© 2006, the trustees of cornell university © 2006, the trustees of indiana university kuali...

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Kuali Nervous System

Aaron Godert, Kuali Development Manager

Brian McGough, Kuali Lead Architect

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Session Goals

• Overview of the Kuali Nervous System (KNS)

• Strategy behind the KNS

• Component review and code samples

• Conclusions

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

What is the KNS?

• The core technical module

• Reusable code components that embody functionality

Architecture/Tools

Kuali Nervous System

Kuali Application Exte

rnal

Functional Modules

Technical Module

TechnicalFoundation

Chart of AccountsFinancial Transaction

Processing

Research Administration General Ledger

Accounts Receivables

Contract and Grants

Workflow

CAS

LDAP

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Strategy

• A framework to enforce consistency

• Adhere to development standards and architectural principals

• A stable core for efficient development

• Reduce and reuse

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Strategy• First shot at team chemistry and co-

located development

• Incur upfront costs– January 2005 to

June 2005– Reconvened in

December 2005 to “tidy up”

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

KNS Components

Document

MaintenanceDocument Financial

TransactionProcessingDocument

WorkflowIntegration

(Apache Axis)

Attachments(Java IO)

PersistenceServices

(OJB)

MaintenanceData

Dictionary(XML)

TransactionProcessing

DataDictionary

(XML)BusinessObject(POJO)

Lookups

Inquiries

BusinessObjectData

Dictionary(XML)

Data DictionaryServices

(XStream)

Custom Tags(JSTL)

Authentication(Servlet Filter/

CAS)

Authorization(Kuali/Workflow) APC

RulesService

CustomAttributes

DocumentAuthorizer

Service

Notes

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

KNS Components

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Document Components• Requirement: electronic documents to

perform business transactions– Integrate workflow, full audit trail,

notes/attachments

• Two types to start…

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Document ComponentsMaintenance Documents

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Document ComponentsFinancial Transaction Processing Documents

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Document Components

MaintenanceFinancial

TransactionProcessing

Document

• Commonalities led to a document paradigm– Created inheritance structure for all layers:

• Web – Struts actions and forms• Business – business objects• Persistence – DAO, Services, etc

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Maintenance Documents

• Could be generalized to dynamically persist, render, and control business objects for maintenance purposes

• Needed a way to describe behaviors of these types of documents

• Several iterations produced the Data Dictionary (DD) concept

Document Components

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Data Dictionary

• XML document for describing behaviors of business objects– Attributes – lengths, UI rendering info

(control type)– “Required-ness”– Customization - labels, help content, regex

validation

Document Components

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Data Dictionary, Continued• Eventual organization

– Business object data dictionary file• Embraced reuse across documents• Added support for attribute references

– Maintenance document data dictionary file– Transaction processing document data

dictionary file

• Document paradigm led to pluggable business rule classes, authorizer classes, document level help content

Document Components

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

<attributes> <attributeReference name="chartOfAccountsCode“

sourceClassName="org.kuali.module.chart.bo.Chart“ sourceAttributeName="chartOfAccountsCode" />

<attribute name="accountNumber" forceUppercase="true"> <label>Account Number</label> <shortLabel>Account</shortLabel> <maxLength>7</maxLength> <validationPattern> <alphaNumeric exactLength="7" allowWhitespace="false" allowUnderscore="false" /> </validationPattern> <required>true</required> <control> <text size="10" /> </control> <summary>Account Number</summary> <description>Account Number</description> </attribute> ...

</attributes>

Document ComponentsBusiness Object Data Dictionary Sample

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Document Components

Document “Formula” =

DB Table

* POJOs (BOs)

OJB mapping

BO DD file

Document DD file

* Rule plug-in class

* Authorization plug-in class

+ Kuali Enterprise Workflow (KEW) configuration

Kuali Document

* Denotes use of inheritance

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Document Components

Document

MaintenanceDocument Financial

TransactionProcessingDocument

WorkflowIntegration

(Apache Axis)

PersistenceServices

(OJB)

MaintenanceData

Dictionary(XML)

TransactionProcessing

DataDictionary

(XML)BusinessObject(POJO)

BusinessObjectData

Dictionary(XML)

Data DictionaryServices

(XStream)

APCRules

Service

DocumentAuthorizer

Service

Authorization(Kuali/Workflow)

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Lookups and Inquiries• Requirement: need a way to look up

records and view their details– Kuali Enterprise Workflow’s (KEW)

provided document searching– Needed something to look at the data that

maintenance documents manage

• Lookup – allows for searching against data of record

• Inquiry – “drill down” and view details of records

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Lookups and InquiriesLookups

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Lookups and InquiriesInquiries

