Other Key Concepts

Other key concepts for understanding mobility include object queries, synchronization parameters, result set filters, result checkers, and personalization keys.

Object queries – a SQL statement associated with a mobile business object (MBO) that runs on the client against data that was previously downloaded to the device. The object query returns a filtered result set (such as a single row of a table). Object queries enable discrete data handling.
Synchronization parameters – metadata that defines how the values provided by the device application client are used to filter data, which is downloaded to the device, to provide data of interest to the user. Synchronization parameters may be used to filter the cached data, or mapped to load parameters to filter the data that is cached for the MBO and then served to the client application.
Result-set filters – a Java API used to customize the data returned by an enterprise information system (EIS) operation. Developers can use result-set filters to alter or manipulate returned data and its structure before it is placed in the server's cache.
Result checkers – a Java API that implements operation execution checks, and error handling logic for the MBO operation. Developers can use result set checkers to implement customized error checking for MBOs, since not all MBOs use a standard error reporting technique.
Personalization keys – metadata that enables users to store their search preferences on the client, the server, or by session. The preferences narrow the focus of data retrieved by the mobile device (also known as the filtering of data between client and Unwired Server).

Often personalization keys are used to hold backend system credentials, so that they can be propagated to the EIS. To use a personalization key for filtering, it must be mapped to a synchronization parameter.

The developer can also define personalization keys for the application, and can use built-in personalization keys available in Unwired Server. Two key built-in personalization keys—username and password—can be used to perform single sign-on from the device application to the Unwired Server, authentication and authorization on Unwired Server, as well as connecting to the back-end EIS using the same set of credentials. The password is never saved on the server.