In the business workflow model, when you invoke an MBO operation located on Unwired Server using a Submit action, you can specify synchronous behavior (the messaging application waits for a successful or failed response from Unwired Server before proceeding). From an MBO/EIS perspective, Unwired Server updates are asynchronous (the server does not wait for a response).
Some of the differences between messaging mobile applications and replicated mobile applications include:
- The MBOs included in the application are no different than any other MBO: same types of parameters, attributes, CDB caching, synchronization methods, and so on.
- There is no permanent storage of the message. For example, a workflow application consists of the MBO portion, which is managed by Unwired Server, and the message portion. The message portion of the application is the transient store and forward system to deliver the messages reliably between server and device client, and takes advantage of the capability to build messages on the fly and send to the interested devices with them having to explicilty know or request it.
This workflow example is a travel approval application that includes:
- A TravelRequest MBO that includes:
- dates, location, estimated costs, purpose, and a unique ID.
- status and comment – included in the MBO definition but implemented by the business process widget.
- An object query that returns a row based on the submitted ID.
- Two triggers:
- Sends an message to the approver when a new row is inserted into the MBO table.
- Notifies the requester when the status of the request has been updated by the approver.
- A business process widget that implements the status and comment portion of the application.
- An e-mail requesting travel is submitted.
- Depending on the data refresh schedule or the operation's cache policy, the cache in CDB will be updated.
- Triggers a message to the approver.
- The travel request is approved through e-mail.
- The EIS is updated with the approved information.
- Depending on the data refresh schedule or the operation's cache policy, the cache in the CDB is updated.
- The requester receives approval.