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Lookups and Inquiries• Integrated into data dictionary for

dynamic search page and record detail rendering

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<lookup> <title>Account Lookup</title> <menubar> <![CDATA[<a href="maintenance.do">Create New</a>]]> </menubar> <instructions>Lookup an Account</instructions> <defaultSort attributeName="accountNumber" sortAscending="true" />

<lookupFields> <lookupField attributeName="accountNumber" required="false" /> … </lookupFields>

<resultFields> <field attributeName="accountNumber" forceInquiry=“true” /> <field attributeName="accountFiscalOfficerUser.personName“ /> <field attributeName="accountManagerUser.personName“ /> … </resultFields></lookup>

Lookups and InquiriesLookup Data Dictionary Sample (BO DD)

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<inquiry> <title>Account Inquiry</title> <inquiryFields> <field attributeName="chartOfAccountsCode" /> <field attributeName="accountNumber" /> … </inquiryFields></inquiry>

Lookups and InquiriesInquiry Data Dictionary Sample (BO DD)

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Lookups and Inquiries

Document

MaintenanceDocument Financial

TransactionProcessingDocument

WorkflowIntegration

(Apache Axis)

PersistenceServices

(OJB)

MaintenanceData

Dictionary(XML)

TransactionProcessing

DataDictionary

(XML)BusinessObject(POJO)

Lookups

Inquiries

BusinessObjectData

Dictionary(XML)

Data DictionaryServices

(XStream)

Authorization(Kuali/Workflow) APC

RulesService

DocumentAuthorizer

Service

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Core Services• Requirement: provide common utilities

to Kuali developers– Employ our SOA architectural principal

• Leveraged Spring IoC– Interface/Implementation– KualiSpringBeans.xml

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Core ServicesBusiness Object Service

• Recognized that Spring/OJB integration boiled down to:– PersistenceBroker.store(businessObject);

– PersistenceBroker.queryByCriteria(BusinessObject.class, criteria);

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Core ServicesBusiness Object Service, Continued

• Allowed us to significantly reduce the number of DAOs

• Able to use Spring’s AOP Method Results Caching

• Used this service in other components– Lookups– Inquiries

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Core ServicesDocument Service• A common set of service methods to

take actions on a document– Similar to the business object service– Persist documents and integrate with

workflow

• Used Spring’s transaction management features

• Samples:– documentService.save(document);– documentService.approve(document);

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Core ServicesData Dictionary Services

• Our gateway to business object and document metadata

• Used throughout the KNS– Workflow services – document type

information– Custom tags – access to attribute labels– Business rules – required attribute checks

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Core ServicesData Dictionary Services, Continued

• Samples– businessObjectDictionaryService.getLookupTitle(Account.class);

– dictionaryValidationService.validateBusinessObject(account);

– transactionalDocumentDictionaryService.getBusinessRulesClass(transactionalDocument);

– transactionalDocumentDictionaryService.getAllowsCopy(transactionalDocument);

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Core ServicesWorkflow Document Services

• Integration point with KEW

• Leverages KEW libraries

• Talks securely to KEW via Apache Axis Web Services

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Core Services

Document

MaintenanceDocument Financial

TransactionProcessingDocument

WorkflowIntegration

(Apache Axis)

PersistenceServices

(OJB)

MaintenanceData

Dictionary(XML)

TransactionProcessing

DataDictionary

(XML)BusinessObject(POJO)

Lookups

Inquiries

BusinessObjectData

Dictionary(XML)

Data DictionaryServices

(XStream)

Authorization(Kuali/Workflow) APC

RulesService

DocumentAuthorizer

Service

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

UI ComponentsCustom Tags

• Allows for reusable pieces of JSP, JSTL, and HTML

• Samples– <kul:lookup businessObjectClassName=“Account” />

– <kul:inquiry businessObjectClassName=“Account” />

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

UI ComponentsAJAX

• Minimal usage because of our accessibility standards

• Value added

• Using JavaScript XMLHttpRequest()– GET requests sent to a central Struts

action class that handles all AJAX calls

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

UI ComponentsCSS

• Extensive set of style sheets

• Cohesive and aesthetically pleasing look and feel

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

<kul:documentPage showDocumentInfo="true" documentTypeName="KualiGeneralErrorCorrectionDocument" htmlFormAction="financialGeneralErrorCorrection" renderMultipart="true" showTabButtons="true">

<html:hidden property="document.nextSourceLineNumber"/><html:hidden property="document.nextTargetLineNumber"/><kul:hiddenDocumentFields />

<kul:documentOverview editingMode="${KualiForm.editingMode}"/><fin:accountingLines

editingMode="${KualiForm.editingMode}" editableAccounts="${KualiForm.editableAccounts}"/>

