 
  	{
  		"User": "<user ID>"
  	}
  }

  Request that saves the changes made in the copy into the original task:

  GET: http://<serverhostname>:6496/api/databases/<databaseID>/entities/task/<entityID>/edit/save

Analytics

Analytics includes:

• OLAP Cubes
• Dimension Tables.

OLAP Cubes contain fields of two different types: measures and dimensions. Measures are calculated values and can be of numeric types only. Dimensions can be of any type including reference to Dimension Tables (except for BLOB type and its derived types Image, BigString, etc.).

Dimension Tables are reference tables that store Dates & Time, Enums and Entities to which refer OLAP Cube fields.

Simple WEB server

Simple Web Server (which is based on Application Server) makes it easy to create and deploy HTML5 and JavaScript Web applications that let users generate custom reports, import/export data from/to other programs, integrate with other applications and much more.

It returns files 'as is' from the directory: c:\ProgramData\VIP Quality Software\CentriQS\www by URL: http://<serverhostname>:6496/<path> (relative path …\CentriQS\www)