<kul:generalLedgerPendingEntries/><kul:notes/><kul:adHocRecipients/><kul:routeLog/><kul:panelFooter/><kul:documentControls transactionalDocument="true" />

</kul:documentPage>

UI ComponentsJSP Sample

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

UI Components

Document

MaintenanceDocument Financial

TransactionProcessingDocument

WorkflowIntegration

(Apache Axis)

PersistenceServices

(OJB)

MaintenanceData

Dictionary(XML)

TransactionProcessing

DataDictionary

(XML)BusinessObject(POJO)

Lookups

Inquiries

BusinessObjectData

Dictionary(XML)

Data DictionaryServices

(XStream)

Authorization(Kuali/Workflow) APC

RulesService

DocumentAuthorizer

Service

Custom Tags(JSTL)

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Customization and Configuration Components

• Requirement: the system must be customizable and configurable

• Application Parameter Constants– Extract hard coded business rules checks

out to the DB– Maintained with a maintenance document

• Data Dictionary

• KEW routing rules configuration

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

• Custom attributes– Custom fields for business objects– Turn on in data dictionary file– Reporting needs, not business rules

• “Pluggable” business rules– Specify business rule implementation in

document’s data dictionary file

Customization and Configuration Components

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Customization Components

Document

MaintenanceDocument Financial

TransactionProcessingDocument

WorkflowIntegration

(Apache Axis)

PersistenceServices

(OJB)

MaintenanceData

Dictionary(XML)

TransactionProcessing

DataDictionary

(XML)BusinessObject(POJO)

Lookups

Inquiries

BusinessObjectData

Dictionary(XML)

Data DictionaryServices

(XStream)

Authorization(Kuali/Workflow) APC

RulesService

DocumentAuthorizer

Service

Custom Tags(JSTL)

CustomAttributes

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Security Components

Authentication

• WebAuthenticationService

• WebAuthenticationServiceCas– Used CAS for implementation– J2EE Servlet filter uses the service

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Security Components

Authorization

• KualiAuthorizationService

• Implemented as two types• Application Roles

– Action Z requires group Y membership for user X– Does user X belong to group Y?

• Document Inherent – Application Role + Document Role + Document

State = Permission

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Security ComponentsAuthorization DD File Code Sample…<documentClass> org.kuali.module.financial.document.TransferOfFundsDocument</documentClass><documentAuthorizerClass> org.kuali.module.financial.document.FinancialDocumentAuthorizer</documentAuthorizerClass><authorizations> <authorization action="initiate"> <workgroups> <workgroup>KUALI_ROLE_ADMINISTRATORS</workgroup> </workgroups> </authorization></authorizations>…

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Security Components

Document

MaintenanceDocument Financial

TransactionProcessingDocument

WorkflowIntegration

(Apache Axis)

PersistenceServices

(OJB)

MaintenanceData

Dictionary(XML)

TransactionProcessing

DataDictionary

(XML)BusinessObject(POJO)

Lookups

Inquiries

BusinessObjectData

Dictionary(XML)

Data DictionaryServices

(XStream)

Custom Tags(JSTL)

Authentication(Servlet Filter/

CAS)

Authorization(Kuali/Workflow) APC

RulesService

CustomAttributes

DocumentAuthorizer

Service

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Other Components• Notes and attachments

• Data dictionary driven help screens

• Question component for confirmation dialogs

• PojoProcessor plug-in for Struts form processing– Reuse business objects for automatic form

processing and field formatting

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Other Components

Document

MaintenanceDocument Financial

TransactionProcessingDocument

WorkflowIntegration

(Apache Axis)

Attachments(Java IO)

PersistenceServices

(OJB)

MaintenanceData

Dictionary(XML)

TransactionProcessing

DataDictionary

(XML)BusinessObject(POJO)

Lookups

Inquiries

BusinessObjectData

Dictionary(XML)

Data DictionaryServices

(XStream)

Custom Tags(JSTL)

Authentication(Servlet Filter/

CAS)

Authorization(Kuali/Workflow) APC

RulesService

CustomAttributes

DocumentAuthorizer

Service

Notes

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Lessons and Dirty Laundry

• Spring transaction management– Don’t mix transactional services with non-

transactional services

• Documentation – “great here, bad there”

• Some inter-module dependencies

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

KNS Future Potential

• Solves pattern problems in an elegant fashion

• Why just Kuali?

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Enablers

© 2006, The Trustees of Cornell University© 2006, The Trustees of Indiana University

Questions?

Technical Q&A SessionTuesday, 4/11 at 9:00AM

Aaron GodertDevelopment Manager

ag266@cornell.edu

Brian McGoughLead Architect

bmcgough@indiana.edu